The paper
Topic: The paper
The Hobbit
Our story begins in the small hole that a little hobbit calls home. This hole resides in a larger community called the Shire which is set on a larger scale in Middle Earth. The location of this story is very important. I could not be set in any real place. That would pull away from the true idea and impact of the tale. In the Shire lives many halflings, or hobbits as they are called. The story itself is set around a particular individual named Bilbo Baggins. He is a peaceful hobbit who is soon interrupted by the adventures of his old friend and wizard, Gandalf( Tolkien 3 ). This is the beginning of the trouble that soon will face our little hero.
The whole account is told by the author?s point of view, or third person. This is so you can see all the characters and judge them for yourself, instead of feeding off the feelings or emotions of a central or main character. The story follows the adventures of the little hobbit, Bilbo, but still captures the entire scheme of things involving the other characters. Tolkien manages to capture the interest of his readers by giving details of each character or thing, but not so much as to bore you. There may be a page or two, but never an entire chapter devoted to extensive and useless details. The whole story itself is very exciting. It is not real life so there is a lot left to the imagination.
The two most vital and interesting characters in the novel are Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the wizard. The first and most important hero is Bilbo. He is a hobbit and is half the size of any normal man. He has curly hair and walks around with his bare and hair covered feet. He is a calm peaceful man, much like the other hobbits in his community. He is frightened of adventures and would rather die writing poetry rather than fighting dragons and dying rich. He becomes alarmed by the unexpected arrival of dwarves and refuses to go on a journey with them( Tolkien 1 ). He is important to the tale, because he helps things along the way, and grows very courageous. It would be difficult to replace Bilbo in his adventure, because he does so many fantastically dangerous things. It would provide for an interesting life and story to pass on. He would be a good friend because he can help me out of danger by overcoming the obstacles. He can also fit in small places.
The second main character in the incredible story is Gandalf the wizard. He is the tallest of the heroes and has a long gray beard. He is very stern and always seems to be thinking about something important. He is the leader of the group because his magic powers and wisdom come in great need. He serves many purposes in the novel. He saves Bilbo and the dwarves from impending doom many times and has many connections to other powerful people( Tolkien 47 ). It would be an exciting and dangerous move to try to be Gandalf. The upsides would be*******
Hidden Site Click here to visit the hidden site.****** magic and superior knowledge, but all that knowledge would be a burden as well. He would be a handy friend, because I can trust him to guard by back and vanquish my true enemies.
As the story unfolds, the heroes are faced with many disastrous problems. They barely get anywhere before one pony runs away and takes much of the food with
it( Tolkien 32 ). That is only the beginning of their troubles. They have many run ins with scary foes, such as, goblins, trolls, and wolves( Tolkien ch 3-11 ). Bilbo is introduced to many bad characters such as Gollum, the swamp beast. In this encounter he discovers the power of the ring and his sword, Sting( Tolkien 71 ).
The style and language of the novel is different from many others, but is still fun and easy to follow. The style is more of an old English way, but that is better for capturing the old feel of the story. The language is a lot like the style in that it is written like it would be in the old days. It is still easy to follow. The book itself seems to be aimed for teens, but can be enjoyed by any age group, young or old.
Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf are not the only characters in the novel that serve a purpose. The secondary characters who wanted to get revenge against the dragon, Smaug, and retain their treasure was the twelve dwarves( Tolkien 216 ). These dwarves did not whistle while they work. The were violent little men with a hate for everyone and trust for few. Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, wanted the Arkenstone more than all the treasure he could get( Tolkien 237 ). These men fought along side Bilbo and Gandalf in the hopes of getting back the riches that were stolen from their ancestors ages ago( Tolkien 230 ).
When the heroes finally arrive at Smaug?s lair, the only one brave enough to enter is little Bilbo. He sneaks in and steals a cup from under the sleeping dragon?s nose. When Smaug awakens, he immediately notices something missing and tears the mountain and the nearby town apart looking for the vandal. The climax of the story is when a man named Bard, from Lake-Town slays the enormous dragon with a single arrow to the chest. The dwarves stay in the treasure room and fortify a defense against the oncoming men and elves trying to claim some. Before a major battle begins between these two forces, a huge hoard of goblins and wolves approach wishing to take all the treasure and town for themselves. The men, elves, and dwarves join forces and clash against the intruders, starting the five army war. With help from extra allies, the victory goes to the good side. There are many casualties, including Thorin, Fili, and Kili, who died defending their leader. All return home much richer and much wiser than when they began. Including the little hobbit, Bilbo Baggins( Tolkien ch 16-19 ).
The author of the Hobbit and the later Lord of the Rings, is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. He was born in 1892 and died in 1973. He was born in Africa, but was British blood. He was a English scholar and studied many languages and alphabets. He received a scholarship to Oxford University where he studied Old and Middle English. He had a deep passion for the English language and even invented two original ?elvish? languages and symbols( MSN Encarta 1).
Tolkien was very interested in old tales involving elves, goblins, and other mythical creatures. He developed his main hobbit characters, Bilbo and Frodo, based off friends he had in World War I. After Tolkien died, his son Christopher found old notes and developed three books. They were the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and the Return of the Shadow. None of those books received quite the hype and popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien?s original books( MSN Encarta 1).
The novel was quite exciting from cover to cover. I would definitely recommend this novel to any person because, although it is not light reading, it is difficult to put down. It also has important themes and messages weaved into it. It encourages people to try new things and overcome fear. It shows that no man is too small or feeble to do big things. And if someone half the size of a man can do it, anyone can. This book is the prelude to the awesome series, the Lord of the Rings. There is no real bad points to the Hobbit, unless magic is a touchy subject. Even if it was a problem, it is not a reason to not read this book. The Hobbit is a wonderfully written fantasy book that is mind candy for any age to read and enjoy.
a dwarf
BILBO BAGGINS.............The hero of the story.
He may be small but he has alot will, courage, and pinash.
Thorin Oakenshield:
He is the leader of the dwarves and oldest as well.He is the first to knock on Bilbo's door.
The eagle army comes to the rescue and battles the existing foes.
Bard of Lake Town:
He Deafeats Smaug with good aim and direction from a little sparrow. He takes down the Beast with one black arrow
The Three Trolls:
They are a hungry bunch who want to eat anything, including dwarf or hobbit meat. Too bad the sun turns them to stone.
Smaug the Dragon: He is just a big,lazy, dragon who guards a treasure he stole from the dwarves ages ago. He has no weakness throughout his steel lined body......or does he?
Gollum
The Little swamp beast previously known as smeagle
All he wants is his precious.
He is the wise, all-seeing, all-knowing, wizard who chooses Bilbo for the journey. Why the little guy?