Tolkien & the Great War

[mark12_30]

postscript for Davem...

Can we really speculate on what becomes of Frodo in the West? What would a 'healed' Frodo be like? What he had been before the Quest? But then what kind of person would he have been? & would the 'healing' he recieved be the healing he had wished for? He had grown, but what he had grown into was something he had had no say in, something forced on him. He was made into something other, different, maybe from a spiritual perspective, a 'better' person, but is it what he would have wanted?

Going out on a limb here. First let me say that biblically, I personally do not believe (at all) in purgatory. I see no scriptural support for it whatsoever.

However, it is clear that Tolkien believed in it, and it is clear in his letters that he believed Frodo was going to both a purgatory and a reward. (I find this hard to imagine! ...but, to continue...) Hence if we are going to look for some indication of what TOlkien thought would happen to Frodo, I think we should look at TOlkien's other writings, specifically Leaf By Niggle.

Niggle went to a purgatory, and there, found healing, hope, and wholeness, not to mention enlightenment. (Seen in that light, Tolkien's "purgatory" looks like part of heaven. And indeed, he seems to think along those lines, if he thinks of sending Frodo to Tol Eressea is a "purgatory"?)

So... food for thought. Can we guess what Frodo would have become once he was healed? In TOlkien's view, we can consider Niggle. Peace, revelation, hope, and a confidence that The Undiscovered Country is the place to be...

(A side note: I find some similarity between TOlkine's view of purgatory and George MacDonald's view of the Long Sleep. Interesting; I think that despite seriously missing out on scriptural continuity, they both nonetheless discern God's heart long-term for his children.)