Frodo's initial delay in leaving the Shire: What does it mean?

[Child of the 7th Age]

Firefoot - An excellent reminder of one of Tolkien's definite limitations and how he may have shared it, intentionally or unintentionally, with his chief Ringbearer.

Thanks to both of you -- Helen and Firefoot --for reminding me of a very simple but important human trait. Perhaps there was no deep and mysterious reason. Perhaps our hobbit hero merely was the kind of person who tended to procrastinate, a characteristic that Tolkien understood all too well.

Now I know why I like Frodo Baggins and Tolkien so much! Perhaps the three of us do share something in common. Forget the lure of evil or anything as elaborate as that. Give me good old procrastination any day!

Seriously, though, I am reminded of Clyde Kilby's book and his interviews on the net where he discusses his visit to Tolkien one summer. He had promised to help JRRT get the manuscript of the Silmarillion in shape. Needless to say, week after week went by, and they had a lovely time together but the Silmarillion never saw the light of day.

Kilby mentions how meticulous the author was about responding to mail from readers of his book, and that took away time from other pursuits. Also, Tolkien was highly distractable, seeming to flit from one topic to the next. Or perhaps it was more than that.....with such an eclectic and energetic mind, the author hated to stay focused on just one thing.

In any case, when you put it in these terms, I am definitely sympathetic. I have a long list of things I promised various people to do or write, and a great many of them are still sitting on my desk, or at the fringes of my mind!