The Hobbit: A Dragon's Curse "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" (P.1). This is how J.R.R. Tolkien starts his world renown book The Hobbit, published in 1966. This book is a tale of a small hobbit named Bilbo and his ever-memorable journey through the evil world during his time. Living in the Shire, as his homeland is called, it is very calm and pleasant for Bilbo, but once the outer limits of the land are reached Bilbo is in for a great surprise. Needing a burglar on his journey Gandalf the Grey, who is famous for his magic with fire and light, came to ask for Bilbo's assistance. Gandalf was accompanied with thirteen dwarves who were after their long ago taken, but never forgotten treasure. The last evil dragon, Smaug, who overtook the dwarf kingdom of Lonely Mountain many years ago, took this desired treasure. Bilbo wanted not to go, but with his, along with all other hobbits, ability to escape quietly, quickly and easily in the woods and mountains, Bilbo was a perfect burglar for the journey. The adventurous group of now fifteen set off to find trolls, orcs, goblins, wargs (evil talking wolves), aggressive elves, giant spiders, dragons and numberless natural disasters including wind, snow, rain and scorching heat, None of these obstacles came to be the one most powerful and dangerous enemy to Bilbo and the others, though. This ever powerful enemy was the greed and lust for the horde of gold and silver and precious jewels that lured the dwarves to pursue it no matter what the cost. Bilbo was a bit taken off guard and didn't really understand his purpose on this adventure so he demanded some explanations. With the dwarves was Thorin son of Thrain King under the Mountain, as he was known. Thorin was now the rightful King and heir of the treasure of Lonely Mountain for he gave the explanations. Bilbo listened intently as the dwarves sang songs and told poems of their long ago taken land. Singing of "golden hoards" and "long-forgotten gold" Bilbo began to become very enthusiastic about the soon to come journey (P.22). As the dwarves went on, the hobbit felt that this journey would be good for him. He accepted the task, but not before the Dwarves, along with Gandalf, enchanted the young hobbit with the treasure to be found. Being fairly wealthy Bilbo had no need for this wealth, but before long the hobbit could feel " the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, and a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves" (P.24). So before Bilbo new what was happening and even before dawn the next morning the troop of fifteen set out. Through the Shire no adventure or trouble was found, but that soon changed. Within a few leagues of the Shire's border young Bilbo encountered his first adventure. Walking slowly through the dark, Gandalf quickly stopped and hushed the others. Up above the road a small fire could be seen and cold, low voices could be heard singing of roasted mutton. Bilbo was sent to see what was up above since he could sneak almost silently. Much to his amazement he saw three very large Trolls all surrounding the fire and singing. His job was done but Bilbo was lured by the tales of Troll's riches. He decided to go and try to steel some of the Trolls pocket jewels, but not to any success. Before long the Dwarves came to look for Bilbo due to his long absence and knowing he should have been back long ago. The Trolls captured all the company except for Gandalf, who very slyly kept the Trolls arguing amongst themselves until the sun came up. As soon as the rising sun caught glimpse of the Trolls they turned to solid stone and never menaced the world again. Gandalf untied the others and they all thanked him graciously for several days, but before they left they decided to look in the Troll's cave. Inside, they found several pots of gold, which they went and "buried very secretly not far from the track by the river, putting a great many spells over them, just in case they ever had the chance to come back" (P.53). Even though they were off to recapture more gold and treasure than any of them had ever set eyes upon they still wanted more. Knowing that if recaptured more wealth would be bestowed upon them than imaginable, but these adventurers were under the dragons spell (an old spell that makes people greedy no matter how much wealth they possessed) and cared little how much they would get as long as no one else got these stolen pots of gold. The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf journeyed for many days and weeks upon which they had many encounters. Some were with the still wholesome people of the evil world like Elrond, who housed the crew many days and mended all their minor wounds. Other encounters were less joyous such as their encounter with the Goblins of the Misty Mountains. In this encounter Bilbo was separated from the rest and had to find his way out of the evil mountain alone. Being not only silent, but also smart, Bilbo soon found the others and they were all back on track. Before long they came to the forest of Mirkwood, which proved to be another worthy opponent. In Mirkwood they encountered numberless protagonists but their own hunger drove them from the path. After loosing the path they were captured by Elves and kept prisoner. This King was not an evil kind but he distrusted the crew of now fourteen, for Gandalf had to leave and settle some further business. The king was powerful, but if he had a weakness "it was for treasure, especially for silver and white gems; and though his hoard was rich, he was ever eager for more" (P. 179). This proved to help Bilbo and his friends because they were able to bribe the king somewhat with the jewels and metals that they had not yet gained in return for their release. Bilbo, Thorin, and the others did finally escape and even though the road became less terrible Smaug still lied ahead. They reached the village of the Lakemen who lived at the base of the Lonely Mountain. These people welcomed Thorin and his companions warmly due to Thorin's position as King Under the Mountain. The Lakemen helped them greatly and supplied them with more food and new horses. In return Thorin promised the village one fourteenth of the treasure awaiting them up on the mountain. Heading out again they headed to the Dragon's lair and prepared for a great battle. The company reached a secret door that not even Smaug new of and that was to be their entrance. Sending Bilbo first to take a look the dwarves waited behind. Bilbo was terribly scared, "I have absolutely no use for this dragon-guarded treasure", he mumbled lowly, yet he trekked on (P. 227). Some force pushed him forward until he was right at the feet of the dragon. Sleeping soundly Smaug didn't notice Bilbo that night, but the morning's wrath of Smaug was much to Bilbo's surprise. "Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce" and Bilbo made the deadly mistake of taking a golden drinking cup on his night's visit to the dragons den (P.229). The dragon was furious and hunted the mountain and the lands surrounding but the hobbit hid his friends well in the secret passageway that they discovered. That night Bilbo was sent again and once again he was horrified, yet he marched on because of a force unseen and unheard. This time the dragon was awaiting him and knew of Bilbo's presence even though he had on a magic ring that made him invisible to sight. Not knowing the smell of a hobbit, though, Smaug boasted of his magnificence while trying to locate the small furry creature that he planned to eat for dinner. Bilbo said little and what he did say was too much for the dragon was extremely smart, yet Bilbo escaped once again unharmed and with some very important knowledge. Bilbo had discovered a small patch on the Dragon's right breast that was not covered by his armored skin. He told his friends and then a thrush bird to go hastily and tell the Lakemen of his ever-important discovery. Still not knowing where the hobbit came from Smaug sent off after the Lakemen, but they were waiting. Smaug took out most the village and killed a good portion of their inhabitants, but his rage got the best of him. On a final swoop Smaug dove down through the air and his unguarded left breast was pierced and he was no more. Bard was the name of the man who slayed the dragon and he soon became the king of the Lakemen. Bard spoke gloriously to his people, but "even as he was speaking, the thought came into his heart of the fabled treasure of the Mountain lying without guard or owner" (P. 264). The treasure was now without the guard of the evil Smaug and all the land was buzzing with the news of the slain dragon. Thorin and his crew were now the rightful owners, yet Bard and many others thought much the opposite. Thorin heard word of the growing force from Roac son of Carc, who happened to be a raven. Roac told them that now "many are eager for a share of the spoil" and that the "Lakemen murmur that their sorrows are due to the dwarvesÉ and they too think of amends from your treasure" (P.270). " So began a battle that none had expected; and it was called the battle of Five Armies, and it was very terrible" (P. 292). Thorin sent for his cousin, Dain, who came in a hurry along with 5,000 soldiers. Opposed them were the Lakemen and the Elves from Mirkwood, who had received no payment for the Dwarves' release. As Dain and his soldiers arrived they were greeted by Gandalf who had now returned. At the brink of war all stopped and gazed at the sky. The sky was filled with black vampire bats and all new what this meant. Now there were Men, Dwarves and Elves on one side and Goblins and Wargs charging on from the other side. The Goblins had heard of the great dragon's death and came riding wild wolves called Wargs, who were lead by these pitch-black vampire bats. So the war began and the Lakemen, the Elves, and all under Thorin defended the mountain from the Goblins and Wargs. The battle lasted many moons, but with the help of the Eagle Lord and his followers the Goblins were defeated and the Wargs were slaughtered. Thorin was killed in the battle and Dain became King Under the Mountain. To settle all feuds he gave one fourteenth of his horde to both the Elves and the Lakemen, for the Dragon's curse on the horde had been broken. The Dwarves once again became free of heart and gave gifts of gold and jewels to all that helped. Bilbo was sent home with all the treasure he could handle and along with him came Gandalf. Bilbo finally arrived home and rested for many a long day. Leaving his home Bilbo was a very timid and mild hobbit, but he grew as the adventures went on. Bilbo never wanted to go on the journey, but he was caught and lured in by the tales and legends of the Dragon's gold. Fighting off many, many evil things Bilbo only escaped with life by a narrow margin many times. No obstacle was as heavy upon his heart and as hard to kill, though, as the lust and greed that he (along with the Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, and Wargs) had for the treasure that Smaug so greedily slept upon night after night without use. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996.
Many showed up in groups of three or four, so that Bilbo couldn’t just turn them all down. They later asked him to come on their adventure with them. The dwarves had told Bilbo about their treasure that was stolen and Bilbo suggested that they go to Lonely Mountain to reclaim it. Bilbo really doesn't want to but feels forced to go. They left a piece of Bilbo's notebook paper on his mantle under a clock showing all the dangers he might encounter. Gandalf had come to tell him that he was going to be late if he did not leave soon to be with the dwarves, causing him to feel forced to go. In the movie, however, Bilbo Baggins is presented with a contract from the others involving his burglar services that he will use on the journey with them. He grabs a backpack before he runs out to catch up with the others. This makes the movie more realistic because no normal person would go on an adventure without grabbing anything for the long journey ahead. Bilbo now had a few items from his hobbit hole that would remind him of his home. The book shows Bilbo as more of a reluctant hero. In the book, Bilbo finds the letter on the mantle and decides to go at the last minute. He seems to have felt pressured, resulting in just running out of the hole and not grabbing any of his belongings. He leaves
Bilbo Baggins lived a very simple life, a life he enjoyed very much, until the day when the wizard Gandalf arrived at his door one morning. Gandalf was searching for someone to share an adventure with, but Bilbo quickly declined, saying, “We don’t want any adventures here. You might try over The Hill or across The Water,” and with that the hobbit dismissed the wandering wizard, but not before he had given the wizard an invitation for tea the next day. This of coarse, was the polite thing to do. But Gandalf saw something more in Bilbo and would not be discouraged.
Bilbo Baggins, the son of predictable Bungo Baggins and adventurous Belladonna Took, begins his journey in the Shire, in his comfortable hobbit-hole (Tolkien 29-31) . Bilbo enjoys the comforts of his hobbit-hole more than anything
In the beginning, Bilbo is very abject to go on this adventure. “Don’t be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!” He said to himself, “Thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense...”
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
Then one day a wizard by the name of Gandalf comes and gives Bilbo the opportunity to go on an adventure. Bilbo turns his offer down, but the next day thirteen dwarves come to his house. They have meals together and they sleep at Bilbo’s house. Gandalf then convinces him to go on an adventure with them. Bilbo is many things, in the beginning he is flat, static, main, and he is the protagonist.
Bilbo Baggins is a very soft and quiet hobbit. He loves to eat, and is pampered by his own self. So when Gandalf arrives to take him on an adventure, Bilbo is a little hesitant –scared to death- to risk his life with Thorin and Company. “At may never return he began to feel a shriek coming up inside, and very soon it burst out like the whistle of an engine coming out of a tunnel. […] The...
In chapter four a massive storm hits and the dwarves and Bilbo find cover in a cave, which actually belong to a group of goblins. Durin...
When Bilbo encounters the strange creature Gollum, he enters into a game of riddles with the creature in order to buy more time. Bilbo’s wit enables him to prevail as he asks the final question, at first to himself, “What have I got in my pocket?” (78). Another example of Bilbo’s cunning wit would be his encounter with the great dragon Smaug. Smaug is a much more daunting opponent this time. As Smaug attempts to lure Bilbo into his hall, Bilbo proceeds to flatter the dragon and talk in riddles. “This is of course the way to talk to dragons, if you don’t want to reveal your proper name (which is wise), and don’t want to infuriate them by a flat refusal (which is also very wise)” (223). Bilbo’s cunning tactics establish Bilbo as being capable of conquering his enemies not with total force, but with the clever use of
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...
The book begins with Biblo Baggins enjoying a pipe after breakfast. This is one of his favorite pleasures and he feels quite content in doing so. He is middle-aged, and resides in a burrow in the ground. One morning Gandalf, a wizard stops by to talk with Biblo. He tells Biblo that he is looking for someone to go on an adventure with him. Although Biblo is tempted he declines, but not before inviting Gandalf for tea the next morning. The next day Biblo hears his doorbell and he remembers inviting Gandalf for tea, but instead of the wizard at the door, there is a group of dwarves, thirteen in all. Thorin son of the dwarf king starts to outline a plan on how to regain the treasure stolen by the dragon Smaug. Biblo is shocked to realize these plans involve him. He then realizes that Gandalf has tricked him by inscribing on his door that he was a burglar seeking a job with lots of excitement. With all this talk of quests and glory Biblo decides to join the party after all. Gandalf reveals a key and a map of their journey, which ends at the Lonely Mountain. It is there that the treasure of Thorins' ancestors is guarded by Smaug. The quest begins and the party meets at the Green Dragon Inn. From there they venture into the Lone-lands. As heavy rains begin to fall, Biblo notices that Gandalf is missing. When it starts to pour they stop to investigate a light.
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
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
"As to staying here, I don't keep accommodations for visitors: you must share a bed with Hareton or Joseph, if you do"
...e found. . . . That is why I settled on burglary. . . . And here is our little Bilbo Baggins, the burglar" (30). This quote is a perfect example of how The Hobbit is unusual. Not only is Bilbo not a fierce warrior, but he is also a thief. Heroes usually have the record of being loyal and honorable, but because Bilbo is a burglar, he isn't quite as honorable as most would think.