I don't think I denied Bombadil's power to defend himself and the hobbits from
Old Man Willow and the Barrow-wight. My point was that he did not demand
service from others, or consider himself their master. Nor did he plan to
meet the hobbits, at least not if we believe what he says to them. If
there was a power behind that coincidence, it was not Bombadil but a Higher
Power.
“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.
