Summary
Niggle is a "little man" who must go on a long journey, but he does not want to go (1).
Instead, he spends his time painting, despite not being a very successful painter. His days are consumed by his work on a large canvas that depicts a tree with many branches against a mountainous backdrop. The painting has only gotten bigger and bigger, and Niggle fears he will never be able to complete it, especially before his journey.
Part of the reason Niggle's painting has taken him so long to complete is that he is constantly being interrupted. Usually, these interruptions come in the form of his neighbor, Parish, who often needs help with his house because of his lame leg.
Niggle attempts to "harden" himself and not care so much about helping Parish or others who visit him, but he cannot bring himself to become so apathetic (2).
One day, Parish interrupts Niggle's painting when he explains that his wife is sick with a fever and their roof has started leaking. Niggle goes to fetch the doctor for Parish and along the journey, develops a fever himself.
Niggle stays in bed for a long time, so long that his own roof begins to leak. He does not call for the builder and Parish does not come to check on him.
One day, when Niggle is feeling better, a housing inspector comes to his house and tells him that Parish's house is "not satisfactory" and that Niggle should have helped Parish repair his roof when he had the chance (3).
Analysis
The beginning of the story is largely dedicated to the character development of the protagonist, Niggle.
The narrator himself refers to Niggle as a "little man," suggesting that he is likely physically small in stature and concerned with what others see as small-scale trivialities. Indeed, the word "niggle" itself describes a small annoyance or complaint, associating the protagonist with insignificance or a nuisance.
It is through this critical lens that the narrator then presents Niggle's painting of the tree: an elaborate, enormous canvas covered in detailed leaves and branches that seem endless. That the narrator is affectionately critical of the protagonist helps present a challenge to the reader when it comes to the description of the painting. The painting is presented as both an ambitious and worthy undertaking as well as a useless hobby; the narrator himself even emphasizes that Niggle was not a particularly celebrated painter. The detail with which the narrator describes the tree, however, suggests that the painting carries some import, about which even Niggle himself cannot be sure. But he agonizes over completing the painting and shames himself for his own procrastination as he answers calls from visitors and continually helps Parish when he is in need.
Readers familiar with Tolkien might see an easy correlation between Niggle and Tolkien himself, or at least between Niggle's painting and Tolkien's life work creating the world of Middle-earth in his famous novels. Indeed, the Tree, like Middle-earth and the narratives that happen there, is boundless and ever-expanding, while still rife with detail on each individual leaf. Tolkien himself was also, famously, a terrible procrastinator like Niggle.
Regardless of whether readers choose to see "Leaf by Niggle" as an entirely autobiographical story, however, the beginning of the narrative certainly establishes creative pursuits as its central subject. While others – including the narrator – might perceive Niggle's painting as wholly useless to society (evidenced by the Inspector's chastising of Niggle for choosing his painting over helping Parish mend his roof), Niggle is nonetheless compelled to complete the painting before he goes on his long journey. This dynamic suggests that the creative process – especially as it relates to fantasy-writing, in which authors must create entirely new worlds altogether – is rife with naysayers and interruptions that could lead one astray. That Niggle must leave for his long journey (traditionally read as an allegory for death) before completing his painting is, in this first section of the story, a tragedy for Niggle but an insignificant problem in the eyes of everyone else. The story therefore begins on a conflicted note in which the protagonist is dedicated to a pursuit that the rest of society considers of little value.
