Tom or Tolkein?

“Who are you, Master?” Frodo asks in the passage from “In the House of Tom Bombadil,” subsequently breaking open a space for our class discussion.

Sub-creation, Tom Bombadil’s place in The Lord of the Rings and his absence in the movie version was widely discussed in our Zoom classroom on Wednesday. From whether or not Tom should have been included in the movies, to whether he was supposed to be seen as a version of Christ, we covered him and his passage thoroughly. In this scene, Tom Bombadil relates to the hobbits, who just got out of a rough encounter with Old Man Willow, his life full of journey’s around their world. To our class, Tom was either seen as a Godly/Jesus-y figure or perhaps Tolkien himself. I believe that Tom Bombadil is more of a stand-in for Tolkien himself, rather than a religious figure, despite Tolkien’s background. I think Tolkien reveals his own presence in the telling excerpt we read from the book.

Tom comes into the mise-en-scene with a good attitude, erupting with poems and songs as well as a pleasant relationship with his wife Goldberry. These details help explain his presence in the story. Tolkien’s description of Goldberry demonstrates an effort to show beauty in her character. “Her long yellow hair rippled down her shoulders…set with the pale blue eyes of forget-me-nots” (134). There is a tenderness to the way he described her. While this might be the result of his talent, I think it digs to a place slightly deeper. When he was writing the story, Tolkien was married to Edith Bratt. Edith is sometimes referred to as his muse, inspiring many of his works (History Collection). Her effect on his writing is most notable in his works such as The Silmarillion (History Collection). They were married up until her death in 1971. However, Goldberry’s character may have also been a reflection of Edith, revealing his personal fairy tale. The relationship between the two characters echoes a happily married J. J. Ronald and Edith. If they had a sexual relationship, that too would further distance themselves from Christ figurines, despite his devout Christianity. “Leaf by Niggle,” helped demonstrate his Christianity. Niggle is a struggling artist who stumbles across heaven by finding the tree he was painting, in what is seen as a perfect world.

Tom Bombadil proves himself an adept storyteller, enchanting the Hobbits for two nights with tales from his travels and life. Tom’s story within the greater framework of the novel, suggests another connection to Tolkien. The passage demonstrates that fairy stories are not just meant for children, as they contained both good and bad endings and beginnings – too scary for the ordinary free folk children. It may be argued that it seems like he is talking to children in a way, because the hobbits size and their experience in the world is far less than Tom himself. But, as Tolkien says in “On Fairy-Stories,” “The value of fairy-stories is thus not, in my opinion, to be found by considering children in particular,” (5), so the hobbits must be considered as men, as Tolkien himself would. And they are men, enjoying a fairy-tale, which is certainly a nod to Tolkien’s opinion on “On Fairy Stories.” Tolkien himself is obviously a master storyteller, reflecting similarities between him and Tom. Tom lays out a blueprint of what the Hobbits may face later, speaking of fortresses and heights, acting a bit like foreshadowing, as Bilbo’s presence in the beginning did for Frodo. Regardless, Tolkien follows that blueprint and creates, through sub-creation, an entire world in 6 books. I also thought it was interesting that some believed Tom acted as a transition from The Hobbit to this greater world he is introducing.

What struck me was Tom’s personality that matched his green stockings. While Tom told a story, he would turn to song, and he would “dance about” (140), a highly unusual way of acting. His stories acted like a movie montage, “leaping up the young stream…over pebbles and worn rocks” (141) as Tolkien describes. I read him as being a happy and likable character, despite having several war stories underneath his belt. In terms of being likable, I think Tolkien would want his reflection to be likable. If his reflection is Tom as I say, he would want to be liked, most probably. Unless of course, they wouldn’t. I am not sure what J. R. R. Tolkien was like in real life, but if his personality was known to be bubbly, Tom and his connection would be even tighter.

After Frodo asks Tom who he is, Tom responds with “Don’t you know my name yet? That’s the only answer,” (142). Tom goes on to talk about how he was “here before the river and the trees, Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn.” I think this also suggests that Tolkien is Tom. He was the only one who came before everything else. He created the world we are in as readers, acting as a sub-creator, making a world of his own. He created the world and the first man to set foot in it was him.

Another aspect that we didn’t discuss as much in class was how Lord of the Rings was an escape from the industrialism, as mentioned in “On Fairy Stories.” Industrialism was happening all around Tolkien and England at the time. Industrialism has a lack of beauty, whereas the story does, helped by its fantasy elements.

In summary, Tom is Tolkien (They even share the same letter, “T!”) as they both are storytellers. This passage sticks out from the rest which is presumably why Peter Jackson removed the part in the movies, but it is actually a crucial part of the story because it’s the only time we get to see Tolkien’s hand in his craft.

https://historycollection.co/how-jrr-tolkiens-relationship-with-edith-bratt-inspired-and-echoed-a-tale-of-middle-earth/

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