I have loved the Lord of the Rings novels for over 20 years. It is a story that describes great battles, tremendous heroism, deep sentiment, and the immortal struggle of good against evil. evil. Many of the characters for better or worse are larger than life, as is only fair in an epic tale.
Throughout the book, however, there are some characters that leave us unsatisfied. Fredegar Bolger is one of those characters whose story is overshadowed by others. Fredegar, called Fatty by others, was also one of Frodo’s closest friends. He was so close to Frodo that he actually helped the guy move. If there’s a greater indicator of kinship than that, I don’t know what it would be. It takes a special kind of friendship to choose to move someone’s dining set, especially Bilbo’s heir, the rather eccentric and richest hobbit in Hobbiton. Can you imagine how much shit Hobbit Howard Hughes could have?
Fatty was one of Frodo’s closest friends. He had the chance to join the hobbits on their journey to Rivendell. But he did not. Fatty was paralyzed with fear. Keep in mind that Fatty knew that the Black Riders were following them and would soon find him if he stayed. But Fatty was still afraid of the dark things that were rumored to live in the Old Forest. With rumors being the only evidence of him, his fear of the unknown even came to outweigh his fear of the more than terrifying ringwraiths even though they were completely evil.
It wasn’t just fear that had Fatty. Her love for the Shire bound him like strong chains to his home. The Lord of the Rings is a tale that celebrates adventure. It is an epic story where ordinary people are forced by events to do extraordinary things. But to transcend conventional limitations, characters must take chances, endure, strive, and sometimes lose. For most of us, home is familiar. The home is comfortable. The home is safe. It is unlikely that you will ever have to risk or endure from the comfort of your own couch. But opportunity rarely makes house calls. You have to get out there if you want to make a difference.
Fatty Bolger’s story gives us a hint of what Frodo’s life might have been like if his fear and love of the shire had outweighed his appetite for adventure. Frodo could have stayed home and enjoyed the last few days while he waited for the dark powers to capture him. It’s easy to forget that no day was so pleasant for Frodo once he walked out the door on his epic journey.
But here too, Fatty’s experience still informs us. The Nazgul came and Fatty narrowly escaped but then he was imprisoned by Saruman and he was so hungry no one could properly call him Fatty anymore. Fatty’s fate proves that you can’t hide from history. Despite all his difficulties, what was his reward? He was so nondescript that his story was cut from the script.
Fatty, in the end, became a footnote in what might have been the greatest epic tale ever written. You can try to make your mark or you can be left at the mercy of everyone else trying to make theirs. There is nothing wrong with a humble life, but if you have a burning desire within you to make a difference, you should aim higher.