For years I admired J.R. R. Tolkien's ability to intrigue my imagination and entertain me. In The Hobbit, he captivated my greedy instincts with tales of treasure. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien charmed my conscious with the ultimate triumph of good over evil. For these efforts I was entertained, but never challenged or inspired. Until now.
Upon re-reading The Lord of the Rings I became fascinated with the weaving of the story. In popular mysteries/thrillers, plots come together with ease and understanding. Because the action occurs in the real world, everything must make sense. Though the imagination is stirred, it remains confined by the bounds of our world. Though the plot twists and turns, it does so for the purpose of entertaining us.
Tolkien took an alternative approach. Instead of entertaining the reader, Tolkien inspires him. Where contemporary authors write in one of two spheres (either wholly real or wholly fantasy), Tolkien combines the two and challenges us to make it work. The professor understood his works—fairy-stories he called them—were destined for children's hands. After all, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings made for excellent adolescent fantasies. Upon my first reading of these titles, I came to only a child-like understanding. And that was ok for then. Now, however, the second reading confronts me with challenges. I must come to terms with Gandalf's magical resurrection. I must wrestle with how Tom Bombadil wears the ring without falling under its spell. And what part does Tom Bombadil even play in the storyline? It is easy to attribute such questions to fancy and claim they were never meant to be reasoned. Yet, Middle Earth is not so much different than the lands we occupy. Agency vs. destiny. Good vs. evil. Friendship vs. selfishness. Such struggles are human and are applicable to our earth as well as Middle Earth.
Thus, if Tolkien's work combines fantasy and reality, our challenge is to decipher in which category certain characters and actions belong. Furthermore, we are to be inspired by characters like Tom Bombadil whose presence makes little sense. When we reason his existence, then we come close to the author's intent and his understanding. Happy reading.