the contradictions if we realize that Tom's pacifism is the key to his
immunity, or to his "power," if you want to call it that, although it is not
power over anyone but himself. To ask him to "use" his "power" against
Sauron mistakes the very nature of his power. The moment Tom breaks what
Tolkien calls (in letter 144) his "'vow of poverty'" and attempts to control
events, he will lose his immunity, and his appearance of power. Tom is
immune to the Ring because he has renounced control, but he has no power over
the Ring, and would not be able to control it -- the Ring would leave him the
way it left Isildur and Gollum.
Tom is an idealistic figure, for he has truly incredible faith.
Renouncing control is no easy feat, and Tolkien recognized that. Frodo
only became capable of it by miraculously escaping martyrdom. Gandalf
became capable of it by dying and coming back to life. And Aragorn only
became capable of it at the end of his long life. It is the path of
saints and martyrs, or priest figures in a land without priests. It is
not the path for everyone, no matter how heroic -- it is not the path of the
conventional hero like Aragorn, Sam, Merry, or
Pippin.
“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.)
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