IGN.com TheOneRing.net Newbie Guide
Lord of the Rings Tolkien
Search Tolkien
Lord of the Rings Movie News - J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings Movie News - J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

Lord of the Rings Movie News - J.R.R. Tolkien
Links
Home
The Movies
Spy Reports
Features
Barlimans
Discussion
Main
Reading Room
Movie Discussion
The Arena
Gaming
Feedback
Fan Section
Gaming Havens
Green Books
Community
Shop
Newbie Guide
Archives
Site Info
TBHL

<<< - << Prev | Reading Room | Next >> - >>>
Message Thread - Collate Replies - Post a Reply - FAQ

Nick: Curious (Registered User)
Date/Time: Tue, 12/14/2004 at 15:09 EDT (Tue, 12/14/2004 at 13:09 CST)
Browser/OS: Microsoft Internet Explorer V5.5 using Windows 98
In Reply To: Things go awfully smoothly for old Tom  <squire >  [12/14/2004 @ 14:36]  (1/3)
Subject:
Himself.  He is his own master.
Message:

Heck, nobody works in Middle-earth, as far as I can tell, least of all immortal spirits like Tom and Goldberry.  The rain does not touch him because it is Goldberry's rain -- it is her "washing day."  Tom is not the master of the Ring, and yet the Ring is not Tom's master either.  Thus just because someone cannot harm Tom does not mean he is their master.

In "The Shadow of the Past" Tolkien says "Frodo himself, after the first shock, found that being his own master and the Mr. Baggins of Bag End was rather pleasant."  What does Tolkien mean by that?  Note that he divides the titles: Frodo is (1) "his own master" and (2) "the Mr. Baggins of Bag End."  It is in the latter role that Frodo has servants, although the only ones we see are the Gaffer and Sam.  But when Tolkien calls Frodo "his own master" he is not saying anything about the relationship between Frodo and Sam.  Instead he is saying that now that Bilbo is gone, Frodo may do as he please. 

Of course in a metaphorical sense that is not true; we will soon learn that Frodo must serve Someone, and in that sense perhaps Tom serves Someone as well.  But not in the sense that Frodo does when he is on his quest, or Gandalf does when he is the messenger of the Valar.  No, Tom is as free and easy as Frodo before his quest, or Gandalf after he has handed off stewardship to King Elessar.  Tom is his own master, free and easy. 

Far freer, by the way, than he would be if he had servants to look after.  For if we are going to call on medieval traditions, we must remember the tradition of noblesse oblige.  King Elessar was in one sense the master of all that he surveyed -- but he was not his own master, for he was also responsible for all that he surveyed.


“I dislike Allegory - the conscious and intentional allegory - yet any attempt to explain the purport of myth or fairytale must use allegorical language.  (And, of course, the more 'life' a story has the more readily will it be susceptible of allegorical interpretations: while the better a deliberate allegory is made the more nearly will it be acceptable just as a story.)” (From Tolkien Letter # 131.)

Tips for posting in the Reading Room.

Password to delete message:  



TheOneRing.net Rumour Mill's RPGBoard script (V2.22) was created by Brendan Byrd/SineSwiper of Resonator Software.  It is copylefted under the conditions of the GNU Public License (GPL).  It can be freely distributed and modified as long as it retains its GPL status. 


home | contact us | back to top | site map | search | join list | Content Rating

This site is maintained and updated by fans of The Lord of the Rings, and is in no way affiliated with Tolkien Enterprises or the Tolkien Estate. We in no way claim the artwork displayed to be our own. Copyrights and trademarks for the books, films, articles, and other promotional materials are held by their respective owners and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Law. Design and original photography however are copyright © 2000 TheOneRing®.net. TheOneRing® is a registered service mark with exclusive right to grant use assigned to The One Ring, Inc. Unique Design by DesignHeroes.com