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Why, SpM, it is a pleasure to see you taking up my point in the the third post here about the value of the Maggots.
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Hehe. When bereft of original thought, simply pass someone else's off as your own.
(It was wholly unintentional, I can assure you.
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Well, I for one would be very happy to have neighbours such as Farmer and Mrs. Maggot. Their hospitality, nay, even more, their courage and active support, says much positive to me about The Shire.
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Funnily enough, it is Maggot's Hobbitish parochial nature (a quality that has been commented on negatively in earlier discussions) which, at least in part, leads him to distrust this "outlandish" outlander. As I think has been mentioned before, though, it seems somehow incongruous that someone so insular (as evidenced in his comments on the folk of Hobbiton) should have dealings with a strange fellow like Tom Bombadil.
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It would probably be well to point out, if the image is not too earthy for some, that maggots, the creatures, eat dead flesh.
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For this reason, maggots were (and indeed still are) used to clean wounds. Would it be going too far to suggest that this might be symbolic of the safe haven the Maggots offer after the Hobbits' harrowing journey? (Answer = probably.
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