| Re: Tom Bombadil
I think Tolkien included Tom Bombadil to bring hope and sustenance to his hobbits, as I think he does throughout their journey. The story begins in the innocent, happy Shire, then there is a period of fear in the fleeing of the hobbits from the Nazgul, then Tom Bombadil provides the first key moment of hope/sustenance, then the fear/darkness continues with the barrow-wights and Weathertop, then another period of hope/sustenance at Rivendell, then Moria, then Lothlorien... I'm not so sure if the pattern continues in the other books but I think in FOTR this is the case. |