Like the white rabbit, I arrive, if a bit late.
I have not much to add to what's been said already about this chapter and how it rounds out the mini-story of Tom and Goldberry. I had never considered before how entirely self-contained this adventure is, nor had it even dawned upon me that it's possible to read these three chapters as a redaction of the creation music that underlies ME: very interesting.
The thing that I did notice about the structure of these three chapters is how we have Tom and Goldberry's house 'between' or in the middle of life (the Old Forest) and death (the wights). This, I think, goes a long way in expanding upon Tom's association with nature -- that is, he
is a nature spirit, or the spirit of nature, insofar as we find his abode at the meeting place between life and death. He has power over both, as well, and is dismayed by neither. The interesting thing about the incident with the barrow wight, however, is that he does become melancholy for the first an only time we see him. The adventure with Old Man Willow left him entirely unaffected, but his moment of memory with the brooch that he finds is extraordinarily touching (indeed, it inspired an entire thread in this forum that was wonderful fun to lurk on!).
I think that this shift in Tom's mood is explained by the fact that at the end of this chapter, as the hobbits move through death and, thus, 'complete' the natural cycle, they leave the timeless realm of nature, and emerge once more upon the Road, which is the realm of history. This reminds me of another thread I started a while back about Roads and Rings, in which we talked about how the structure of the book is defined by cyclical events and patterns ordered along the linear movement of the Road. Here's an example I'm not even sure we talked about! The adventure with Tom and Goldberry explores the natural circle/cycle as the hobbits move through and from life (and all of a sudden, I'm seeing OMW as a weird kind of womb) and then death, under the guidance and protection of Tom. At the end, though, they have to resume their journey. The moment when they get back to the Road and remember the Black Riders is a chilling reminder that life is not defined by the kinds of adventures that they've had with Tom, which are interludes that aren't connected to the 'larger' historical concerns that overwhelm them. It's notable, too, I think that as soon as they get back into history Frodo must remind them of his false identity -- it's as though once back in the 'real world' of the Road, one's own individuality is under threat: in the unrelenting sweep of history that is catching them up, the greatest threat to Frodo is to his very sense of self.
The end of this chapter is, I agree, entirely in keeping with the pattern of adventure and safe haven. But what about the description of Goldberry as they leave her; is it just me, or does this sound almost exactly like the Fellowship's parting sight of Galadriel?
Quote:
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She was standing still watching them, and her hands were stretched out towards them. As they looked she gave a clear call, and lifting up her hand she turned and vanished behind the hill.
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So now they've looked back and bid farewell like this to Mrs. Maggot and now Goldberry -- I'm going to keep following this pattern.