The Hobbit
The Hobbit is a classic hero quest story, which has become the inspiration and template for the modern fantasy genre. It is also an adventure filled with wonder, magic, action and vividly memorable characters. These are impressive accomplishments for any story. However, considering the fact that The Hobbit was originally intended to be a simple children’s tale, the success of the book is all the more pronounced.
The hero quest begins with the diminutive Bilbo Baggins, who professes to dislike adventures yet harbours a love for things like maps and stories of princesses and dragons. He is a wonderfully simple, even innocent character. Bilbo’s love for simple things evokes a similar pull in many of us – that longing for a simpler time, when there wasn’t a care in our personal world. Sadly, that’s not the way things are in the real world – and it’s not the way things are in Bilbo’s world either. The Hobbit, then, is about how Bilbo goes out into the wild world and discovers something about himself – a self-realisation that is essential to the hero quest journey.
Bilbo’s call to adventure comes from another classic archetype and that of the wise old man, in the form of the wizard, Gandalf. Gandalf plays a significant role, as he facilitates the beginning of Bilbo’s quest with the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, as well as guides the troop about halfway to their destination. More important than the geographical journey across Middle Earth, Gandalf’s guidance brings Bilbo closer to reaching his full potential.
The quest itself is fairly straightforward. Bilbo will accompany thirteen Dwarves from his home in The Shire, through Rivendell, across the Misty Mountains and through Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain. There, Bilbo’s job, as burglar, will be to gain entrance to the mountain so that they may defeat the might dragon Smaug and reclaim the Dwarven treasure which Smaug stole many years ago.
The further into Middle Earth Bilbo travels, the difficulty and risk of the challenges he faces increase. He begins with an abortive attempt to pickpocket a group of Trolls and eventually discovers the courage and strength to confront the great dragon Smaug, all alone, deep in Smaug’s lair. Of course, Bilbo’s journey has been guided by Gandalf, aided by the Dwarves, the Elves of Rivendell, the Eagles and a fateful encounter near the dark roots of the Misty Mountains. Although, the story illustrates that none of this assistance would have mattered had it not been for something within Bilbo himself – a tiny seed of adventure – and the choices he makes on his quest.
Bilbo’s confrontation with Gollum is important because of its implications for the quest – as well as its implications for the Lord of the Rings saga that will soon follow. What’s more important for Bilbo is the necessity that he must confront what he could become, if he were to be consumed by evil. Indeed, immediately after acquiring the ring, Bilbo’s innocence is lost. He bends the rules in a game of riddles against Gollum and later, he flat out lies to Gandalf. These are minor occurrences, but they would be harbingers of a great danger had Bilbo not defeated his shadow. The defeat itself doesn’t come during the riddle game, but rather a few moments later when Bilbo, made invisible by the ring, has an opportunity to murder Gollum – but he doesn’t. Instead, he defeats the darkness within and his quest continues.
In the end, the confluence of events, including his daring rescue of the Dwarves, from a horde of larger-than-life spiders in Mirkwood, teaches Bilbo that he does indeed have a strength within himself. Quite literally, Bilbo begins to know himself. That confidence helps him in the final transformation which he must undergo – from a timid, simple, innocent person into a crafty, intuitive and brave adventurer. Bilbo finally faces the worst of his fears, conquers them and confronts the deadly dragon Smaug, deep in the bowels of the Lonely Mountain. The moment when Bilbo overcomes his fear is the moment in which he, finally and completely, transforms from who he was into who he was always meant to be. Bilbo achieves his full potential and, as a result, gains treasures far greater than the gold he carries away from the Lonely Mountain.
The Hobbit is the epitome of adventure stories, hero quests and fantasy. Tolkien proves himself to be a master storyteller. If there is a criticism of Tolkien’s craft, it is in his tendency to be highly descriptive. In many cases this can help accurately portray his vision of Middle-Earth. Yet, there are times when his descriptive language can be an impediment to the story. Despite the few criticisms that can be aimed at this book, it is a classic work of literature that will be enjoyed and appreciated for generations to come.
