Literary Analysis: The Hobbit by J.R.R.

Tolkien

The Hobbit was written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien or popularly known as J.R.R.
Tolkien, it was published on September 21, 1937 in which it was nominated for Carnegie
Medal and was awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction.
J.R.R. Tolkien named the novel after the race of the main character named Bilbo
Baggins who is a hobbit. The word “Hobbit” was derived from holbytla, which means "hole-
builder”. As stated in the first chapter of the novel, Hobbits lives inside in a so called “Hobbit
hole” that to them also means comfort. This was Tolkien's own new construction from Old
English hol, "a hole or hollow", and bytlan, "to build".
The Novel is one of the best examples of Juvenile Fiction or Juvenile fantasy which
is children's literature with fantasy elements. The protagonists of this type of genre are
usually children or teens who have unique abilities, gifts, possessions or even allies that allow
them to face powerful adversaries. This type of genre usually focuses on the psychological
and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. These are stories that would
appeal to middle grade to young adult readers which is made for them to relate, especially to
the main character of the story. Through this they can reflect their actions through the
characters’ decisions which may help them in certain situations in the future and aid them as
they grow up or come to an age.
The story happened in the fictional world named Middle earth in 4,000 BCE and
mainly focused on the quest of Bilbo Baggins as he aids the Dwarves to reclaim their
homeland that was taken by the dragon named Smaug.
It began with the life of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who enjoys the comforts of his home.
He lives a peaceful life in his comfortable hole at Bag End. His comfort was shattered by the
arrival of the old wizard Gandalf, and persuaded him to set out on an adventure and become a
“burglar” for a group of dwarves who is in a journey to reclaim their homeland. Shortly after
the group started their quest. On their way to the Lone Mountain, the home of the dwarves,
three hungry trolls captured them except for Gandalf. Bilbo tricked the trolls in order to buy
time and when the sun came up, the sunlight turned the nocturnal trolls into stone. Upon
examining the Troll’s cave, the group found a great cache of weapons, and Gandalf gave
Bilbo a small sword of his own.

Meanwhile, The Orcs hunted the Dwarves because of Thorin who decapitated their
leader’s hand and because of this Gandalf lead the dwarves to the elfish stronghold of
Rivendell and then set out to the Misty Mountains. The dwarves found shelter in a cave
during a snow storm. Bilbo on the other hand was trying to leave after the hurtful words
Thorin said about him. When he saw that his sword was glowing which indicates that Goblins
or Orcs was nearby, suddenly the ground started to break and they fell on a trap. Goblins
grabbed them and Bilbo fell under a tunnel where he saw Gollum and out of his pockets fell a
ring which the hobbit has gained possession on.  
 Soon he encountered Gollum, a hissing, whining creature who lives in a pool in the
caverns and hunts fish and goblins. Gollum wanted to eat Bilbo, so he challenged it with a
game of riddles and won by asking the creature, “What have I got in my pocket?”. Gollum
still planned to eat Bilbo and searched his pocket for the ring but it was not found. This ring
turns its wearer invisible. The ring, however, is the same one Bilbo has already found, and
used it to escape from Gollum and flee the goblins. He found the tunnel leading up out of the
mountain the dwarves and Gandalf used to escape.
The Orcs once again pursued them so Bilbo and the Dwarves was rescued by the
eagles. Not long after, the orcs was able to gain on Bilbo and his comrades so they have seek
refuge to Beorn, a creature who can change shape from a man into a bear. The group
continued their journey and reached the dark forest of Mirkwood, where Gandalf needed to
abandon the group and tells them to wait for him when they reached the lonely mountain.
 The dwarves are caught in the webs of some giant spiders, and Bilbo must rescue
them with his sword and magic ring. After slaying his first spider, Bilbo names his sword
Sting. Shortly after escaping the spiders, the unlucky dwarves are captured by a group of
wood elves who lived near the river that runs through Mirkwood. Bilbo used his ring once
again to help the company escape and slipped the dwarves away from the elves by hiding
them inside the barrels, which he then floats down the river.
The dwarves arrive at Lake Town, a human settlement near the Lonely Mountain,
under which the great dragon sleeps with Thorin’s treasure. After sneaking into the mountain,
Bilbo was tasked to sneak into the dragon’s lair and take the Arkenstone which is the purpose
that he joined the company. While looking for the stone, he accidently awoke the dragon. He
then talked to the sly dragon Smaug, and found out that his armor like scales have a weak
spot near his heart. In Smaug’s anger, it flew out of the mountain to burned Lake Town in his
rage.
Bard, a heroic archer, has learned the secret about Smaug’s weakness, and fired an
arrow into the dragon’s heart, killing him instantly.
The humans of Lake Town had seek refuge to the Lonely Mountain to collect the
share of the treasure Thorin promised them as a compensation for their losses and aid, but
Thorin greedily refused.
The humans and elves joined forces to siege the mountain, trapping the dwarves and
the hobbit inside. Bilbo was concerned that Thorin was fully consumed with greed that they
call the “Dragon Sickness”. The Hobbit sneaked out to join the humans in an attempt to bring
peace.
When Thorin learned of what Bilbo has done, he was consumed of rage, but Gandalf
suddenly reappeared and saves Bilbo from the dwarf lord’s wrath.
Meanwhile, an army of goblins and Wargs marches on the mountain, and the humans,
elves, and dwarves are forced to band together to defeat them. The goblins nearly won, but
the arrival of Beorn and the eagles helped the good armies win the battle. After this war,
Bilbo went back to the comforts of his home.
The book contains several different languages, in order for the message of the story
be conveyed perfectly, Tolkien often follows a translation of this languages for the readers to
understand and grasp the text perfectly.
 The theme of the Novel mainly focuses on heroism and it was shown in Bilbo’s
character as he grows into a perfect hero as he is. The book also highlights that being a hero
is not being brave all the time but rather continuing even if you are afraid. But as the story
progresses, a different theme also arises which is the consequences of greed. It was shown
when Thorin has successfully taken back the Lone Mountain and its treasures. He became too
consumed by greed that he eventually lost his friends.
There are many speculation to why Tolkien wrote the novel. Some may say he was
inspired by a cursed German ring in which was highlighted in the trilogy but according to
Tolkien scholar Michael Martinez, that the reason he wrote the novel was to simply amuse
his sons and keep the story straight as it must have changed over time. He wrote it in a
storytelling manner the same manner as other story books are written as it is the best way to
entertain children
There are many things that inspired Tolkien in writing the novel such as the Beowulf,
and the Grimm’s Fairytales but his travels and experiences also plays a great role in writing
this masterpiece such as his trip to the Malvern Hills which inspired the Middle-earth regions
like Rohan and Gondor, while Rivendell came from memories of a vacation Tolkien took as a
young boy to the Swiss Alps. The Two Towers arose in Tolkien's imagination after visits to
Perrott's Folly and the Waterworks Tower in Edgbaston. Tolkien’s experience being under
fire while his battalion was in the village of Bouzincourt, about three miles from the front
lines. Germans began to bombard the little village, and explosives rained down on them, like
the flames of the dragon Smaug when the creature attacked a small village.