Contentment

Matt DeForrest

Active Member
I was struck by one of Corey’s observations about Tom Bombadill and contentment for what is, as compared to Hobbits and Humans. There does seem to be a thread of this in the work. Elves want an unchanging world, much as they are unchanging. Their Three Rings were made to prevent the passing of things. The other Free People, however, seem to not only accept change, they need and crave it. Dwarves shape raw materials. Humans are restless wanderers who worry about rank and empire.

Hobbits seem a bit of an odd mix of each, although they lean a little toward the restless humans. But the more they are adventurous, the closer they become with the elves (A Took, after all, was rumored to have taken a faerie bride. Perhaps the Bombadills sent a card.*)

Death is, of course, the big distinction here. I am reminded of the still, statue-like, contented communing between Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel after the War. There is peace there but one, I confess, I find alien. I would get antsy after a while.

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* A quick aside here: Is there any hint that there is a connection between the mystery Took and the beginnings of Bombadill? I am not suggesting they are the same but I suddenly wondered if one story could have inspired the other.
 
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