The chapter begins with an interaction with Mark Egginton,
an occasional member of the Tolkien Society (TS) who now stocks shelves at a
chain Supermarket. Ethan meets Egginton at an Annual general Meeting for the TS
in Chester, England. The men in the meeting debate passionately about specific
Tolkien topics. Egginton talks about his view of “escapism” and how it is an
essential part of life. As Ethan takes the “Tolkien Trail," the first thing he
learns is that, one needs to believe that fantasy is possible without believing
it is real. Meeting Egginton makes Ethan feel normal because he feels that he had
personally moved on from these fantasies that included Tolkien. Ethan questions
whether a person, like Egginton, who is so devoted to Middle-Earth, is in
fact disconnected from the planet his is standing on. Ethan does not judge the
man in a bad way, but rather questions his wisdom and devotion to figure out his
own identity. Is he still a fantasy freak and a gaming geek, or has he moved
on? The chapter then briefly focuses on J.R.R. Tolkien, who is labeled as “the
original geek” who focused on philology. Tolkien did not create a new genre of
fantasy and magic, but happened to be the “right author at the right time”
(37).
When Ethan was finished with the Tolkien Society, he takes a
train to Oxford. At Oxford University he realizes that they do not praise their
ex-teacher for any of his legacy. While walking on the street, Ethan runs into
his father’s long time friend, David. Ethan shares the beginning of his journey
with David and his encounter with Egginton. David is a good contrast to the
other characters in this chapter because fantasy and the Lord of the Rings books did not grab him, as it had the others. This gives Ethan the
opportunity to describe why these stories were important to him. He mentions
that Tolkien did not drive and thus, had nowhere to go except into his own
mind. Later, when Ethan is in his room, he reads passages from The Fellowship of the Ring and reflects upon the day and decides to write all the reasons why people would be attracted
to Tolkien/fantasy books and games. Lastly, Ethan visits Tolkien’s house and
tombstone.
By Lee Glicklich
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