Introduction to Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, or There and Back Again was first published in September of 1937 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd. of London. They started with 1,500 copies which were sold out by December of the same year. The American edition was released in 1938 by Houghton Mifflin. Since then, The Hobbit has been translated into over 40 languages and has been reprinted dozens of times.

Tolkien was working at Oxford when he first started The Hobbit. He was grading papers, came across a blank page, and wrote the opening sentence. He later finished the story for his children and a few close friends, but he was hesitant to publish it, supposedly because he was worried it would not be taken seriously and tarnish his scholarly career. He wrote The Hobbit in the early 1930’s and finally sent it to a publisher in 1936, after being continuously encouraged to do so by many friends, including C. S. Lewis (Adams, The Hobbit).

-M

Fantastical Children's Fiction

Tolkien is often credited with being the first real fantasy author. The Hobbit is Tolkien’s first published work of fiction and it is unique because it is geared towards children. If it were not for ten-year-old Rayner Unwin, it would not have been published in the first place. Rayner recommended to his father, Sir Stanley Unwin of George Allen & Unwin Ltd. that the book be published. Because it was written for his children, the story has a sort of teaching quality threaded throughout. It has “the air of a story being told, with interjections from the author to his presumably juvenile readers” (Foster, 1). The narration pauses in places and Tolkien adds in a brief teaching moment, emphasizing its young audience.  

-M

Camaflouged Adult Themes

 
The Hobbit is usually viewed as a children’s novel, but adults can enjoy it and learn from it as well.  Richard Roos explains that, “The successful novelist combines plot, setting, character, dialogue, and theme in such a way that they complement one another to create a unity that commands the interest of the reader by engaging him in an experience of universal values.” Furthermore, in regard to plot, Roos states, “Professor Tolkien sustains a balance between complexity and clarity that challenges the reader without discouraging him” (Roos 1175). Children who read The Hobbit may find it a challenge, but not enough of a challenge that they put the book down. Children read it as an exciting adventure story, which it is, on the surface. But if you dig deeper, more adult issues are discovered. These are issues of class, race, greed, heroism, language, stereotypes…the list goes on and on. This book is not just for a young audience; Tolkien did a great job of making it relatable and interesting to all ages. 

-M

Good vs. Evil

Tolkien, like other major British authors, such as C.S. Lewis, did a wonderful job of creating a good literary balance between good and evil in The Hobbit. The darkness is not overpowering to the point where it would be inappropriate for children, but it is there enough to be a warning and a learning opportunity. W.R. Irwin emphasizes that Tolkien does “not make the sentimental mistake of denying or minimizing the powers of darkness” (Irwin 567). 

Tolkien knows that eliminating darkness in his story would be unrealistic – stories are based off conflict between good and evil, and evil exists in the real world. Tolkien recognizes that evil and darkness are very real things. They do not come in the form of dragons, goblins, and trolls, but they very much do exist. Some of Tolkien’s forms of evil and darkness are just pretend in our world, but he also brings in forms that we see every day: greed, stereotyping, and fear. These types of darkness show up continuously throughout The Hobbit. 

Tolkien knows that toning down the evil and darkness in his novel would not help his readers learn and grow at all. He balances moments of darkness and fear with moments of light and courage, creating a harmony that all his readers can learn from.

-M

Relationship to the British Novel

As a novel, The Hobbit was a unique twist from the standard British novel. It presented a view of fantasy but not within the context of Gothic Romanticism like books such as The Castle of Ortranto. Many scholars consider The Hobbit to be the first fantasy written and taken seriously. Part of this is due to Tolkien’s own desire to take fantasy seriously. As part of Kocher’s analysis of Aragorn, he points out that in the essay “On Fairy-stories” Tolkien states that fairy tales are not “about fairies” rather they are about “the adventures of men in the Perilous Realm.” Thus, with The Hobbit, the way was paved for more serious fantasy within the British novel. 

-E

The Novel and Film

The relationship between film and fantasy novels has always been strained. However, the Lord of the Rings has managed to break a trend in which films based off fantasy novels flop in the box office. However, just because the Lord of the Rings was successful does not guarantee that The Hobbit will do just as well. A portion of this difficulty comes from the fact that the two are so patently different from one another. The Hobbit is so different from Lord of the Rings in tone and focus, as to suggest two completely different authors. As Kocher points out, many make the mistake of believing that they should read the two in tandem, when it would be best to consider The Hobbit to be the quarry from which came the stones of the Lord of the Rings would be built from – similar material different end result.

However, this different relationship between the two could work favorably for The Hobbit in newer film versions. As Shippey points out, the difficult in transforming the Lord of the Rings from text to screen was immense. The plot delineation, breaking of the party interaction, and tangled webs made the film much more difficult to create according to Shippey. On the other hand, the ease of plot and storyline should make The Hobbit’s transition to film much smoother.

In the past, The Hobbit was anything but serious. Displaying the general feelings towards fantasy, the film was a cartoon version that seemed to be a combination of a Disney film and an attempt at reality. An abomination which only reduced the general appeal of the story to the public at large, making it more difficult for serious scholars to take it, well, seriously. With luck, however, the new film should break that streak.

-E

Quote Analysis #1 - The Rage that Passeth All Description

“His rage passes description – the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted” (195-196).

I am not “rich folk,” but when I clean out my closet and come across a forgotten or unknown object, I suddenly have a hard time throwing it out. I didn’t need it before, and never used it, but I can’t just throw it away. What if I need it in a few weeks? If I can be convinced that I need whatever junk I come across, the dragon’s greed must have been fierce. Tolkien recognized that this is a problem. 

People become too attached to things in today’s world. We like our toys and always want to have the new thing, but we also hate to get rid of stuff, because what if that trend comes back or we end up needing it one day? Tolkien was a very insightful Christian, and I think he was emphasizing the point that Christ makes: don’t worry about the worldly items and titles, worry about the way you treat others and the good you do in the world. Those are the things that will stick with you forever. Instead of hording all your unused items, donate them to an organization that could use them to help the less fortunate. 

-M

Quote Analysis #2 - Machines of War

"Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. It is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them."

Frequently Tolkien is referred to as an ecologist and a lover of nature and this is a key example of his disdain for the industrial revolution. He frames the issue as a black and white situation. A natural tendency of readers is to relate with the protagonist and his difficulties and struggles, thus we begin to side with Bilbo in the majority of his experiences. So, when we are presented with the race of Goblins and Orcs, our first experience with them concerns violence, cruelty, and slavery. These attributes are typically considered negative ones for a race to magnify, at least for most well-balanced, non-psychotic individuals.

Thus, we immediately label Goblins as “Evil.” Because of this we regard machines and their creations as evil and repulsive, and progress for the sake of violence can be established as evil. This hardly surprises, however, when taken in the context of Tolkien’s experience in World War I – the first war in which machines of violence and war (the machine gun, mustard gas, and trench warfare). Tolkien would have experienced such violence firsthand and would grow to hate the “progress” that led to so many pointless deaths.

So, when we see Gandalf kill the Great Goblin, and Bilbo outsmart the rest, we see a victory of the natural world. These two characters come to represent what the world once was and as we reject the violence and destruction that can come through industry, we can return to that paradisiacal state.

-E

Quote Analysis #3 - True Bravery

“It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait” (193).

In this scene, Bilbo is heading down the tunnel that leads to Smaug’s lair. He has been through many traumatic experiences leading up to this moment, yet he fights the most important battle while alone in the tunnel. He has to find the courage to continue, and for most of the story, Bilbo feels a huge lack of courage. Up till now, he feels like it has mostly been luck helping him through the tough moments.

He happened to find Gollum’s ring, which then saved him from the goblins, the spiders, and hid him from the elves. Rescuers, such as Gandalf and the eagles, show up at the opportune moment when there is nothing Bilbo can do to help himself or his friends. And Bilbo’s companions (plus the narrator) continually attribute Bilbo’s heroic actions to his good luck. So this moment in the tunnel is a big step for Bilbo. He is on his own, the ring cannot help him, and he has to find the strength within himself to continue. 

He is not just going down into that cave to do his job, or to help his friends, or to look at the treasure. In this moment, the trek into the treasure room becomes a journey for Bilbo alone. It becomes a journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age. By continuing, Bilbo proves to himself that he is courageous and capable. He is no longer the same hobbit that smoked his pipe on the porch at the beginning of the novel. This hobbit has discovered himself.

-M

Quote Analysis #4 - Grim Music

Under normal circumstances, the songs within The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are to be avoided at all costs. At best, the represent a few pages that one can skip to come that much closer to the end of your reading, at worst they come to represent a Disney-esque tendency for even the most evil of monsters to burst into song at any given moment. HOWEVER, for those willing to deny the pain, there is truth and character development to be gleaned for those who brave the lyrics.

“Under the mountain dark and tall

The King has come unto his hall!

His foe is dead, the Worm of Dream,

And ever so his foes shall fall.”

Irony. How else can we describe the dwarves claims made within this verse. They claim that the King has returned because of the death of Smaug, and that if he can defeat the dragon, he can defeat any. However, Bard is the one who defeated Smaug, not the dwarves. Does this mean that Bard is the true King or perhaps it foreshadows Thorin’s fall in claiming to be the King when he was not the one to defeat his foe. 

 

“The sword is sharp, the spear is long,

The arrow swift, the Gate is strong;

The heart is bold that looks on gold;

The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong.”

Throughout the entire tale it never seems that Thorin & Co demonstrates much courage – all the difficult jobs (sneaking up on Smaug, killing spiders, stealing from trolls) are given to Bilbo. Yet, when their gold lust is riled, they 13 will stand up to hundreds of men and elves. Also, irony is again found – “the arrow swift” – Bard’s arrow was swift that killed Smaug, the only time we hear of the dwarves using arrows is to shoot squirrels, and they don’t do that very well.

"The King is come unto his hall

Under the mountain dark and tall.

The Worm of Dread is slain and dead,

And ever so our foes shall fall!"

This final moment provides true foreshadowing. The king has come, and his true foe shall fall – his pride. Not until his pride is brought low is Thorin redeemed and that does not occur until his death. In this, Smaug represents pride, greed, and lust and the spiritual Smaug has not defeated. His plague and curse infects the gold and Thorin cannot return to the mountain until he sets aside his pride. Yes, the King returns, but not until he lies upon his death bed.

-E 

Quote Analysis #5 - Dreams of What is Lost

“So ended the adventure of the Misty Mountains. Soon Bilbo’s stomach was feeling full and comfortable again, and he felt he could sleep contentedly , though really he would have liked a loaf of butter better than bits of meat toasted on sticks. He slept curled up on the hard rock more soundly than ever he had done on his feather-bed in his own little hole at home. But all night he dreamed of his own house and wandered in his sleep into all his different rooms looking for something he could not find nor remember what it looked like.”

In this moment, we see the first instance in which Bilbo begins to experience true character growth. Yes, he has escaped Gollum, out-dodged goblins, and flown with the wings of eagles, but here is the hinge on which Bilbo’s life will swing. From the very beginning of the journey, Bilbo wishes over and over for his hobbit hole and wonders why he ever left, yet in this moment of clarity, he commences to leave behind those desires. For a sublime night, he sleeps better on a rock than he ever did at home. Yes, he still desires the comforts of food, but now he is no longer certain what drives his desire for home.

During his dream, he wonders his home, searching for something he can’t remember what it is. While he might consciously long for the comforts of a warm fire, subconsciously he no longer craves home. He desires adventure and can’t understand what home represents. In a powerful sense, he’s losing his Baggin’s personality as the Took side becomes more dominate. Were Bilbo to go home at this very moment he would never be content – he would always feel as though something is missing.

From this moment on, Bilbo begins to take control of his own destiny. The dwarves rely on him more heavily and he begins to step up to the responsibility, until the crowning moment when he strives to avert a war with a single act of burglary.

-E