Telling the hobbits that clothes “are but little loss,” he adds that they should cast off the ragged remnants of their clothing and run naked on the grass. Such an appeal to public nudity seems odd, perhaps scandalous, and is certainly open to misunderstanding in our post-Freudian, sex-obsessed culture. So what is one to make of this latest enigmatic twist in Tom’s perplexing personality? Is there something weird about him in a very unpleasant sense? Again, we needn’t worry. We know from the weaving of Tolkien’s tale that Tom is not only honest and honorable but also innocent and wise. Indeed,
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