Bombadil's Role in the Lord of the Rings (Tom Bombadil) (Character Overview)

When J.R.R. Tolkien began to plan a sequel to The Hobbit, his thoughts first turned to Tom Bombadil. His publisher, Stanley Unwin, had urged him to follow up the success of The Hobbit, but Tolkien was initially at a loss as to how to continue in the same vein. In mid-October, 1937 he wrote Unwin saying, "I cannot think of anything more to say about hobbits" (Letters 24). In casting about for another sort of suitable character his thoughts turned to Tom Bombadil, the hero of Tolkien's curious poem "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil." In mid-December 1937, he sent Unwin a copy of the poem and wrote to explain that the fun of hobbits was all used up and that he would have to pursue something different. Tolkien soon found, however, that he did have a great deal more to say about hobbits after all. Still, he managed keep his original idea in play. He enlarged the portrait of Tom Bombadil and used his "spirit" to express an idea of primary moment to the story of The Lord of the Rings.