Hobbit Final

816 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What conclusions or points about good and evil is Tolkien trying to get the reader to understand in the hobbit

Throughout, J.J.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit, many themes come into place to give a better understanding of the novel. The underlying theme of the struggle between good vs. evil while Gandalf and the dwarves fight the evils during their journey through middle earth. The battle is manifested in the goblins, Trolls, and spiders where good always triumphs evil. Even though the journey is about stealing the gold back from the dragon there is still some moral clarity to this, the dragon stole the gold and torched the city. The dwarves want to make this right and get back what was rightfully theirs.
The first occurrence we have with the struggle of good vs. evil is the altercation with he trolls. During their journey they notice a faint light up ahead and send Bilbo to investigate it since he was considered the burglar. As Bilbo approaches he notices a group of trolls sitting around a fire. Bilbo tries to steal one of their money bags but in doing so alerts the attention of the trolls, and they capture Bilbo. As the trolls hold Bilbo hostage the dwarves start to come look for Bilbo who has not come back and the trolls hatch a plan to hide in the trees and capture each of the dwarves. In the process of the trolls figuring out what to do with their hostages, Gandalf appears and imitates one of the trolls and starts an argument between them, distracting them of the upcoming morning sun and therefore turning the trolls into stone. In this sequence good triumphed evil, the dwarves were doing nothing wrong just trying to find food, in doing so the evil trolls attacked them for nothing and were about to eat them.
In chapter four a massive storm hits and the dwarves and Bilbo find cover in a cave, which actually belong to a group of goblins. Durin...

... middle of paper ...

...to his own possessions and how his journey made him open his eyes up to a deeper meaning of life. The evil in the story were just test, trying to get Bilbo to give up and go back to his life of comfort, but he didn't he went on to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tolkien wanted to show the reader how we can overcome our flaws in life such as greed, and temptation by stepping out of our comfort zone.
Good vs. Evil is portrayed in The Hobbit through many different events and characters throughout the novel. Showing us that what we may think, may not always be want it really is. Bilbo had no doubt in his mind they would fail on their mission. Yet with all odds against them they won, good defeated evil, just like in the Bible God watches out for his children and protects them from evil, but they have to make the right choices, and work for his respect and honor.

Show More
Related

  • The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein - Bilbo Baggins

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bilbo Baggins lived a very simple life, a life he enjoyed very much, until the day when the wizard Gandalf arrived at his door one morning. Gandalf was searching for someone to share an adventure with, but Bilbo quickly declined, saying, “We don’t want any adventures here. You might try over The Hill or across The Water,” and with that the hobbit dismissed the wandering wizard, but not before he had given the wizard an invitation for tea the next day. This of coarse, was the polite thing to do. But Gandalf saw something more in Bilbo and would not be discouraged.

    Read More

  • Bilbo Hero Quotes

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bilbo cleverly eluded Smaug’s temptation, spared the life of foul creature Gollum, and demonstrate courage more and more throughout his journey. These exquisite traits made Bilbo into the revered character that was loved and respected for generations of readers. Throughout the book, Bilbo’s character had changed. At first, he was the ordinary hobbit who described adventures as “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things” (4) but by the end of his journeys stated to Thorin, “I am glad that I have shared in your perils” (290). Bilbo’s ability to fight evil, make new friends, and to look beyond his maps and books enable him to become a hero. As Gandalf once said at the very beginning, “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself” (19). Gandalf was right. What appeared to be an uneasy hobbit who fainted at the thought of adventures, turned out to be a brave leader, a compassionate friend, and an inspiring

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf And Burton Raffel

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, fairy tales, stories and legends have shared a common theme where good and evil are played against each other. In the story of “Beowulf”, translated by, “Burton Raffel”, there is a hero who plays as a good character, and there is also a demon who rules the dark side. The hero Beowulf, agrees to take a journey to conquer the evil monster Grendel. But when Beowulf is trying to defeat the beast, Grendel fights back, causing integrity and generosity to vanish. The common theme in various tales like in Beowulf is, good vs. evil.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Bilbo In The Hobbit

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Tolkien uses the character of Bilbo Baggins to reveal to the reader the constant struggle between heroic and anti-heroic qualities within Bilbo and ourselves.

    Read More

  • Bilbo Baggins' Transformation Depicted in Tolkien's The Hobbit

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Then one day a wizard by the name of Gandalf comes and gives Bilbo the opportunity to go on an adventure. Bilbo turns his offer down, but the next day thirteen dwarves come to his house. They have meals together and they sleep at Bilbo’s house. Gandalf then convinces him to go on an adventure with them. Bilbo is many things, in the beginning he is flat, static, main, and he is the protagonist.

    Read More

  • A Battle Of The Heart in Lord Of The Rings

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Frodo Baggins was raised by Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit that disappeared without a trace and came back with wild stories and a ring, which he kept a secret from almost everyone, and the Ring helped him disappear during his 111th birthday. As his heir Frodo inherited not only the Bag End but the ring, too. The responsibility Frodo inherited with the ring, lead the young hobbit to a journey in which he fought a battle against the evil powers of Sauron. The conflict in the story was man vs. man occurs when Frodo fought a battle of good vs. evil between him and Sauron.

    Read More

  • Darkness In Beowulf

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    Good and evil operate and work in different environments. In the book Beowulf, light and darkness are the environments used by good and evil. Although the author shows the power of darkness, he also exhibits light’s eventual victory in Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, in Beowulf’s first skirmish with Grendel’s mom, and with the imagery created at the beginning and end of each

    Read More

  • J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

    1947 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is a struggle of good and evil that begins with a cursed gift of a powerful ring, the One Ring, that leads one wise hobbit on the most important journey of his life-time thus far, for he isn't only fighting for his own soul that is threatened to be claimed by the very ring he is given, but those of all of his people. The ring is sought after by its very creator Sauron the all powerful sorcerer, and Dark Lord of the middle-earth to aid in his evil deeds.

    Read More

  • The fellowship of the ring

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is the first book in the fantasy-based trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. After his party, he then decides to leave everything behind and join a Fellowship, which has a task of destroying the ruling ring, which will give supreme power to whoever has possession of it. Just before he leaves, Gandalf asks Bilbo for this ring. Due to the power in which the ring possesses while it is in his possession, he does not want to give it up. The novel ends with the destruction of the Fellowship due to the power in which the ring contains. One of the prime facts of the Middle Earth is power. Power is not neutral, but is always evil. It gives wicked the chance to dominate. The good is corrupting and inescapable. This is shown repeatedly throughout the novel, from when Bilbo gives up the ring, to when Boromir tries to take the ring, and finally, to seeing the control that the ring has over Frodo. One incident in the book, which corresponds with how power is evil, would be when Bilbo had to give up the Ring. The ring is very powerful. The power is so enticing that Bilbo is very weary to give up that ring. When Gandalf asks Bilbo if he wishes to give up the ring, Bilbo seems unsure saying yes and no. When it came to having to give it up he didn't like parting with it at all and didn't see why he should have to . Due to the power in which Bilbo feels that the ring had given him, he doesn't want to part with it. By no means does Bilbo want to use the power in an evil manner to dominate all. It is just the thought of power itself that causes this greed to come over him. Although Bilbo in general is a good character, the power of ring corrupts his ways, showing his thirst for power, which he deserves. Another incident, which portrays this corruption of goodness to evil, is when Boromir approaches Frodo and tries to take the ring from him. Boromir has authority, which is being heir to the throne of Gondor, but not the supreme power that he desires.

    Read More

  • Good, Evil and Ethics in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

    1956 Words  | 4 Pages

    Good and evil in Tolkien's work are, to put it simply, that which is natural and that which is unnatural, respectively. That is, what is left alone to follow the cycles of nature is good. Any time that the cycles of nature are disrupted (such as the felling of a forest or the enslavement of a free people), there is evil. There are constant references to this in Tolkien's stories, as when Bilbo Baggins' neighbors remark on his mysterious vigor and extreme old age, "It isn't natural, and trouble will come of it" (21). Or when Sam Gamgee says of the Gandalf the wizard, "Don't let him turn me into anything unnat...

    Read More

  • Good and Evil Protrayed in Tolkien´s The Lord of the Rings

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...in the book of Genesis in the Christian bible. Evil, as presented by Tolkien, is not inherently powerful. Evil’s power is found in corrupting those with power already or in powerful positions within their society. Humility of thought and action are what separate the wielders of power in Tolkien’s books. This is no more evident than with the fall of Sarumon. Asked to step down from his tower, he refuses and is cast out of the wizard order he used to lead. Gandalf intones “he will not serve, only command (The Two Towers 588).

    Read More

  • The Hobbit: Thematic Analysis

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s unexpected adventure with the dwarves and the wizard gave him the opportunity to develop into the ultimate hero of Tolkien’s tale. Bilbo’s epic journey to become the hero of the story begins when Gandalf, the wizard, tells Bilbo of an expedition that would soon change his life forever.

    Read More

  • The Hobbit

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ting points of the plot also relied on Bilbo’s courage. If Bilbo did not have such a valuable trait, the story of the Hobbit would’ve been fairly short.

    Read More

  • Lord of The Rings

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. Many "Hobbits" show up at his party including his third cousin, Frodo, which is the main character of the novel and a powerful wizard named Gandalf. Biblo possed a powerful ring known as the "Ruling Ring" which gives "Supreme Power" to whoever has possession of it. At the end of the party, Bilbo uses his magical ring to turn invisible and stun his guests. Gandalf, the powerful wizard, then meets up with Biblo at his house and takes the ring from Bilbo, which is corrupting him. Gandalf examines it, realizing that the ring Bilbo has is the powerful "Ruling Ring". Knowing that the forces of evil are in search of the ring, Gandalf sends Frodo, a relative of Biblo, to destroy the ring in the only place it can be destroyed, "Mt. Doom". Overhearing the talk between Gandalf and Frodo, Sam, a "Hobbit", that is good friends with Frodo is forced on the quest to aid Frodo.

    Read More

  • greed leads to disaster

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    J.R.R Tolkien artfully depicts in The Hobbit how greed often leads to a disastrous outcome. Greed can strike every type of person, even the leader of a group. Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, is plagued by greed for the wealth inside the mountain. Secondary characters can also be drawn into greed. The spiders attempt to harness the most amount of food for the group, but end up losing all of the food. (Linker) The disastrous end to the antagonists is mainly due to greed. For one, Smaug wants revenge for the missing golden cup. After many days of fighting, Smaug is killed during the battle of the lake men. Society as a whole believes the need for materialistic goods is worth the agony required to obtain them.

    Read More

More about Hobbit Final

Open Document