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The Plot in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a captivating tale about unusual creatures, great
struggles, a flying dragon, and much, much more. The story comes alive through colorful
depictions of characters and details that capture the imagination. The plot of this novel is the
dwarves' journey to recapture their homeland. The setting, characters, and trials throughout The
Hobbit help to fully shape this overall theme of the novel.
Throughout The Hobbit the setting is constantly changing from start to finish. There are
six different stages through which the setting evolves. The first stage takes place at the home of
Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo lives in something called a hobbit hole. These homes may look small
from the outside, but are fairly large inside. Hobbit holes are made in the side of small hills. As
Tolkien describes, "It had a perfectly round door . . . the door opened on to a tube-shaped hall
like a tunnel . . . " (1). Down the main hall in the hobbit house are all the same rooms that a
regular home would contain. Some of the rooms in Bilbo's home include, " . . . bedrooms,
bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes),
kitchens, dinning rooms . . . " (Tolkien 1). Besides just food and clothes, hobbits love gardens.
Bilbo has gardens surrounding the front and side of his house, which are tended to every day.
After traveling through Bilbo's house the setting turns toward the Misty Mountains. The Misty
Mountains are an extensive stretch of mountains that serve as a border between Bilbo's home and the forest of Mirkwood. The Misty Mountains is nothing to joke about. Gandalf says, " . . .it is very necessary to ta...
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... true, vanishes into the dragon's chest. Then the dragon " . . . shot spouting into the air, turned over and crashed down from on high in ruin." (Tolkien 249). The dragon is finally dead and the dwarves have regained their homeland. Thus, the tale is concluded.
The chronicle of The Hobbit is an adventure to regain a long lost home. Brave dwarves and a hobbit endeavor through many treacherous lands and risk their lives in this great campaign. As stated by William S. Brockington, Jr., "Tolkien's fantasy world provides a place where moral values exist and quests can still be achieved." (1467). The final victory is won through the help of many companions the adventurers meet along the way. Had it not been for the setting, characters, and trials in The Hobbit the plot could have never been made possible.
Bibliography:
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit
The Hobbit in the movie ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R Tolkien, the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, displaying a hero’s journey starting as a weak and cowardly person with no knowledge of the world outside his comfort zone. As a trilogy the movie only follows part of the hero’s journey to the ORDEAL.
The first stages of a hero’s journey, are the Ordinary World and the Call to Adventure. At the beginning of a character’s heroic transformation, the character lives in a world that they consider to be their safe place; the world in which they live their everyday life (Bronzite). For Bilbo Baggins, his safe place is his hobbit hole located in The Hill. “His home is a symbol of a mother’s womb, a safe place where he is still a child even in adult age” (Wiklander). His home being a symbol of a mother’s womb emphasizes that his home is a safe place, as the womb of a mother is often considered a safe place for developing infants. His hobbit hole is where he yields an ordinary life and the place where he spends a majority of his time. While in During the Ordinary World stage, readers learn “crucial details about the character, his true nature, capabilities and outlook on life” (Bronzite). Readers discover that Bilbo Baggins lives an extremely quiet life, absent of excursions and adventures. The narrator
1. When Bilbo got home he saw a crowd of people in front of his door.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, one who enjoys peace and quiet, feasts and fireplaces, and the coziness of his home. At the beginning the The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo could not even imagine going on a tenacious adventure, but by the end he has survived the longest, toughest battle yet. Throughout the novel Bilbo Baggins changes from a prudent, typical hobbit into a courageous, sacrificing adventurer.
Hobbits do not typically like to be adventurous, and Bilbo is no different. He likes being safe, warm, and supplied with handkerchiefs at all times.
The dwarves eat, sing, dance, and then finally sit down to start discussing their plans. (Tolkien 13-19)
Bilbo Baggins is the main character in The Hobbit, who has the characteristics of an epic hero. His heroism is “in his wit, not his might” (Glenn). Bilbo undertakes a long journey outside of his comfort zone. He was approached by Gandalf, the wizard, to go on an adventure to help the dwarves find treasure. When Bilbo agrees to join Thorin and company, he took on the job of becoming a burglar. Bilbo shows his burglary skills when he steals the sword from the trolls. Bilbo shows his bravery when he encounters the goblins, wargs, troll...
J.R.R. Tolkien can be considered the founding father of the genre fantasy. Most of Tolkien’s texts revolve around the same themes. An author will often write about important messages that pertain to society as a whole. His texts often have hidden messages that relate to his themes. In the fantasy novel The Hobbit and novella “Farmer Giles of Ham”, J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates that possession ears to overconfidence, greed and selfishness.
Tolkien has created a world in which millions of people can go to escape to. He wrote stories that expand and capture the mind as you follow the fellowship, or as you learn of Bilbo’s next action. He created a rich back story to his world, creating myths as if the world he created has existed for millennia. He created Hobbits and Dwarves. Tolkien brought mystery and magic to the world stage, and that is why he is deserving of the title “father of modern fantasy”.
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.
He remains good hearted throughout the story. At the beginning of the novel Bilbo is neither an adventurous nor brave hobbit. He prefers to stay in his hobbit hole and keep to himself, he is scared of the outside world. When Gandalf comes and says “he is looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it 's very difficult to find anyone.” he immediately shoots the offer down saying “I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things!”(9). Gandalf though saw Bilbo and knew that there was something special inside of him. So, he pushed him out the door where Bilbo would be able to grow. Although Bilbo refuses at first he builds up the courage. Thorin Oakenshield saw Bilbo as small and worthless. Bilbo, at the time, agreed with him. Eventually Bilbo saved his life and Thorin became family to him. Throughout Bilbo 's adventure he goes from being unheroic to courageous and heroic. One example is when he fight off the Great Spider to save the dwarves with the sword he names sting and says that he feels more confident and fierce, from there on he progresses to become stronger and at the end Gandalf says to Bilbo,"Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were."(203). From that you can tell that Gandalf has seen the changes, most of the changes come from the ways he saves
Bilbo doesn’t realize it at first, with the help of Gandalf he sees he has changed. He has become brave and fearless. He has also learned the value of friendship and kindness through his new friends and their journey together which has now forever
In the novel, The Hobbit, we find many themes and underlying messages from which useful knowledge and principles can be acquired. As the modern canadian fantasy writer once said, “Fantasy has the capacity to be as important and as thought-provoking as any other form of literature we have.” Tolkien’s work provides readers with challenging and time honoured themes such as: use your unique positive traits for the greater good of the group, power should never be abused and it is important to find your true self in life.
This adventure becomes a magnificent tale where a fellowship is bonded through a great tale of friendship. The fellowship consists of elves, dwarfs, men and a great wizard Gandalf the grey. The tale of the fellowship becomes a benchmark for fantasy novels to come. Tolkien being the distinguished linguist he is, managed to display his deep appreciation of nature through his imagination of Middle Earth. His ideas of myth and its importance becomes a ground breaking novel, one of which will...