I never thought I’d have so much fun reading this book, especially in old age. Although the book was first published way before I was born, I hadn’t read it; however, some of the episodes in it are familiar somewhat. I am guessing my mother read to me or told them to me piecemeal when I was very young.

The Hobbit is a fantasy novel written for children but it follows on the path of the Odyssey and similar voyage/travel stories, except it is set in a fictional universe in an "ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men". The Hobbit’s world consists of Western Lands, Westward and Wilderland.” The story events take place in various sites and areas in this universe.

The names given to places and characters usually come from the Slavic and Scandinavian myths and literature. There is an unseen narrator of the story with a spirited voice that, at times, shows a great sense of humor. That sense of humor is the culprit that has endeared this book to me. The tone of the book is light and somewhat offhand, giving the impression of unplanned storytelling, which makes the events resemble impromptu campfire stories.

The stories are told in the past tense in the omniscient third-person focusing mainly on the protagonist Bilbo Baggins, who is a hobbit of small size, half the size of a man, but not a dwarf.

The major conflict in the story has to do with what’s inside Bilbo Baggins’s character, although a reader may assume that to be in the wickedness of the characters against Bilbo and his travel mates. Bilbo is smug, timid, and unsure of himself since he is probably unaware of the inner hero hiding inside him. As the group travels and experiences different adventures Bilbo slowly learns to trust himself and begins to take the initiative in doing the right move.

The story begins in Bag End where Bilbo Baggins lives quite contentedly and in peace and comfort in his hole in the village of Hobbiton. In this world, adventures are a no-no, and Bilbo doesn’t attempt to do anything against this law as his lineage through his father is very noble, but through his mother, he has the Took blood. The Tooks are known to break the rule and go on adventures.

This all comes to an end when Gandalf the wizard visits Bilbo and persuades him to go on an adventure with a group of thirteen dwarves. Bilbo’s Took lineage takes over and he accepts to act as the burglar in the expedition to regain the treasure that once belonged to Thorin, who is a lord of the dwarfs, from the dragon Smaug. Although the other dwarfs are suspicious of Bilbo’s capabilities, Gandalf assures them that Bilbo is more capable than what shows on his outer persona.

On their way, the group faces several spine-tingling situations such as three trolls capturing them, except Gandalf who later manages to save them. After being hosted and advised by the elf lord Elrond in Rivendell, the group set out to cross the Misty Mountains. In a cave, during a storm, the goblins take the dwarfs as their prisoners but led by Gandalf, the dwarfs manage to escape, leaving Bilbo behind. Bilbo finds a golden ring and puts it in his pocket, not knowing that the ring makes a person invisible if he wears it. The ring originally belongs to the goblin Gollum. Using his wits, Bilbo manages to trick Gollum and escapes, a very brave feat that the dwarfs didn’t think Bilbo was capable of and they took him for dead. This is the beginning of the process of launching Bilbo’s self-confidence

The climax for Bilbo’s self-confidence comes in chapter eight when Bilbo kills a spider and trusts himself as a hero and leader. Then, after they manage to regain the treasure, toward the end, when Goblins and Wargs take a position on the mountain, humans, elves and dwarfs band together to defeat them. The eagles that have helped the group earlier again come to the rescue and the armies of humans, elves, and dwarfs win.

thus, Bilbo and Gandalf begin the journey home to Hobbiton. In his return, Bilbo appreciates the comforts of home but he is also aware of the changing of his views of life in this society.

What I most appreciated was the naming of things like swords and Gandalf’s belief in Bilbo and the way Bilbo described the dragon Smaug, “There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils, and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low in slumber, " and the way he dealt with Smaug. I also liked Bilbo’s understanding that being warlike like the dwarfs wasn’t for him and his attempts to bring peace.

having a good time by enjoying a fantasy tale.

The evolution of Bilbo Baggins and the far-out imagination of J.R. Tolkien

like a child.

is "J.R.R. Tolkien (1892.1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but even as he studied these classics he was creating a set of his own."
~ This bio is from Amazon's website.~

I had fun reading it. One sees many different things in this story as an adult, things a child would miss.

Although Tolkien at one time insisted that he didn't like allegory, I couldn't help but find a lot of allegory inside his stories.

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Created Sep 22, 2019 at 2:07pm • Submit your own review...