What is Tom Bombadil doing in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings? His bright blue coat and yellow boots seem out of place with the grandeur of the rest of the narrative.

Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry are a small glimpse of the perfect beauty, harmony, and happy ending that we all yearn for in our hearts. To understand Tom Bombadil is to understand more of Tolkien and his deeply Christian vision of the world.