Analysis Of The Major Themes In The Hobbit By J.r.r. Tolkien
Throughout everyday life, people encounter experiences that embark them on a journey like never before. 'The Hobbit' written by J.R.R. Tolkien, Classic Fiction, published 1937, containing 276 pages, portrays the story of a Hobbit who for the most part is found enjoying his peace in the comfort of his home, though he soon embarks on a wild adventure beyond his wildest dreams. The three major themes I've identified include; Bravery comes to those who are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to maintain goodness in the world, Being hospitable creates strong relationships which can further lead to a healthy life, Those who show commitment even through the darkest times will enjoy a nothing but peaceful life.
All themes in this book deliver a strong message but the overall theme that stood out from all is Bravery comes to those who are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to maintain goodness in the world. Such a theme helps people understand the meaning of true peace in society. In the following passage the author mentions, “We are met to discuss our plans, our ways, means…we shall soon before the break of day start on our long journey, a journey from which some of us, or perhaps all of us…may never return”. Humans face obstacles throughout everyday life which can either lead them to success or failure. In order to be brave, one needs to be willing to confront any obstacle that gets thrown at them. Furthermore, the author emphasizes another quote which states, “He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel”. Comparing this to the world today, people are starting to lose this sense of bravery. People are becoming more careless than ever which eventually leads to disaster. The author though he did not like the look of it in the least”. This quote caught my attention because the fact that people are told what to expect and are not told the true reality of such things, the reality is not everything will be pretty in the end.
The second major theme in the novel is, Being hospitable creates strong relationships which can further lead to a healthy life. In a passage, the author expresses, “Already they had come to respect little Bilbo. Now he had become the real leader in their adventure”. Gaining respect from others requires one to be self-aware of people’s needs and how one’s trust can be obtained. The author also goes on to say, “Good-Bye! Be good, take care of yourselves – and DON’T LEAVE THE PATH”! Treating others with respect creates bonds with others that are essentially unbreakable. That is the true beauty of healthy relationships. In a passage, Tolkien describes, “Stay by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s day will shine upon the key-hole”. Having friends and family to rely on for any sort of complication is the best thing any person could have. People should be able to help each other with their needs.
The last and final theme that will be analyzed is Those who show commitment even through the darkest times will enjoy a nothing but peaceful life. A quote from the book states, “We must be getting on at once, now we are little rested, they will be after us in hundreds when night comes on”. Committing to something not only requires strength but requires the true dedication from such person in order to create strong order in which people could gain knowledge from. Furthermore, Tolkien emphasizes, 'that stone of all the treasure I name unto myself, and I will be avenged on anyone who finds it and withholds it”. Those who have the ability to conquer all fear that is thrown against them, hold something inside of them that can only be obtained through the power of self-trust. Lastly, the author goes on to mention, 'So snow comes after fire and even dragons have their ending! I wish now only to be in my own arm-chair'! The ability to fully engage into something without losing focus and not worrying about the outside parties is a crucial thing the world needs to improve on. Doing so will eliminate many world conflicts.
This novel contains an Antagonist and a protagonist. The Protagonist in this book is Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit. Hobbits are creatures that are half the size of humans and are beardless. Bilbo is a crucial character to this story due to the fact that Bilbo accepts to take on a journey and describe his conflicts along the way. Bilbo is very interesting in many aspects and the main one being his ability to commit and finish what he started. A scene from the book that I enjoyed is when Bilbo meets with Gandalf and accepts his offer to go on with the journey of his. The reason why is because Bilbo shows his true courage without question. People come across new things every day and what they choose to do with those things is up for them to decide.
The following section will be dedicated to the Antagonist of the book. The Antagonist is Smaug. Smaug is a fierce dragon who is considered extremely greedy with his power. Smaug is crucial to the novel since he is one of the major obstacles Bilbo has to face throughout the novel. The most important thing about this character that helps propel the story forward is the fact that Smaug gives Bilbo a motive to fight against him in order to achieve greatness. A scene that is worth describing is when Bilbo goes on to explore the Kingdom of Erebor, Smaug slowly appears beneath the pile of coins and reveals himself. The scene is one of the most climactic scenes from the book and adds to the crucial anticipation of the book. When faced against certain situations people tend to look for the shortcut but most of the time the hardest path will lead to the best destination in terms of stability.
The reason why I chose 'The Hobbit' is because of the nature of the book that involves itself with fictional creatures that add to the excitement of the novel. In terms of maintaining my interest, the novel successfully keeps the reader by describing the fights and conflicts as well as the end results of these conflicts. This aspect truly makes a book worth reading. Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. One particular section of the book that I enjoyed is when Bilbo is found lost in the Goblin-town and has the strangest encounter with the weirdest creature. The reason why I enjoyed this section is because of the way the previous events led to this encounter with the creature. In my opinion, this book is directed mostly to people are interest in reading about strange creatures but yet exciting characters with a great plot depicting a great journey. This is the true power of a fictional story; the creativity of the structure is unending.
