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Symbolism in the lord of the rings
Symbolism in the lord of the rings
Symbolism of Tolkien's ring
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In the book The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, it tells a great tale. A humble little hobbit who lived in a hole, goes by the name of Bilbo Baggins. He is short, round stomached, has hairy feet, and the kindest heart. Sneaky and quiet, he is a burglar. Agreeing to take on a long journey with a wizard and a couple of dwarves; Bilbo meets a funny creature in one of the caves of their adventure. Gollum is a skinny and slimy creature hidden away in the caverns of goblins. He has bright blue round-eyes and a great evil within him. When Bilbo stumbles his way into Gollum’s territory, they both find the same love for riddles and a special ring. In comparing and contrasting the two, they do not only have several differences between each other but a few similarities. …show more content…
Power is a huge thing most desired and if given, it can become excessive to some people. Their lust for power will not only become greater but could become dangerous if used in the wrong way. A prime example of the power of the ring would use Gollum himself. Gollum and Bilbo are both Hobbits and both had signs of the rings evil power affecting them, some more than others. The only difference was that Gollum actually killed his friend over the ring during a fishing trip, while Bilbo had the chance to and said no. In doing so, Bilbo had control over the ring and the evil powers of it had no effect on him in that moment. Bilbo lives in the comfort of his little hole, living a very comfortable life. He has endless amounts of food to eat and is not a big fan of rawness. As comfortable as he is, Bilbo shares his food with any and all, with such hospitality. He will cook, clean, and hang up all of his guests’ belongings. Leaving them with nothing, but
The Hobbit This hobbit was a hobbit, and his name was Baggins. Baggins had lived in the neighborhood of ”The Hill” some time, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most or them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected. You could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors’ respect, but he gained- well, you will see what he gained in the end.
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
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.
At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Baggins starts out at his comfy little hobbit home, but suddenly a grand, wise wizard shows up. Not long after, 12 dwarves began to appear, one by one at Bilbo’s door, and they have come to carry him off on a life-changing adventure, full of greed. That was the beginning of our hairy hobbit’s transformation from a shy, quiet hobbit, to a strong and bold life-saving hero, who enchants any who come in contact with him. For example of his strength and boldness, would be in chapter 5, when Bilbo rhymes riddles for an unknown creature, who calls itself Gollum. Bilbo would’ve been eaten if he were to have lost, but took his chances, and risked it anyway. After all, it did get him out of that goblin-infested cave.
Although Bilbo’s character has changed and become more Tookish in many ways, he remains “only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all” (Tolkien 363). Bilbo is happy to visit the elves and have tea with Gandalf, but he is also just as happy to relax in his hobbit-hole and enjoy the comforts of home that he longed for so much on his journey.
A good adventure can start with the foolishest things planned or not, it's challenges await. Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit who is one day greeted by a wizard named Gandalf, who invites him on an adventure. Because Hobbits are known for not going on adventures he declined, but once the 12 dwarves came, he was inclined to do so. In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien uses imagery to assist the reader visualizing the terror Bilbo feels, as he gets over his fear for adventures.
When Déagol finds the ring on Sméagol’s birthday, the ring uses its influence to corrupt him into murdering Déagol (52). When Gandalf tells Bilbo to let go of the ring, the influence the ring has is shown as Bilbo calls the ring his precious, and he puts his hand on the hilt of his sword in defiance of Gandalf (33-34). The ring has the power to dominate the will of all that are around it, and is itself its own character. Frodo arrives at the Prancing Pony, and he feels the desire to put on the ring and vanish, but when he chooses not to put on the ring it uses its power to try and reveal itself by slipping on Frodo’s finger making him disappear (154-157). Even when a ring bearer is free from the ring it still influences its former possessor. When Bilbo sees Frodo in Rivendale he asks to see the ring, and as he does this Bilbo’s face changes into a shadowed version of what Gollum looked like (225-226). The nature of evil lies with its ability to corrupt the weakest and even the most pure of heart at the same
Gollum cannot resist the Ring’s temptation because he has no knowledge of the Ring and no guidance to form good habits and prevent addiction to the Ring. Gollum, originally, Sméagol wanted the Ring because of Its beauty but his friend, Déagol found it first. After Déagol refused to just give the Ring to Sméagol because it was his birthday, “…he [Sméagol] caught Déagol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger,” (58). But after he found the Ring, he had no guidance to form good ...
Bilbo begins his long journey with the dwarves, who at the time were still skeptical of Bilbo’s abilities. The dwarves didn’t see why they needed such a small incompetent hobbit with them along their journey. Gandalf tells them to stop complaining and to trust that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye (Tolkien 6). Bilbo soon shows his courage and heroism for the first time in the story when they run into their first obstacle, three large trolls huddled around a campfire. Bilbo, who was once a shy, non-adventurous type, begins to develop into a hero as he tries to steal one of the trolls’ money purses. This is a dramatic scene in the novel because it was Bilbo’s very first act outside his comfort zone. It was this...
After escaping the goblins, Gandalf did a head count and noticed Bilbo was missing. He got angry. After the dwarves argued about what happened to their burglar. Bilbo took the ring, which he found in Gollum's cave, off and was standing in the middle of the dwarves. Gandalf told the dwarves that there was more to Bilbo than they thought.
J.R.R. Tolkien's concept of too much power is summed up by Lord Acton when he once said, "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely." In Tolkien's first book of his fantasy based trilogy, Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Rings tells a story of a quest to destroy a powerful ring throughout Tolkien's created "Middle Earth". This quest was headed by a "Hobbit" named Frodo Baggins who, in the end, becomes corrupted by power himself. This corruption begins when Frodo uses his ring to become invisible over and over again to escape certain situations. The quest to destroy the powerful "Ruling Ring" forms the basis for this story.
At the beginning of the book, Bilbo symbolized a baby, naive and always needed others’ help. For example, the dwarves always had to look out for Bilbo to make sure he isn’t lost or wanders away. And then comes his adventure at the Misty Mountains and the finding of the ring. This was the breaking point between being a “child” and being an “adult,” or in other words wise. The ring not only changed him, but it made him realize the fire of courage waiting to burst and consume those around.
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
Gollum found the ring and put it on, but after a long time, the One Ring took over and drove him crazy. He turned into a monster, and the only thing that he had ever cared for was the One Ring. Bilbo finds the One Ring when he gets lost, and when Gollum found out, he is outraged. Gollum was greedy for power, he wanted the power to be invisible. Greed controls people in the same way; it traps people into wanting more, turning them into monsters, not physically but mentally.
he Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy novel set in an entirely different time period and in an extraordinarily different world. This story is part of a trilogy that transitions seamlessly into the ending of the prequel book, “The Hobbit.” At the end of “The Hobbit,” Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, a hobbit is a half-sized human, comes home from an adventure and during his journey, he manages to obtain a magical ring. This ring is magical because when you happen to wear it, you turn invisible. It also had the power to prolong the life of the wearer. The start of the Fellowship begins with Bilbo's 111th birthday and Bilbo is getting ready to leave the Shire. The Shire is the region of Middle-Earth where the hobbits reside. Middle-Earth is the continent in which this story takes place. So Bilbo is looking to leave the Shire and wants to leave his possessions with his cousin, Frodo Baggins, who is much younger then he is. Amongst these possessions is the magical ring. Bilbo has second thoughts about giving Frodo the ring but is talked into doing so by his good friend Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf the Grey is one of a few powerful wizards that inhabit Middle-Earth.