Do we like Frodo Baggins?
A character from The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955)
Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's a small, ordinary hobbit who takes on a burden nobody else can bear, and he stays kind and merciful while it wears him down.
Frodo is a comfortable, well-read hobbit living at Bag End in the Shire. He inherits the house and a curious golden ring from his adoptive uncle Bilbo. The ring turns out to be the One Ring, the weapon of the Dark Lord Sauron, who is searching for it. Frodo sets out from home with his gardener and friend Sam and a small group of companions to get it out of danger.
He isn't a warrior, a wizard or a king, and he knows it. What he has is stubborn decency, a sharp mind, and a willingness to volunteer when no one else will. The Ring, which feeds on power and desire, struggles to get a grip on someone who mostly wants a quiet life, good food and his friends. His defining trait is compassion. He treats even his enemies as people whose fate matters, and that mercy shapes the whole story.
He isn't perfect. The Ring's weight makes him tired, suspicious and withdrawn, and he leans heavily on Sam. That is the reason for the score. He gets a 9 because he does something hard and good at great personal cost, and because he's very human (or very hobbit) about it. He loses a point because the Ring does take its toll on him.
At the very end, at the edge of Mount Doom, the Ring finally overpowers Frodo's will and he claims it for himself. The quest is only completed because of the mercy he showed earlier and because of Sam's loyalty. Frodo comes home to the Shire, but the wounds from his journey never fully heal. He eventually sails west to the Undying Lands to find peace.