Hi there @callalillyg! I would LOVE to chat further on this, absolutely! Under the cut:
I absolutely ABSOLUTE agree with the Dwarves=Jews angle – if indeed it can even be called an angle, as Tolkien himself said that they were based upon the Jewish people. I’ve explored this in some further detail (with the help of some Jewish friends, as I am a Gentile) in ‘Midwinter’, one of the Sansukh Appendices.
Inorna (and Krummett) serve several purposes in the narrative – but the greatest purpose they serve is in their defeat. She was initially influenced by someone I knew in my teen years: an absolute vile bigot, a bully, a blatant twister of the truth who played victimisation games, and a contemptible manipulator of people’s sympathies. (I still have violent reactions against this sort of behaviour, even today).
When I first developed her character, aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way back in the Bofur-at-Dale scene (written more than two years ago, now), I was worried and angry at the escalating prejudice I could see in the world. There were attacks against Jewish-owned businesses in Europe at the time, for example. A lot of ‘oh well, shame – but what about US’ from many other peoples.
So, Inorna came about, both a character and a symbol. Krummett is that yes-man, the follower: he is emboldened by her outspokenness to air his own nasty attitudes.
I wanted a character to embody that sort of irrational, horrible prejudice, and I wanted the Men of Dale (through Bard and Selga) to utterly refute its place amongst them. Then I wanted the Dwarves and Elves together to both expose and DEFEAT it. With this attitude expunged, the narrative is now open to a new age of acceptance, respect and love for the Dwarves.
I didn’t predict the real-life events of the past few weeks, not at all – I can most certainly see how her vitriol feels more personal to you now, and damn, I am so sorry. I truly did not wish to poke at open wounds, and I am so, so sorry.
Aw Yiss 