Final Essay
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” writes J.R.R. Tolkien. Within Tolkien’s famous novel The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, thirteen dwarves, and a wizard named Gandalf embark on a journey to reclaim the dwarves’ long-forgotten gold. Although the story seems to be completely original and made of fresh ideas, it is actually influenced by previous literature, like other common novels. Many legends of King Arthur, with unknown authors, influenced J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Several points and ideas in the Arthurian story “The Sword in the Stone” are also reflected in The Hobbit. One theme in this story is that one shouldn’t have a bias towards who can do something and who cannot. For instance, in The Hobbit, the dwarves believe that Bilbo can’t be a good burglar and help them with their task because he is a hobbit. When Bilbo had attempted to steal something that could’ve saved them, Bombur said, “‘Silly time to practice pinching and go pocket-picking,’” (Tolkien 41) although Bilbo
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In both of these stories, it begins with all parties being merry. In the first tale, it is the dwarves who are merry, because they are giddy at the thought of regaining their gold. In the Arthurian tale, they are joyous because it is Christmastime. In both fantasy tales, the hero is always expected to defeat the largest foe. In The Hobbit, the hero's trouble is that no one wanted to defeat Smaug. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the problem is that none of the knights wanted to stand up and face the Green Knight. One last similarity is that because of being chivalrous, nothing horrible happened to the hero in the end. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” Gawain faced three testing temptations, but still fulfilled his promise. In The Hobbit, Bilbo shows chivalry by bringing the Arkenstone to Bard and the Elvenking as his plan. Thus, The Hobbit and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” are
In 1949, Joseph Campbell discussed the hero’s journey, the foundation commonly used in stories throughout history. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the hero’s journey narrative is used to tell the story of Bilbo Baggins’s adventure. The novel follows Bilbo Baggins and a company of dwarves as they seek to take back the dwarves’ fallen kingdom. As the story progresses, Bilbo’s character develops and the dwarves perception of him develops through the many trials before the death of Smaug the dragon and the final battle between a variety of mythical creatures. In The Hobbit, the dwarves originally doubt Bilbo’s abilities but as Bilbo encounters more obstacles and succeeds, the dwarves perception turns to one of respect and admiration.
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The
Going forward, in this essay, topics such as heroism and transformity will be strongly analyzed through quotes directly from the book The Hobbit and opinions formed while reading. Through the book The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien is able to show how a hero isn’t always the typical buff and boots with a cape on his back kind of person. Tolkien shows the reader that a hero is made by the struggles he conquers and isn’t just a perfect character thrown into the beginning of the story.
The Hobbit, written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, describes a quest that Bilbo Baggins and his friends made. Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of the novel, was one of the many
When you think of a hero, is the first character to pop in your head a little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins? In most cases, people think of Superman or Hercules, but in The Hobbit, an unexpected hero emerges and changes the name for all heroes to come. The Hobbit is a novel about Bilbo Baggins and his journey, with thirteen dwarves and a wizard, seeking the treasure stolen by the dragon, Smaug. While on this unexpected journey, Bilbo and his companions overcome many obstacles to eventually get to the treasure and retrieve it. Throughout the story, Bilbo develops into a courageous man, who indeed, is a hero. Richard Tyre wrote an article, “You Can’t Teach Tolkien,” and he explains his theory in which he connects multiple story’s plot with six elements. The Hobbit, is assuredly a prime example of Tyre’s theory because it follows all six steps throughout the story simultaneously. The six elements are; “(1) those who hunt for treasure, (2) must go alone, (3) at night, (4) and when they find it, (5) they must leave some of their blood behind, (6) and the treasure is never what they expected” (Tyre 19). These elements are steps in which a character must take to emerge into a hero in the end. Bilbo Baggins is the hero in The Hobbit, but he doesn’t start off as the hero. He has always had heroic traits but throughout the novel, he pursues those six steps and in the resolution, he is transformed into an actual hero.
How can an author write a story which appeals to a present day audience? Richard H. Tyre published an article in 1978 that gives an answer to this very question. Tyre explains how most kids today choose to read books like the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings series, and even The Wizard of Oz. An existing theory that Tyre came up with explains that each of these books, along with many others, have one thing in common: 6 plot elements. Not only do these stories contain the same 6 elements but those elements are in the same order! Tyre states that “(1) those who hunt for treasure, (2) must go alone, (3) at night, (4) and when they find it, (5) they must leave some of their blood behind, (6) and the treasure is never what they expected.” (Tyre 2). J.R.R. Tolkien is the author of The Hobbit. The Hobbit revolves around one hobbit in particular named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo embarks on a journey with 14 others to recover a treasure that is guarded by a dragon. Along the way Bilbo faces many challenges that range from running into huge trolls, to taking part in fierce battles. Due to it’s main character hunting for treasure, facing most of the dangers alone, battling during the wee hours of the night, eventually finding the treasure, after sweating/crying/and enduring injuries, just to have the treasure revealed to him as not what he expected, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is undoubtedly a perfect example of Tyre’s 6 plot elements.
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The
Hospitality is defined as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. This plays a major role in both Tolkien's world of Middle-Earth and Lewis’s magical land of Narnia. Hospitality is used similarly in both worlds, in different situations. However, they also share some similar aspects. In both worlds, the characters provide shelter and hospitality to their guests knowing that they may face great consequences for their actions.
J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings has delighted readers since its publication owing to its author's skillful development of his fantastic realm and its inhabitants adventures therein. In fact, Tolkien is rightly regarded as the father of the modern fantasy genre, and it often seems all fantasy imitates his work in some way. However, as readers return to the work, it often becomes apparent that the work is more than a simple escapist journey into an imaginary world; the work represents the finest traditions in literature and rich grounding in Tolkien's study of language and mythology. Equally surprising, though, Tolkien himself admits that the
Since the publication of The Hobbit in 1937, critical readers have argued over whether the book is a fantasy, a fairy tale, a fable, a romance, an epic, or a novel. Classifying the book is one way of explaining its strengths and weaknesses and understanding the immense appeal it has held for many decades. The Hobbit seems to be about much more than its surface narrative, but Tolkien was adamant that it was not an allegory and said he much preferred history, whether real or invented, to allegory. The book is not a novel in the tradition of the great realistic novels of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; it is much closer to the idea of a romance, a genre that accommodates the improbable and even the supernatural. It is probably most accurate
a. The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in Hobbiton. He is interrupted by a surprise visit by the wizard Gandalf while outside his home. Gandalf has invited himself to tea and when he arrives, he comes with 12 of dwarves led by Thorin. They are planning on a journey to recover lost treasure that is guarded by the dragon Smaug, at the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf has decided, for Bilbo, that the hobbit will make an excellent addition to the team and Bilbo is going to be a burglar.
The Hobbit is a mythic image in our modern day society. It is written by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Fantasy author J.R.R Tolkien once said, “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” In one of Tolkien’s best- selling novels, The Hobbit, the main character Bilbo Baggins, who was a timid and quiet creature, sets off on an adventure after being dragged out of his hobbit hole by Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. With all starting out as a simple adventure, soon turned into a race against time. Between saving the dwarves and battling the powerful dragon Smaug, Bilbo could see he was slowly becoming a hero. Since The Hobbit was an adventure packed story, Tolkien modeled the qualities of a hero and the plot leading to
In “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy there are two characters of similarity that play a key role in both narratives. Thorin II Oakinshield and Aragorn II Elessar are two would be kings who come into their crowns in time for their own respective books or series to end. Both dwarf and man have a journey to their individual thrones and in particular the genesis, the journey and the end of their adventures share a great deal of commonality and precarious differences, variables that with or without their crowns says and awful lot about them.
Tolkien’s work are masterpieces in fantasy writing, but have sparked great controversy in the writer’s world of fiction. “The Lord of the Rings” explains that Tolkien’s perspective of modernism is not just considered a free form of writing , but a way of thinking. Also Tolkien’s popularity has come from his reference to an older, more traditional world where man has an obvious relationship with both the spiritual and natural world around him (128). “The Hobbit” says, “Tolkien believed mythology and fairy tales helped bridge the gap between generations” (104). Tolkien thought that his books had no age limits for who “should” be allowed to read them and brought imagination and wonder to whoever would read his books. Tolkien’s books have been told to represent “good” as a fuller, more imaginative reality than evil and has received many praises. “The Hobbit” explains, The Hobbit is a grand adventure of good defeating evil. The story is an important work in its own right and has made a foundation of the use of elements from myths in their work which modern fantasy, horror, and science-fiction writers build off of (104). “The Lord of the Rings” says, “Through innovations in both content and form, Tolkien created a saga that satisfied modern hunger in many new myths-Those heroic tales perpetuated in every culture that speak the power of