The Trickster in LotR

[Essex]

Littlemanpoet

As Child says, TB seems more like some kind of being at home and at one with nature, or at least his little corner of Middle Earth.

As I just pointed out on the "bombadil's influence" thread (and as Lyta alludes to in the visible souls thread), Tom IS Mother Nature itself.

If we see Tom as Mother Nature, then a lot of the Trickster's traits can be applied.

Does Mother Nature seem Good? We exist on a little planet of molten rock and water in the middle of nowhere on the edge of the Galaxy. Look at the biosphere that we're held in. isn't this mother nature's force of Good, to give us all Life on what would otherwise be a god forsaken rock?

Does Mother Nature seem Evil? Of course, look at what happened on Boxing Day last year.......

Then we have the point that the Trickster does not understand the difference between Good and Evil. Maybe 'understand' is the wrong word, but it could be replaced by 'is impartial to'. But then, Tom saves the Hobbits from Old Man Willow and the Barrow Wights. So isn't he taking the side of 'Good' here? I believe this is why Tom will always be an Enigma, inasmuch as he is impossible to clarify, much as Tolkien would of wanted methinks.

PS Off at a tangent, but someone mentioned in this thread that Tom has no real connection with the rest of the story. As always, I refute this, because if the Hobbits had not travelled through the Old forest, on to Tom, and therefore onto the Barrow, then Sauron would have Won. (I've explained why loads of times before on this site, so I won't bore you again!)