The fate of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth famously hinges on the pity of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Yet, there is more to explore about the mercy shown by the elder hobbit to his young cousin in adopting him. This painting, "Michel Delving in the Lithedays, 1390", not only gives us a view of the capitol of the Shire, but is meant as a study of Bilbo's ongoing history of essential pity and mercy.
Let's consider the plight of young Frodo shortly before this scene is laid. At the age of 12, he experienced the shocking loss of both parents and he had no brothers or sisters to comfort him. While I'm sure his Brandybuck relations in Buckland would have been kind to the orphaned lad, we know that Brandy Hall is such a crowded place that its inhabitants sometimes feel the need to escape it. It's a place where a sensitive, thoughtful young hobbit might easily be overlooked. In such an environment, Frodo might have grown up without the sense of being extremely special to loved ones that is such a key to a happy childhood.
Fortunately, cousin Bilbo is in need of an heir, and sees something in the lone lad that speaks to him. Perhaps Bilbo knows what it is like to stand a little apart from a throng and to be having quiet thoughts of your own, but no attentive listeners.
We hear so little about Bilbo bringing Frodo home to Bag End. This blank is an invitation to imagination. While a major difference between the two hobbits is that Bilbo secretly longs for his adventure while Frodo is only impelled to take to the road by duty, I think the younger hobbit would have been truly glad to become the companion of the elder. Frodo would have felt chosen, and Bag End has so much to recommend it. There would have been a chance to be useful to someone there. There would have been good company, an excellent table, a fine smial, a lovely garden, lots of free time for walking parties, and the opportunity for higher education. And there would have been Bilbo's stories.
Though Hobbiton neighbors had little time for tales of uncanny travels, can you picture a young Frodo listening in wonder to the source material for The Hobbit? I think Frodo would have grown to greatly admire his benefactor.
In this scene I've undertaken, we see some hints at the tenderness of Bilbo toward his new young charge. Frodo has just come to live with him and is only in his tweens. Might not Bilbo wonder to himself what he could do to alleviate any homesickness his cousin might be suffering after leaving Brandy Hall? Perhaps it would occur to the old hobbit that the Free Fair would be underway at Michel Delving - a small diversion to get Frodo's mind off the sad losses of his earlier years? And, a good excuse to outfit the youth with a fine new wardrobe befitting the heir to Bag End.
We see a Mr. Proudfoot bringing a bolt of rich green suiting cloth out into the light of his dooryard for careful consideration. Perhaps this could be made up into Frodo's first real grown-up coat. Perhaps they will then walk down to the booths and tents of the Free Fair on the White Downs to look for handsome buttons rather than waiting for a seller to arrive at the green door back home.
Michel Delving is full of activity this day, and in my study of the chalk downs of England, I found inspiration for the white roads and some of the buildings. We know from Professor Tolkien that, in addition to the many delvings, the hobbits here erected structures of brick, wood, and stone. Under the blossoming chestnuts, we see the Post, and a grocer's run by the Grubbs, and a candlemaker's run by the Chubbs. A beplumed shirriff sits outside the Bunce family's bakery enjoying a pie, while other families picnic on a village green and play bowls. The Mathom House down the road is quite fine, and there is an Inn in the distance where Bilbo and Frodo might put up for the night. A fingerpost points the way to the oak-crowned Town Hole and the Great East Road.
In The Hobbit, Bilbo's encounter with poor Gollum is a one-time test in which his choice of pity sets the chief events of The Lord of the Rings in motion. Is Bilbo's virtue innate? Pity doesn't seem to be an absolute given in hobbit culture, given Sam's different attitude about Gollum. This invites the question: how did young Frodo learn the pity he later shows? Apart from the instruction given by Gandalf to Frodo, I think he studied Bilbo. I think Bilbo would have displayed countless daily acts of consideration, like this imagined trip to Michel Delving. How many meals did he cook for the growing lad? How many hours did he spend teaching him? How many walks did he take with him? Bilbo's adoption of Frodo exemplifies sensitivity and mercy toward the realities of someone less fortunate. Even the smallest acts, like seeing that someone else is noticed, befriended, housed, fed, clothed, and offered education can amount to much.
I hope you will enjoy this video short of a perfect day in Michel Delving, and that you will join me in celebrating Bilbo's quality of mercy.