The Hobbit Theme Analysis Empathy is one of the great mysteries of life. Why do people feel empathy? Do others deserve empathy? Is feeling empathy a strength or weakness? These questions may forever go unanswered, or they may not even have an answer. Even if they are answered, they may only be speculation. One author shows his take on the matter with one of his books. In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien uses Gollum and Thorin to show that people do deserve empathy, no matter how horrible they may be. The first way that Tolkien shows that empathy is important is through Gollum. Gollum was really nasty towards Bilbo, he may even have killed Bilbo if he had the chance. Then the roles were reversed, and Bilbo was the hunter and Gollum was the hunted. …show more content…
One way he does this is at the end, after Thorin died. When Dain was dividing up the gold he said to Bilbo, “‘this treasure is as much yours as it is mine; thought old agreements cannot stand, since so many have a claim in it’s winning and defense. Yet even though you were willing to lay aside all your claim, I should wish that the words of Thorin, of which he repented, shall not prove true: that we should give you little. I would reward you most richly of all’”(265). Even though Thorin made some poor choices and was very greedy, Dain still wanted to honor him by rewarding Bilbo. Dain may have wanted that gold more than anyone else, yet he was willing to set his greed aside. This was because even though Thorin was horrible, Dain took pity on Thorin and thought that he should still respect the dead. Bard and the Elvenking were also used to show empathy on Thorin. Bard and the Elvenking, Thranduil, were about to go to war with Thorin, but they set that aside and banded together to fight against the goblins and wargs. “[…] the Goblins were the foes of all, and at their coming all other quarrels were forgotten” (256). Bard and Thranduil absolutely hated Thorin, and it was Thorin’s fault that they did, but they were willing to forgive him for the greater good. It actually just means that they hated Thorin less than goblins, but they were still willing to forgive him after all he’s done. But even …show more content…
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
A hero, as stated before, selflessly thinks about others’ well beings before his or her own. Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who was enlisted to help the dwarves retrieve Thorin’s family treasure, does the same thing when he decides to take matters into his own hands, and end the fight between Thorin, the lake men, and the woodelves. Bilbo decides to give the Arkenstone, a p...
Empathy is the term used for emotional understanding. Empathy is a special skill that many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird possess or develop throughout the course of the story. Harper Lee shows the importance of empathy throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Atticus being empathetic, Atticus teaching the kids to empathize or them empathizing themselves in certain situations. Empathy is truly the great gift of humanity.
What hero compromises the intense struggle between good and evil? J.R.R. Tolkien’s book involves a hobbit who reaches out of his comfort zone to show that hobbits succeed at beginning adventures. Tolkien uses symbolism and epithets to show the rigorous processes of how an ordinary creature becomes a mythic hero.
Smith, Adam (2006) "Cognitive Empathy and Emotional Empathy in Human Behavior and Evolution," The Psychological Record: Vol. 56: Iss. 1, Article 1.
...bo was always supporting the dwarves’ decision; however, this took place before Thorin had an excessive and rather destructive interest in the treasure. Bilbo believed that it would have been the best for the dwarves to share the treasure with the lake people and elves, and even offered his share to make peace. Furthermore, when the Elvenking asks Bilbto to remain with them in order to prevent Thorn’s wrath, Bilbo thanked him but didn’t want to leave his companions after all that they have been through. When Thorin took wrath upon him, he failed to see that Bilbo did this for their benefit. This was a challenging choice for Bilbo to make. Overall, Bilbo made a heroic action by understanding and retaining the foresight that a battle should always be avoided. So clearly, these examples provide evidence that one of Bilbo’s greatest strengths was the loyalty he showed.
In “The Baby in the Well: The Case Against Empathy” by Paul Bloom, Paul want’s his readers to understand that empathy is not very helpful unless it is fused with values and reason.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Beowulf was hero because he showed bravery, kindness, and most importantly sacrifice in his story but now we ask the same question but direct at Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins is like any other Hobbit and like any other hobbit does not like adventures or more accurately venturing outside their comfort zones. However, Gandalf, the Grey Wizard, forces a most unexpected adventure onto Bilbo where he finds himself helping a company of dwarves reclaim their home. Like Beowulf, Bilbo meets what i believe to be the required qualities of a hero, which are bravery, kindness, and sacrifice.
Burton defines empathy as the ability to not only recognize but also to share another person’s or a fictional character’s or a sentient beings’ emotions. It involves seeing a person’s situation from his or her own perspective and then sharing his or her emotions and distress (1). Chismar posits that to empathize is basically to respond to another person’ perceived state of emotion by experiencing similar feelings. Empathy, therefore, implies sharing another person’s feeling without necessary showing any affection or desire to help. For one to empathize, he or she must at least care for, be interested in or concerned about
Bilbo begins his long journey with the dwarves, who at the time were still skeptical of Bilbo’s abilities. The dwarves didn’t see why they needed such a small incompetent hobbit with them along their journey. Gandalf tells them to stop complaining and to trust that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye (Tolkien 6). Bilbo soon shows his courage and heroism for the first time in the story when they run into their first obstacle, three large trolls huddled around a campfire. Bilbo, who was once a shy, non-adventurous type, begins to develop into a hero as he tries to steal one of the trolls’ money purses. This is a dramatic scene in the novel because it was Bilbo’s very first act outside his comfort zone. It was this...
From a young age, many children today are taught the value of empathy and how to be empathetic toward others. According to Oxford Dictionary, empathy is, “The ability to understand and share the feelings of another” (Empathy). Empathy is a characteristic and a developed skill. It can be used by many people of varying ages, and it is beneficial in assessing situations and determining the needs of others. Empathy is a trait that has existed in some since the beginning of the world. It has also appeared as a common theme or motif in many works of writing across many genres of literature. Empathy is a theme that is highlighted through many works of literature.
An important example of this is when the Elvenking Thranduil captures Thorin and company in Mirkwood, and Bilbo has to rescue them by sneaking around with his ring. The capture of his friends probably leads to Bilbo disliking Thranduil and considers him an undependable person. However, Bilbo ends up trying to help the Elvenking by offering him the Arkenstone during the Battle and eventually gives him a gift when the war is over, compelling Thranduil to make Bilbo an "elf-friend and blessed" (353). Thranduil also clearly didn 't like Thorin, as a result of thinking that " '[him] and [his] folk three times try to attack [his] people at their merrymaking '" (208), as well as thinking him impolite and untrustworthy. However, when Thorin passes away, the Elvenking "laid Orcrist...that had been taken from Thorin in captivity" (349), showing a sign of friendship and respect, prevailing over the feud the two individuals had at the
Being able to empathize is an important trait to acquire and use. The ability to empathize goes beyond sympathy, it is to put “yourself in someone 's shoes”, or to understand and share the feelings of another through the use of imagination. One reason it might be important is that empathy can help to deal with the negativity of others, while somebody may bring you down by saying rude comments you can empathize that perhaps they are going through hardships and it 's hard to keep inside anger for a long time, so they unleash it on you. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is a role model to his children, he’s a kind, loving and a smart
The first major theme in The Hobbit is greed. Greed is represented as evil, it doesn 't matter how big of a hero someone is or how great someone is anyone can fall victim to it. Tolkien illustrates the powerful effect
In The Hobbit, the plot of the story is filled with greed; often, this leads to disaster. Thorin and company’s greed for not sharing the gold backfires on the group. The group of dwarves’ find themselves stuck in prison. As the group travels through the forest, the Elvish king abducts them. The king has one goal: (Colon) to uncover the motive behind the dwarves in his domain. Thorin instructs his group to keep their journey a secret. The group remains in prison for an excessive amount of time due to the greed of Thorin. To avoid this situation, (Introducer) Thorin could tell the king his real motive behind entering the forest. Thorin believes if the king finds out about the gold, the elves’ will attempt to take a share of the treasure. Foolishly, Thorin decides the treasure is worth more than his freedom, “When they took their spell off him (Thorin) and he came to his senses … he was determined that no word of gold or jewels should be dragged out of him” (169). The greed for recovering all of the gold leads to the group stuck in prison. The king only wants information on why the groups of dwarves ended up wandering through his fore...