Family Matters

[Tirinor]

Tolkien seems to treat the family structure with the greatest respect. Rarely, does he let a character forsake the responsibility of a family for other responsibilities or advenures. Aragorn, for instance, wasn't allowed to divide his efforts between a family and his quest. You could say that Gandalf doesn't have time for a family, but you might equally say that if he had a family, he wouldn't have time for saving middle-earth.

Radagast, on the other hand, appears to have forsaken his quest, if indeed his quest was similar to Gandalf and Saruman's. So it MIGHT be possible that Radagast had taken a wife and thereby restructured his priorities.

Another possibility regardinG Gandalf, and I believe it is the only way that it could work if it must work at all, is that Gandalf and his wife would both be so mature that the level of family responsibility would be at such a managable level that he would also be able to responsibly pursue his quest. Wouldn't that be nice! The best of both worlds! But I believe that Tolkien's view of humanity and families would restrict this possibility to, at most, the supernatural, and perhaps those of the highest and most noble breeding.


off the subject:
Does Tolkien ever mention female dwarves?