...J.R.R Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit follows the journey of one central hero, Bilbo Baggins, and his company of dwarves as they embark to Erebor to retake the dwarves’ homeland. This epic tale can be analyzed using a mythological, biographical, or historical critic’s point of view. There are also a few themes seen throughout the novel, including greed and the journey. From a mythological standpoint, one could mention the works of literature that Tolkien himself said has influenced his fantasies about the fabled land of Middle-earth: Iceland’s Poetic Edda and Beowulf. Some tales in Norse mythology can also be analyzed to apply to Tolkien’s novel. Based on a biographically and historically opinion, one might talk about the World Wars’ effect on Tolkien and his novels. Another approach that could be taken is one based on the archetypes seen in The Hobbit; the hero, Bilbo Baggins, and the villain, the dragon Smaug. One could connect the archetypes and events of The Hobbit to those of Beowulf. The Hobbit could also be seen as a novel of the genre bildungsroman, which means “coming-of-age” and focuses on the emotional and physical development of the main character. The use of mythological criticism in the analysis of J.R.R Tolkien’s first novel The Hobbit is by far the most popular among renowned literature critics – one of whom was CS Lewis, an author of children’s fantasy novels himself. It is easy to explain the story from a mythological point of view; many ancient texts have themes...
Words: 4640 - Pages: 19
...Book report: The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien The author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was born on the 3rd of January 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and died on the 2nd of September 1973. He died at the age 81, in Bournemouth. Tolkien wrote the book in 1937. At this time Hitler was in power. I could not find anything in his book that is pointing somehow to Hitler. After the death of Tolkien, his son published a some works based on his father’s notes. Together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, these form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories and invented languages in a world called Middle Earth The Setting The time periods of JRR Tolkien are not like our time periods. It’s a completely different world than ours. The Hobbit takes place in Middle Earth during the Third Age (years 2941 – 2942) about 55 years before the start of the Lord of the Rings story. This time period is Protagonist and antagonists In this book the protagonist is Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit. Bilbo ( 50 years old ) was hired as a burglar by the wizard Gandalf and 13 dwarves (led by Thorin Oakenshield, their king). He was hired to go on a quest with the dwarves to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, and its treasure within, defended by the dragon Smaug. Before the adventure, Bilbo was a simple Hobbit in the Shire, who enjoyed...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
...Hobbits, the narrator explains, are little people, roughly half the size of humans, with thick hair on their feet, round bellies, and a love of good food, comfort, and security. Though some hobbits live in houses, they traditionally live in holes in the ground. The holes are not dank and smelly but comfortable, cozy underground dwellings with all the amenities of their aboveground counterparts. The hole occupied by the hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins is called Bag End. It is quite a pleasant dwelling, with comfortable furniture and a well-stocked kitchen, nestled in a snug little village under a hill. Bilbo’s ancestry is somewhat noble by hobbit standards: his father was from the well-to-do, conventional Baggins family, but his mother was from the Tooks, a wealthy, eccentric family infamous for their unhobbitlike tendency to go on adventures. Despite his Took blood, however, Bilbo prefers to stay at home and live a quiet life. On the day the story begins, Bilbo is enjoying a pipe outside his front door when an old man with a long cloak and a staff arrives. After the old man introduces himself, Bilbo recognizes him as the wizard Gandalf, who has created spectacular fireworks displays on holidays in Hobbiton, but Bilbo still looks on the old wizard with a suspicious eye. When Gandalf asks if Bilbo would be interested in going on an adventure, Bilbo declines and quickly excuses himself. He invites the wizard to come over for tea sometime but only so as not to seem rude—in reality...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...The Hobbit is a wonderful book to read. J.R.R Tolkien who is the author of the Hobbit used various archetypes throughout the novel. Some archetypes that J.R.R Tolkien used in the Hobbit are communion, the hero, and the journey. The main character in the Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins and you wouldn’t think that a person with the personality of Bilbo would be the hero. Bilbo Baggins didn’t have any ambition in his life, he had hobbies but they were boring hobbies. In the beginning of the Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien uses the archetype of communion. Most people think of holy ceremony that takes place in church were everybody gets a small cup of grape juice and a tiny piece of bread. Communion is the act of intimate fellowship and rapport. Communion doesn’t have to happen in a church in fact you don’t just have to eat bread and drink grape juice. That is shown in the Hobbit because when Bilbo, Gandalf and the twelve dwarfs were eating dinner together that is also known as communion. When Bilbo leaves his Hobbit hole that is when the journey starts. The task for Bilbo Baggins is to help the dwarfs reclaim their treasure from Samug. During the beginning of their journey they encounter three hungry trolls who capture them all expect Gandalf. Gandalf saves them by tricking the trolls to stay outside into the sun comes up because they will have turned into stone. After...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...of one story (the book or the movie) it always seems to be a split between the community, and I believe The Hobbit is quite different when the book and movie are compared to another, however, the book crafts a stronger story, whether it be through, action scenes, or character development. When action scenes are in books, they are usually much more extravagant in movies trying to draw the audience in, but I believe the action scenes in the book portrayed Bilbo as a stronger hero....
Words: 1349 - Pages: 6
...English 12 24 April 2013 The Fantasy Appeal in the Hobbit Fantasy is a type of genre that allows the reader to experience a place or world unlike any they have before. Fantasy lifts all our ideas of reality, and allows us to be a part of experiences that we would otherwise have no chance of taking part in. One of the first genres to be used in literary fiction was romance and this genre embraced fantasy by creating princesses and princes fighting an epic battle and mythical creatures such as dragons, Vampires and Ghost. In this paper I will explain how J.R.R Tolkien “The Hobbit” fits the genre of fantasy. This is important because every writer has there own writing style and there favorite genre. The novel “The Hobbit” by J.R.R Tolkien fits the characteristics of the fantasy genre because it has everything a fantasy book would have such as mythical creatures, wizards and an epic hero. J.R.R Tolkien was a scholar of English language and was a professor at oxford. He Specialized in Anglo Saxon and medieval literature. Tolkien being writing fantasy novels in 1976 and has said “No other Genre can put you in such a magical state expect fantasy”(A Short History of fantasy pg.123). J.R.R Tolkien has explained that his love for fantasy goes back to his childhood and when he would read books and forget about everything and everyone around him. J.R.R Tolkien has used every aspect of fantasy in his book “The Hobbit”. The majority of fantasy is based in a medieval-type...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...The Hobbit is a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien illustrating the adventure of Bilbo Baggins on his quest to help his dwarf friends. Through the journey, Bilbo discovers the true potential of his loyalty, bravery, and cleverness. I believe The Hobbit should remain a classic in our modern world. This is due to its expression of life and morals, the work’s renowned recognition after over 75 years, its appeal to the over 100 million copies sold, and its connections to the modern literature that the work has influenced. I feel that the despite the change of time, The Hobbit has withstanded and exceeded expectations securing itself the right and justification to be a classic. The meaning of good over evil, and right over wrong, are concepts that author...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...The Hobbit is a novelbook by J.R.R Tolkien written in 1937. The book is told in 3rd person and is extremely successful and widely considered a classic. The Hobbit is a book about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, an old wizard named Gandalf, and his group of dwarves. Once Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins get together they set off on an adventure to get treasure from a dragon named Smaug. Bilbo is reluctant to go at first because his kind isn’t known to go on adventures, but after a little while Gandalf persuades Bilbo to go on the adventure with him and his army of dwarves. Soon after everyone leaves to go on their adventure everyone except Gandalf gets captured by nocturnal trolls, Gandalf tricks the trolls into staying outside,even though their kind...
Words: 620 - Pages: 3
...Question 1: What was your most memorable moment? My most memorable moment in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was when the Dwarves came to Bilbo’s house and asked him to join the journey to defeat Smaug and he accepts to go on the journey. I liked this moment mainly because Bilbo had shown lot of valiantry in this moment. Bilbo showed bravery because he did not want people to think of him as a scared person even though Hobbits are not supposed to live a treacherous and adventurous life but, Bilbo had known that he could be different. This can relate to my life when I had gone to an Adventure park. The Adventure park had many obstacles and zip lines. I was a little bit scared at first because the course seemed intimidating but I was brave and...
Words: 2188 - Pages: 9
...The novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien emphasizes how an ordinary person can develop into a hero. The reader is first introduced to Bilbo Baggins, the ordinary person who lives in Hobbiton. He is then joined by Gandalf who informs him, along with a group of dwarves, of a quest he needs to perform. Once Bilbo accepts this journey, he faces perilous creatures and challenges on his path to get to the Lonely Mountain. The challenges and creatures include trolls, a giant spider, and sorcerers, all of whom are defeated by Bilbo with the help of Gandalf. Furthermore, once his destination is reached, Bilbo must defeat the dragon Smaug to regain the Lonely Mountain and the gold that lies within. In conclusion, the connection to an archetype stems from...
Words: 284 - Pages: 2
...The Hobbit Summaries: Chapter 1: In Chapter 1 of The Hobbit the characters are introduced and the story begins. Bilbo Baggins seems to be the main character, Bilbo is a hobbit who lives in a cozy, comfy hole like many other hobbits. Bilbo lives a quiet, peaceful life until a wizard named Gandalf and his dwarves come and tell Bilbo he is destined to join their journey. Bilbo doesn’t think he is cut out for this journey and neither do the dwarves, but Gandalf does. While Bilbo accompanies to the dwarves and Gandalf’s every need, they explain the journey. Thorin, who could be classified as the most important dwarf explains most of the journey. The journey is to reclaim the treasure that Thorin’s family once had but is now protected by Smaug an enormous dragon who stole it. Bilbo Baggins feels very uneasy about attending this journey and at the end of the chapter does not even know if he will participate. The setting of this chapter is “The Hill”, where many Hobbit holes are. Symbols used in this chapter were; the maps that the dwarves/Gandalf have symbolize direction of their journey. Also, some of the songs that the dwarves sing symbolize hints and feelings. A developing theme I see is “anyone can be a hero,” because I think Bilbo will end up going. Chapter 2: In the second chapter, the journey begins! Bilbo wakes up and assumes that Gandalf and the dwarves have left without him since none of them are present. Shortly after, Gandalf comes in and shows Bilbo a note that says...
Words: 3290 - Pages: 14
...The Hobbit is an epic fantasy tale written by the renown author J.R.R Tolkien. It is about a quiet little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who goes on an adventure with a group of homeless dwarves and a sage wizard. Throughout the adventure, he put himself into dangerous positions and learned how to rely on himself. The journey that Bilbo Baggins went through was vital to his character. He faces situations that encompass good versus evil. Bilbo learns about loyalty, greed, courage, morality and how it can all make a huge impact. A common theme throughout the story is loyalty. Without the virtue of loyalty, the story would not have been as it is. Loyalty is often displayed by Bilbo as he never leaves the dwarves side. He constantly puts himself in...
Words: 1392 - Pages: 6
...“The Hobbit” is a book that narrates the adventures of a creature called a hobbit. Bilbo, the name of the hobbit, embarks on a long journey with a troop of fourteen to recover stolen gold. His companions each play different roles throughout the story, and these roles help readers understand what each character contributes to the story. As the story progresses, the reader will start to realize which characters belong to which archetypal roles and how they affect the story. Roles such as the shapeshifter add suspense, and roles like the herald help bring the story to life. In “The Hobbit,” many characters play archetypal roles to help carry and enhance the story. Heroes play the most important role in the story, they make sacrifices and lead...
Words: 1141 - Pages: 5
...THE HOBBIT J. R. R. Tolkien ← Chapter 1 → There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. (See Important Quotations Explained) Summary Hobbits, the narrator explains, are little people, roughly half the size of humans, with thick hair on their feet, round bellies, and a love of good food, comfort, and security. Though some hobbits live in houses, they traditionally live in holes in the ground. The holes are not dank and smelly but comfortable, cozy underground dwellings with all the amenities of their aboveground counterparts. The hole occupied by the hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins is called Bag End. It is quite a pleasant dwelling, with comfortable furniture and a well-stocked kitchen, nestled in a snug little village under a hill. Bilbo’s ancestry is somewhat noble by hobbit standards: his father was from the well-to-do, conventional Baggins family, but his mother was from the Tooks, a wealthy, eccentric family infamous for their unhobbitlike tendency to go on adventures. Despite his Took blood, however, Bilbo prefers to stay at home and live a quiet life. On the day the story begins, Bilbo is enjoying a pipe outside his front door when an old man with a long cloak and a staff arrives. After the old man introduces himself, Bilbo recognizes him as the wizard Gandalf, who has created spectacular fireworks displays on holidays in Hobbiton, but Bilbo still looks on the old wizard with a suspicious eye. When Gandalf asks if Bilbo...
Words: 1231 - Pages: 5
... 3 Enemies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 People of Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Final Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 _______________ Introduction _______________ You’ve just opened my guidebook to the Hobbit. This “guidebook” will tell you everything I think about the Hobbit. Maybe you’ve watched the movies and want to learn more, or maybe you’ve read the book and want to get more content on the story, or maybe you’re just stuck in school and you have to read this book for class. Either way, here are my thoughts on “The Hobbit.” _______________ Bilbo Baggins _______________ I think that Bilbo Baggins changed a lot throughout the entire story. At the start, he was not a very well known man, except by his family, his friends, and his neighbors, and he pretty much just kept to himself. He states a lot throughout the book that he’d much rather be at home. But as the book takes its pace, Bilbo starts to change. He learns humility, kindness, and bravery. He learns to respect the dwarves, along with the countless other people he meets on the journey. He tries to help everyone to the best of his...
Words: 1985 - Pages: 8
