The Structure of The Lord of the Rings

[littlemanpoet]

So, Hobbits live in harmony, without much knowledge of the outside world. It's a paradise like state. When Frodo embarks on his quest, he gradually learns more of the world and thereby of himself. He becomes self-conscious, as we see at the end of the Fellowship when he gets the clear insight that he has to fulfill this task alone.

- Ivo

I think that was the sole purpose of Tom Bombadil.

- Boromir88

Ah, words fraught with peril, Boromir88. There have been enough threads explicating enough other purposes for Tom Bombadil that any such claim is greeted with a knowing smile. For example:

The wrong kinds of details

Another one is "It feels different in the Shire", which I can't seem to find with a search. Maybe someone else can help find it?

That said, I think your main point of the Hobbits' growth from dependency to capability is quite apt. I find it interesting that Tolkien only puts juvenilian satire in the mouth of the arrogant Boromir, while he puts much horatian satire in everything having to do with Hobbits.

I wonder if Tolkien was a satiric writer.

In a word, Yes. Check out Farmer Giles of Ham. You will be convinced just what a rip-roaring satirist Tokien can be, poking fun at Oxford philologists, no less (in other words, at himself), the noble class, and much else. Smith of Wootton Major has a certain degree of satire, as does Leaf by Niggle. If you have not read these works, you have new treasures to discover among Tolkien's short(ish) stories.

Ivo:

(plotwise it sucks)

What!?!



Wanna explain your thinking? It's one of my favorite sections.