Tom and the Ring

[Lincoln Alpern]

In last night's discussion, we spent a good chunk of time discussing the scene where Tom looks through the Ring and makes it disappear, and how, by ridiculing the Ring and the evil it stands for, he's trying to impart a message to Frodo.

But I think this sequence also sets up the conversation in the Council of Elrond, where Tom is considered as a potential keeper of the Ring, and ultimately passed over, because even though it probably couldn't corrupt him, he'd likely lose it or give it away. In this chapter, we see that, yes, for all Tom's power and his incorruptible spirit, he probably would be an irresponsible guardian for the Ring precisely because he thinks so little of it, and doesn't take it seriously.

 

[Merrydey]

Tom doesn't take sides. He also takes no responsibility. He is master because nothing has power over him, but he chooses not to have power over anything (except maybe the grass and plants around his house, but I imagine he asks their cooperation, not demands it). Or perhaps Goldberry is the gardener. She would have influence over plants, being daughter of the river and a flower spirit.