Doors: The Biginning, the Action, and the End

1288 Words3 Pages

J.R. Tolkien implements imagination in The Hobbit to create a vast world of items and characters that provides a greater meaning than they are typically perceived to have. Throughout the adventure of the “team”, many items appear continuously, perhaps the most interesting one being doors. What makes doors interesting in The Hobbit, is that they are always presented at times of action or of great importance. In fact, without doors, the “team” may end up being lost or killed. Doors develop the character of Bilbo, and are the gateway to action and important scenes in The Hobbit by serving as the most important item regarding the pursuit of the treasure.
The beginning of the book introduces the main characters and the adventure they will be partaking in. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from a conventional family, is overtaken by a series of adventure. “This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected” (Tolkien, 2). The most fascinating thing about the introduction of the book is how the adventure begins. The title of the chapter is ‘An Unexpected Party’, and that is truly because Bilbo was not expecting the entourage that shows up at his door. The elves and Bilbo have never met and never discussed the adventure in which they will both end up partaking in. The biggest question about the beginning of the book is how do the elves know where to go and who their ‘thief’ is; the simple answer to this question is, doors.
Prior to the shenanigans that partake when the party of dwarves takes over, Bilbo and Gandalf have a talk about the ensuing adventure, little to Bilbo’s knowledge, a mark is left on his door. Before Gandalf leaves to talk to the elves, “the spike on his staff scra...

... middle of paper ...

...n it to introduce the plot of the story and allows it to procure by using this door. He then uses doors to both, invoke havoc and to relieve the stresses the team faces from difficult situations. Doors are then used at the conclusion of the novel to help the crew obtain the treasure, and keep it safe. Tolkien introduces a variety of objects that serve the purpose of being doors that lead the crew to their adventures. In many cases, the door is an object of the wilderness or environment Tolkien develops, rather than a typical door in human perspective. The creativity Tolkien has with, what seems to be, a small symbol, illustrates the depth of thought that went into creating this book. Doors represent much more than a barrier between two places, they serve as introductory points to scenes of major importance, and allow Bilbo to become the hero he is truly meant to be.

More about Doors: The Biginning, the Action, and the End

Open Document