Status Updates From In the House of Tom Bombadil

“Paradoxically, it’s because Tom knows where he ends and other people begin that he’s free. He knows his limits.”

"So, has Tom redeemed a water spirit? I can’t say. All I can say is he’s brought one home, and they seem happy enough. But I suspect that this is what Goldberry had always hoped for anyway. Perhaps that’s the best description of redemption—the fulfillment of a longing, long suppressed. If that’s so, then Tom truly is a master."

Favorite paragraph from today - "Throughout The Lord of the Rings the Good Professor is careful to distinguish Dominion from Domination. We need to learn how to distinguish them for ourselves, because very often they get blended in unprincipled and tendentious ways. So, here’s my point in a nutshell: Tom is an image of what true dominion looks like."

2026 reread: I decided to read this as prep for my 2026 LOTR reread and im looking forward to loving this short book all over again