[CGMthrowaway]

Bombadil represents the secret to resisting evil (vice, temptation to power, desire to dominate).

Why is Bombadil completely unaffected by the ring? Bombadil represents pure being - existence without the will to power. Note the biblical echo to the immortal godhead in Goldberry’s statement “He is” ("I am").

Bombadil doesn’t resist the ring because he’s stronger than it. He resists it because he delights in creation rather than possessing it. The ring can only corrupt what desires power. Bombadil desires nothing, so the ring has nothing to latch onto.

The key to overcoming evil in Tolkien's world isn’t military strength, strategy, nor political authority, but detachment