we must remember what Tolkien himself said regarding Tom when thinking of the him as a link between LOTR and the Hobbit; (something to this effect) "I put him in because i had already invented him."
Tom was a favourite chacter of his, and in a way it did link LOTR to the children's book that was the hobbit. Tom existed before the Lord Of The Rings had even begun to take shape.
__________________
'A thinking tyrant, it seemed to Vetinari, had a much harder job than a ruler raised to power by some idiot system like democracy. At least HE could tell the people he was THEIR fault.'
|