311: Tolkien's Leaf by Niggle and Farmer Giles of Ham

The boys drink and review Sweet Baby Banana by DuClaw, then discuss two short works by Tolkien. In this latest installment of their "shortcut to the classics" series, Longinus joins Pigweed and Crowhill to review these two interesting stories. Niggle is a quiet little man who would like to spend his life on his grand work, which was a painting of a tree. His neighbor, Parish, keeps interrupting him with irritating requests. Niggle helps Parish when he can, but fails to prepare for a long journey, and is caught unawares when the day comes. The story can be interpreted as an allegory about death, Purgatory, and the beatific vision. It also touches on the legacy of a man and his art, and man as a subcreator. Farmer Giles is a much sillier story about a simple man who becomes the unlikely local hero that scares away a giant and defeats a dragon, with the help of a magical sword and a talking dog. These stories illustrate two different elements of Tolkien's writing: philosophical seriousness, and light, silly writing.