Finish reading chapters 13-19 (the end) of The Hobbit. Identify and explain a theme of the novel.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2004

Answers

A theme of the novel is change. The most remarkably change is that of Bilbo Baggins from a sensible, conformist, comfortable hobbit to an adventurous, clever, wilder burglar. Even with his joy at returning home, it is obvious that he is not the same man he was when his journey started. As Gandalf remarks, "My dear Bilbo! Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were." It's one of the truest statements in the whole story. Bilbo has changed, and as I see it, he has changed for the better.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2004

I believe Tolkien once said, "not all who wander are lost." The draw of the wider world - and through it, character development - shows up a lot in Tolkien's stories. Think of it as a romanticized view of the traveler as being the only character that can truly be itself. Bilbo shows this theme in his character development in The Hobbit; take for example the "roads go ever on and on" song in Hobbit and LotR (and all roads eventually lead to Valinor=paradise for travelers like Bilbo). Also, there is Bilbo's fascination with maps that we discussed in the beginning of the book - that's his wanderlust revealing itself through his homely, "respectable" facade.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2004

Well like I said in class today. I like the idea of expect the unexpected, big things come in odd places, theres a hero in us all ... blah blah blah. Finding a leader, a warrior, a thief in the unlikely Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Seeing a King of the Mountain from a beaten up dwarf out of a barrel, a single arrow taking down the last dragon. It has the element of the fantastic to the max! it's 200% power of fantasy and seeing the most spactacular things in the most ordinary of finds. A hero in a hobbit, a king in a worn out traveler, a stole away! This idea really brings you into the book. It makes you identify with the characters? If a boring hobbit can do all this .... can I?

-ror

p.s. I got home and posted right away after reading on my hour long bus ride to find Angie and John posted before me. It destroyed my hopes, and well they are TOO motivated.

dwarves rule

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2004

One theme is to look to yourself for the answers, especially when things get tough. We see that Bilbo, although he posses an extraordinary amount of luck, also has to use his wits to get out of his messes. And in the end Gandalf says, "Surely you don't disbelive you the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? ou don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck do you?" Sometimes things happen because you make them happen, especially when Bilbo takes the initiative to give away the Archenstone before the Battle of the Five Armies.

-Caroline

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2004

Well, Angie, JWalk, and Rory took my Plans A, B, and C for this post, so I will have to go with my somewhat lamer (yet true) Plan D. How about this for a theme: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Bilbo almost gets killed dead quite a few times in El Hobbit (a few examples: the spiders, the trolls, Gollum, climbing a tree in Mirkwood, meeting Smaug, I could go on). However, he makes it through, and, as Angie already discussed, is vastly changed and (in my opinion improved) by the end of the novel. He gains more and more confidence in his abilities as a burglar and all-around sweet, kick-rearend guy as he progresses on his journey. Perhaps he is not even really adding anything to himself, but is instead, through his experiences, discovering what he is on the inside.

And yes, dwarves do indeed rule. Huan the Hound rules as well.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2004

A major theme in the novel is practicality. The wisest member of the group (that doesn't include Gandalf) is Bilbo simply because he's practical. Not to say that idealism isn't of value but it is distictly less useful on this quest. The idealistic, and slightly foolish dwarves get in all sorts of trouble and those who can keep their head have to save them.

--Joshua

The Nazgul RULE (:=X

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2004

My theme is that you cannot hide from the world forever. In the beginning Bilbo is wanting to stay home, but adventure finds him. Gollum tries to hide in his cave from everybody else, but Bilbo finds him. Then there is the secret entrance to the mountain, which is found. However the most interesting point is the ring. This is a supernatural way to hide from the world, to disappear. However his attempt to hide this object from the dwarves fails. We also see in the Lord of the Rings what happens from pro-longed use and ownership of the ring.

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2004

I think a theme in the book is identity. Bilbo finds himself to be more Tookish than he thought, Thorin is on this quest for his past, and Bard eventually realizes his identity as leader of Laketown and, ultimately, men. Tolkien also uses song and how they're sung to identify the various races. Dwarves with their slow chanting, the elves with their whimsical ditties, and the men with their resounding ballads of praise.

italics are fun.

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2004

The theme I found was that each person can make a difference, no matter how small or unimportant that person seems. Bard singlehandedly killed Smaug, he individually made a huge difference. Thorin made an impact in the battle when he came charging out of the mountain and started killing Goblins. The greatest example however is Bilbo. He saved the dwarfs several times on his own, and he saved the dwarfs and men & elves from fighting eachother.

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2004

One theme I saw was that greed leads to bad things. It seems it was the Woodland King's greed that caused him to wrongfully hold the dwarves captive for so long, and Thorin's lust for treasure nearly led to disaster. Also, the "Master" of Dale, in his greed, ended up fleeing with a stolen portion of gold, and he died of starvation. Serves him right.

/\___/\ < o o > \ v / \_-_/

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2004

One thing that I saw was that heroism takes time to develop; no one is born a hero. Bilbo came from a long line of adventurers and faeries and the like, yet it took him nineteen chapters to become a hero. Most other hero stories that we know, like the Iliad or Siegmund (from long, long ago in class), or Prince Charming are born heroes. Bilbo had to develop his awesome heroesque skills (it's my turn to make up words).

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2004

Another theme is that appearences can be deceiving. The ring, while ordinary in appearence, is actually a magical ring. Gandalf, a seemingly strange old man is actually a very strange, very old, very powerful wizard. The dwarves seem childish and occasionally annoying, but when push comes to shove, they are noble warriors. The Master, who pretends to be a fair leader, is a greedy idiot. And of course there is Bilbo, a little Hobbit that takes charge of the situation if needed and is much more useful to the dwarves than they thought at first (spiders, elves, Smaug, etc.). Good things can come in small packages and bad things can come in large packages.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2004

Good things come in small packages is also a theme.

Notice that all the main characters (excluding Gandalf. He's there for comparison) are small. A Hobbit is extremely short in stature, and the dwarves (no offense ror) aren't much bigger. They all make a large difference despite their growth level. The ring, small as it is, contains a great deal of power. Bilbo in particular is the smallest of all the characters, yet he makes the largest difference. Tolkien obviously wants us to see that small things matter

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2004