Throughout The Hobbit, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, the role of wealth can be viewed as an element that not only motivates the story but also serves as a warning against greed. Tolkien uses wealth to expose the irrationality of the idolatrous heart. At first, the main character, Bilbo who is the newly hired thief, is motivated by peer pressure, but it becomes clear when the Tookish in him, his mother’s family, is stimulated, he is mainly motivated by adventure. On the other hand, other characters prove to be purely motivated by wealth and treasure. Thorin, a dwarf looking to avenge his family’s lost treasure, and Smaug, a dragon who robs everyone and anyone of their riches, are both portrayed as being possessed by their greed for wealth, which …show more content…
Smaug is depicted as being equally obsessed with wealth and treasure. Thorin describe Smaug as the average dragon when he says, “Dragons steal gold and jewels, you know, from men and elves and dwarves, wherever they can find them; and they guard their plunder as long as they live, and never enjoy a brass ring of it” (23). As the dwarves cannot delight in the treasure, Smaug chooses to not do anything with the wealth. Although it is under Smaug’s control, he becomes possessive over it. After Bilbo steals a cup from the Smaug’s hoard to take back to Thorin to prove that there is treasure in the mountain, Smaug awakens and notices that the cup is gone. Immediately, he becomes furious. Tolkien writes, “His rage passes description – the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but never before used or wanted” (200). Because Smaug devotes his life to things that cannot satisfy, he becomes possessed by them. Smaug cannot stand to have one small piece of useless treasure taken away from him, because he values worldly riches over life itself, which causes his
Throughout Bilbo’s metamorphosis journey, he undergoes many dangers on his path that changes him to become more cunning and courageous. When Bilbo confronted Smaug, he was more prepared. This was especially evident after he was able to make the creature Gollum feel baffled by challenging him with a harder riddle question using his devious skills. When Bilbo heard Smaug snoring whilst he was bravely walking down the tunnel alone, he realized “Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait” (Tolkien, 260). This quote emphasizes how challenging it felt for Bilbo to find the courage to continue. This was particularly because Bilbo was unsure of the danger that laid ahead of him, but he had certainly realized that it was there and coming. Moreover, when he steeled himself and continued on, it was the single moment o...
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As evidence to illustrate, “ ‘This is the Arkenstone of Thrain,’ said Bilbo, ‘the Heart of the Mountain; and it is also the heart of Thorin. He values it above a river of gold. I give it to you. It will aid you in your bargaining” (Tolkien 272-273). Throughout the bargain, Bilbo sacrifices his relationship with Thorin and the other dwarves by bartering the Arkenstone to make sure the Lakemen and wood elves rightfully get their fair share of treasure found in Smaug's lair. Bilbo can be portrayed as a hero making personal sacrifices since he put the great good above his personal issues in life. Bilbo is the definition of a hero since he took action to resolve a conflict instead of being a bystander. In the long run, Bilbo Baggins may be a fictional hero, but has made personal sacrifices that the readers can relate to and deen him as a
Change can be shown in many different ways through objects and persons. So how is change shown in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien? It could be Bilbo, seen as it is, he is at first looked upon as a “cowardly” fellow who was scared to go ten feet from his hole. But as time grew throughout the adventure, it became noticeable how much Bilbo had change since the beginning of the trip. So overall, the theme of change in The Hobbit is, in fact, shown most through Bilbo because in the beginning of the story, he is hesitant and scared to go through with adventure, in the middle, he is starting to believe he can do it and risks himself, and by the end, he is showing bravery, and sometimes stupidity, above everything else. He had changed from an apprehensive Bilbo, to a courageous Bilbo by the end of the tale.
A sweet revenge on Smaug the Tremendous is all that Bilbo and the dwarves desire, but Smaug is a ruthless killer that should be left alone. Bilbo got chosen to go on a perilous journey to seek the stolen treasures. When they are in trouble, Gandalf guides and helps them throughout the journey. Heroism is shown through Bilbo’s actions like rescuing his friends from the spiders in the forest. On the other hand, Smaug uses his trickery to deceive Bilbo and the dwarves. “The Hobbit” relates to the hero’s journey in numerous ways like the character’s archetypal roles, and in “The Hobbit”, Gandalf represents the mentor, Bilbo represents the hero, and Smaug represents the shadow.
A hero’s journey can be used as a pattern to develop a story in most genres. The monomyth is like a basic guideline for story plots. Through different genres different aspects of the monomyth comes into play. Even in real life one can attribute certain aspects to parts through the Hero’s Journey. We can see this monomyth followed closely in the Hobbit trilogy. Through a storyline the vital step is regarding the protagonist and his/her first step towards the storyline, or in this case the call to adventure. For example, from an adventure movie background where the protagonist is out on a quest to a romance where the protagonist meets his loved one for the first time. If we take a look at each of stages separately they all fit
The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s unexpected adventure with the dwarves and the wizard gave him the opportunity to develop into the ultimate hero of Tolkien’s tale. Bilbo’s epic journey to become the hero of the story begins when Gandalf, the wizard, tells Bilbo of an expedition that would soon change his life forever.
Wealth also influences the way the characters’ peers view them. Wealth plays a main role in the lives of the characters despite the differences that exist. Even though the novels take place in very opposite places, the superficial longing for wealth and the existence of wealth impacts the characters in similar ways.
The love of money is the root of all evil, a statement that has proved itself true through the centuries. Loving money traps us, as human beings. It is not a bad thing to enjoy what money can do; however, the love of money is a wasted effort that can put all in grave peril. It is at our advantage that we have the ability to choose whether we ‘want’ to fall into that trap. Unfortunately, that choice is difficult since society associates one’s character with wealth and financial management. The mishaps, deaths, and hardships that occur from the beginning of the tale are the result of deliberate deception for personal gain. In Treasure Island, greed sends the characters on a voyage. Robert Louis Stevenson makes a social commentary on the role that money has come to play in our society.
Throughout the whole book, Thorin just displayed a complete lack of respect for human life. When Bard and the Elvenking asked for a share in the gold, Thorin would not even give them a measly twelfth of it to avoid war. Additionally, it would only have been fair to give them some of the treasure after all he put them through. That just shows how little he valued life and how much he valued money. A twelfth of that amount of gold would be a lot, but it is small compared to the eleven twelfths of it that he would get and would still be more than anyone could possibly need in their lifetime. Thorin also didn’t want to tell the Elvenking why they were wandering in the forests when they were captured. He was in jail a long, long time, and it all could have been avoided if he just told them their plans. At that point, he wasn’t even really invested in that treasure. He still wanted it and went all that way to get it, but he wasn’t even close to getting it yet. He could have just made a deal with the elves and split the treasure with them in exchange for their help, but he wouldn’t even do that. Instead, he kept it a secret and stayed in prison with the small hope they could get the treasure in addition to the small chance that Bilbo could help them escape, which he eventually did
In Candide, by Voltaire, Candide struggles through a world torn by constant bloodshed and crime. As he travels, he and other characters are deceived, injured, and abused by the world around him. Voltaire’s Candide reveals another side of human beings’ hearts as he portrays humanity’s hamartias as greed, lust, and religion.
Throughout your life, you will be taken out of your comfort zone with many challenges and uncertainties. This is shown in The Hobbit, The Lightning Thief, and through my grandfather’s immigration story from Germany. Bilbo was taken on an adventure that took him beyond his normal comfort zone. He loved the familiarity of his hobbit-hole until Gandalf and the dwarves arrived at his door. The Hobbit contained many relatable moments about life, which can be explored through the novel, other people’s lives, and other works of fiction.
Money— sweeter than honey but oh so destructive. It facilitates a man’s life, while a lack of it imprisons him in the streets of penury. It raises his social status, while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while a deficiency of it makes him worthless in society’s eyes. Considering these two roads, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase riches.
Heroes are present in many of the films produced today and these heroes generally follow both Campbell’s “Hero’s journey” and “Heroic Archetypes”. Some of Campbell’s tenets for a hero are that he must be called to a quest, he will face trials and tribulations, face temptation, complete a task, and eventually return home. The hero must also fit an archetype and its quest, fear, dragon, task, and virtue. Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is in fact one of the aforementioned heroes. Bilbo Baggins has always wanted an adventure and one day he is called on a quest to win back the Dwarfish kingdom of Erebor from the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo had not realized at the time of his departure that he was a hero and at first he even refused to go on the quest. Bilbo fits many of the tenets of the departure, initiation, and return of Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” along with one of his archetypes. Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his life to something bigger than himself” and this is what Bilbo Baggins has done by accepting his quest to aid the Dwarves on their journey to the Lonely Mountain.
Greed, being a key human condition, has shaped society from the very start. In fact, some scholars believe that greed was the first major milestone of human success, when the first human wondered why he/she had to scrounge around for necessities; it is a part of being human to be greedy. Wanting a new car, to be loved by another, or to desire the feeling of well doing when feeding the needy, these are all factions of greed...