So, what does this all mean? There is an unfortunate tendency for these sorts of essays to be framed as REVEALING THE SURPRISINGLY DARK HIDDEN REALITY OF THE SHIRE or whatever, which is not the point I’m trying to make.

Haha

Bilbo and Frodo were literal kulaks while Merry and Pippin came from kulak clans. Sam was a textbook class traitor.

Good article but misses one thing, the shire can have a large agricultural surplus because the hobbits are smol beans with probably a third the caloric needs of humans yet still grow the same sized crops