"In the House of Tom Bombadil" - Eric's Thoughts

Well, I’ve fallen behind in my blogging, but I finally read about Tom’s house.

This chapter clearly should have been cut. Tom just doesn’t really fit into the narrative structure, and a modern reader demands a better payoff for this much time spent introducing a character. Tom is mentioned once in the Council of Elrond, but then ceases to matter.

But nevertheless the chapter is here, and so, plot structure and overall scope aside, I will review it on its own merits, ignoring the overall arc inconsistency.

The descriptions and writing are very good, with some great passages of description. I particularly liked Goldberry’s description:

In a chair, at the far side of the room facing the outer door, sat a woman. Her long yellow hair rippled down her shoulders; her gown was green, green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots. About her feet in wide vessels of green and brown earthen-ware, white water-lilies were floating, so that she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool.

Now, in regard to plot structure for the chapter itself, Frodo and company say hello to Goldberry, they eat honey, go to sleep—nightmares occur—they wake up and it’s raining, Tom tells them stories, then they go to bed. Not much happening in terms of plot, so one thought I had is that this chapter might have served as a rest chapter after a particularly intense scene. But the Old Man Willow confrontation (the prior chapter) just didn’t do it for it, so this chapter (following the slowest and weakest chapter) in the book made me feel antsy.

In regard to characters, the first question is, what are Tom and Goldberry? Tom is (the text says Tom is, likened to God is), so we know that he’s something more than just a guy. But we knew that already, since he sang a song and Old Man Willow responded. To me he represents the earth itself, unaffected and uncaring of the lusts of man. However, I’m not sure if this is congruent with the living forests that Tom describes, where the Trees have feelings and feel malice towards the walking people and Hobbits. Old Man Willow supposedly represents this malice, as the Willow had exercised dominion over the Old Forest.

So since Trees have malice, maybe that makes Tom the dirt that the trees grow in? I can argue this thesis because (1) trees need dirt and (2) we know that Goldberry is water. In regard to the first point, that trees need dirt, the fact that the Old Man Willow needs dirt probably explains why Tom can order him about. And for the second point, Goldberry rains down on the house, so she is water and represents the feminine that interacts with the dirt, which are married and intertwined. So since we know Tom doesn’t include trees, and isn’t water, he must be dirt.

This symbolism is very poetic and all, but how does any of that matter? How does it make sense when Trees have malice? These questions kept running through my head as I was reading.

Definitely the best moment of the whole chapter occurred when Tom takes the ring, and the ring stretches to fit his finger, and he puts it on and doesn’t vanish. This tells you that Tom transcends the desires and lusts of Man and Hobbit, and even of lesser gods like Gandalf. He is, and is unaffected by the ring. (So maybe the ring doesn’t affect dirt?)

Frodo puts the ring on, and disappears, and Tom can see him. Perhaps Tom’s power is greater than Sauron’s? What if Sauron had won, would his power extend into Tom’s domain? These are questions I don’t have answers to, and really it’s always up to the author anyway, so anything is possible.

I think if a high school teacher graded this particular blog for a grade s/he would say: “Unfocused thesis, sarcastic, and lacks any insight whatsoever.” In response to that I say: Thank goodness I’m not in high school anymore. I don’t have to worry about that stuff.