A synopsis of Leaf by Niggle, by J. R. R. Tolkien: Niggle is an unsuccessful painter whose favorite subjects are leaves. He decides one day that he will attempt to paint an entire tree. As a trip he can’t get out of approaches, he is afraid his piece will not be finished due to unavoidable distractions. A chaperone for his journey comes to take him away, and he is put in a workhouse where he remains for some time. From there he is brought to a field which he and his neighbor are tasked with landscaping. In this story, “leaving” represents death and the “journey” is his time in purgatory.
Wizards, hobbits, and evil orcs are what J. R. R. Tolkien is famous for. But, one of his stories is just as captivating without these fantastical characters. It comes in the form of a novella. Leaf by Niggle is a deep piece full of symbolism and thought. Tolkien finished writing it in 1939 and had it published in the Dublin Review in January of 1945. The story was inspired by his then current life situation and his fears about the future. Leaf by Niggle can be analyzed in three areas: the Christian themes throughout it; how it reflects the author’s life; and the similarities between it and other stories by Tolkien, such as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
First, there are many parts of the story that relate to Christian ideas. The journey that Niggle must go on is a metaphor for the journey to heaven that one takes when one dies. He tries to put off the trip and does not know when he will be called. Many signs, such as the slowing down of visitors and the gossip about his possible soon departure, indicate that he must be very ill. Niggle himself knows he must leave soon but neglects to prepare and ends up being caught off guard at the time of parting. When Niggle does pass, he is put in a workhouse where he stays until he lets go of his anger and stress about life. After accepting his situation, he is allowed to move on. This represents the Catholic Christian idea of Purgatory where one makes up for one’s sins before being brought into heaven. As Niggle continues on, he is learning about what is truly important and even makes peace with his former colleague from earth. He and Parish, his old friend, collaborate on finishing a landscape of trees and plants using Niggle’s creative designs and Parish’s knowledge of gardening. Among this work is Niggle’s tree, appearing in its full magnificence beyond what he had imagined in his final days. This shows that God makes us complete and perfect. Upon finishing the countryside scene, Niggle decides to continue on to the mountains. He is ready to move closer to heaven through an unexplored land which he was unable to conceive during his time being alive.
The themes found in this story are based upon the life of the author, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J. R. R. Tolkien. Born in Southern Africa in 1892 to Arthur Reuel Tolkien and Mabel Suffield, Tolkien moved to England when his father died and was raised Roman Catholic by a priest after his mother passed as well. His devotion to Catholicism is often illustrated in his works, usually with references to sin and, as in Leaf by Niggle, plot lines involving Purgatory. He studied English Language and Literature in college and began writing. While in the midst of developing The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien wrote Leaf by Niggle which compares his struggles in finishing the popular trilogy to Niggle’s tree painting. “It arose from my own pre-occupation with The Lord of the Rings, the knowledge that it would be finished in great detail or not at all, and the fear (near certainty) that it would be ‘not at all’,” Tolkien wrote in a letter. This is the same view that Niggle had toward his final piece. Perhaps in pouring some of his ideas into Leaf by Niggle, he was able to see through finishing the trilogy more easily.
Themes are similar in several of Tolkien’s works. In Leaf by Niggle the main character has to go on a long, hard journey to overcome sin, a key element to the plotline in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Niggle, Bilbo, and Frodo go through many struggles on their way to an important destination, learning what it means to be good and finding their purpose in the world. By carrying the ring, Bilbo overcomes his temptation to sit back at home and put the burden onto someone else; he sacrifices his comfort to protect others from an evil. Frodo discovers true bravery when he agrees to continue his uncle’s journey and at last destroy the ring. And finally, Niggle learns how to consider other people’s feelings and to set aside personal gain to repair his relationship with an old friend. Although each is seen as naïve and childish, each of them prove to be the most valuable person in finishing a task. Leaf by Niggle is much shorter than all of these other stories but carries just as much impact.
Tolkien is a widely influential and beloved author and his wonderfully imaginative and theologically insightful works are loved even to this day. All of his pieces can be examined in regards to their religious themes, how they correlate to his own life, and how they are similar to and build off of each other. Although a great deal shorter than his better-known writings, Leaf by Niggle is just as reputable as a Catholic reference. So, if you’ve read The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit and are looking for more from that author or want a beginner’s introduction to his style, pick up this short story about an anxious soul and his journey to heaven. Even without ghosts, elves, and dwarves, Leaf by Niggle is an incredibly significant story.