I have a copy of the Kocher book but it is many years since I read it. Perhaps some of its contents were lurking in my subconcious.

: I would agree that there is the undeniable undertone of predestination in the book. Clearly, there is some higher power that sets events in motion. It is, however, the individual character's choices that influence which direction these events will take. Thus, Frodo is "meant" to inherit the Ring and "meant" to undertake the daunting task of destroying. But he must make the choice to do so. Gandalf does not tell him that he must do it; he guides his decision, but in the end it is Frodo's decision solely.

It is probably the case that Tolkien did not analyse the conflict between the occurrence aspects of predeterminism in his work, and his equal or greater emphasis on individual choice. Indeed, the various musings on possible determinism could be dismissed as being merely the retrospection of the characters involved. That individual choice was important to Tolkien's plot development is well illustrated by the existence of the chapter title "The Choices of Master Samwise."