An Analysis of JRR Tolkien and the Hobbit

In the latter portion of the 19th century, a boy named John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born (Johnson). Within the first few years of the young man's life, he would find himself orphaned, moved from his native South Africa to England, and put in the custody of a Catholic priest, who also made provisions for his education. Eventually, upon pursing an academic career that included studies of medieval history and culture and ancient tongues, he rubbed shoulders with aspiring writers like C.S. Lewis, and his imagination took flight. Because of his experiences with C.S. Lewis and other like-minded individuals during his formative years as an educator and writer, Tolkien adopted a streak of creativity and imagination that was grounded in the disciplines he studied and taught, spiced by his imagination, and fueled by his passion. When these critical elements came together, his life, work, and indeed what is now considered modern fantasy literature would never be the same.

The culmination of his education, passion and imagination became the fantasy novel The Hobbit, first published in 1937, based upon fantastic stories that Tolkien told to his children for hours upon end, as they sat by his side. While this work is wildly popular among readers, has broadcast lessons and themes far beyond what it represents on the surface, and has influenced popular culture throughout the world, the book did not enjoy huge success in its first decades of publication. Nevertheless, this essay will take a closer look at The Hobbit, its author, and the areas where the two somehow become one. Upon conclusion of this essay, the reader will have gained a better understanding of The Hobbit, its creator, and various issues surrounding both.
Moral Lessons of Tolkien's Text

Having put forth the assertion that Tolkien, far from merely an imaginative dreamer, sought to incorporate imagination and fiction into works of real substance, tempered by the experiences of ancient peoples, it is possible to take a closer look beneath the surface of The Hobbit in order to see that what the text can accurately be described as, among other things, is a complex lesson in morality. This morality manifests itself in several key areas which, when identified and explained individually, result in the formulation of a general moral lesson. These key areas, shown and discussed, are as such:

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GREED- The moral dilemma of greed is a predominant theme throughout The Hobbit; while the casual reader will tend to find the text highly entertaining, exciting, and interesting, those who wish to look into the text for deeper meaning can in fact find that many of the main characters in The Hobbit are motivated in part, if not in total, by greed. First, consider the general plot of the story, which is the wish of the dwarves to take action against a greedy dragon that so many years ago stripped the dwarves of their identity, wealth, and home. Because the dragon was shortsighted and aggressively attacked the dwarves, motivated by his greed and not by a practical consideration of his plan and its outcome, he made a large contingent of enemies, who would in time destroy him. His greed was in fact his undoing. Also, one needs to look at the pursuit of gold, the embodiment of worldly wealth and the motivating factor for incredibly piggish acts of greed throughout the history of the world. This pursuit of gold is undertaken mainly by the dwarves, which in Tolkien's tradition are husky folks that are about ¾ the size of human beings, with different proportions than their human counterparts, and the ability to live for hundreds of years (Johnson). Traditionally, dwarves have made a living and created an economy through the trade of mining, leading a secluded and simple life, preferring to stay within their own kind and caring little for the outside world. Eventually, however, the reason that the dwarves claim to approach Bilbo, the main character of the story and of course of a different species than they, is to help them to regain their heritage, which is being disrupted by evil forces. However, the real motive for the adventure upon which they are about to embark is the lust for gold- quite simply, the tradition of greed that has existed as long as thinking beings have inhabited the earth. One can see that the dwarves had less than pure motives in mind early in the story, when they visit Bilbo's humble dwelling, and ask that the light in the chamber be extinguished, saying: "dark is for dark business" (Tolkien pg.16), setting the mood for the discussion of some rather dark business, of which Bilbo has no knowledge prior to this meeting, and initially seems to have no interest in engaging at least at first. As greed has the unique ability to do, however, it piques the curiosity of Bilbo and draws him into the events that are about to unfold in the story. The story that the dwarves tell Bilbo is that their ancestors were robbed of their treasure, and heritage, long ago by a dragon that drove them from their original homeland, and at this time, their desire is to regain their traditions, lands, and of course gold and other treasures. Bilbo, already possessing a homeland, traditions of his own kind, and by nature little wanderlust, has to have been motivated by something else that drove him from all that he knew into uncharted territory for any Hobbit that came before him. Material gain is the only logical item that could have coaxed a Hobbit away from the safety and security of home for foreign territory and danger. This becomes especially evident when one presents a portrait of what a Hobbit is presented as by Tolkien in the text itself.

By definition, Hobbits too are humble and non-adventurous sorts of creatures; small in stature, about ½ the size of men, they are clean shaven, portly, and tend to stay close to their homes (Johnson). Because of this anonymity, Hobbits are rarely known by outsiders. Bilbo shatters this generalization, however, when, enticed by the dwarves and motivated by gold, agrees to go against all that he has ever known to help others achieve their ends as well. Like a leopard changing his spots, as the old quip goes, Hobbits simply do not go on adventures of any sort. However, Bilbo shows that greed can exist in even the purest of hearts and as will be discussed later in the essay, sometimes transform the individual into a totally new type of creature.

THE MORAL DILEMMA OF CHANGE OF HEART AND SOUL- It was once said that men change many times despite circumstance, but other times because of them. Tolkien apparently used this philosophy in his text when depicting the transformation of Bilbo from a humble, unassuming Hobbit into a highly active, brave an ambitious warrior who reached the status of hero by the dwarves and indeed his own kind, as well as many others throughout Middle Earth, the mythical place where all of the creatures of the story lived and interacted. A pivotal portion of the text that shows how this transformation took place for Bilbo can be seen when he learns that when faced with adversity, and indeed the possibility of his own premature demise, that he in fact has the potential to go on the offense, fight back, and indeed kill another living being as a means of achieving an end. For specific example, Bilbo kills the giant spider as a method of self preservation, and upon doing so, amazingly is changed for the better in a moment of self realization. In Tolkien's words, taken directly from the text, the event took place as such:
"Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the Dwarves or anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins." (Tolkien, pg.144).

CONSEQUENCE FOR ACTIONS TAKEN- The concept of consequence for action taken, a defined reaction for a given action, can be seen in many areas of The Hobbit. First, one should consider the nature of the ring that Bilbo finds along the way of his journey. While the ring itself represents a source of wealth because of its being constructed of gold, it likewise possesses magical powers which are passed on to the wearer of the ring (Johnson). However, as with so many other things in life, this power comes with a steep price- the wearer becomes mentally foggy, perhaps in a symbolic depiction of the clouding of judgment that typically overtakes those who wish to gain large amounts of power and loot. Alluding back to the earlier point dealing with greed, the plot itself is based on consequences for actions- when the dragon acted as he did, and the dwarves reacted as they did, a sort of karma was fulfilled, whereby the dragon was given a slow but complete retribution by those that he originally wronged. In a sense, everything comes with a price, and the dragon learned this the hard way.

Overall, the moral lesson that can be taken away from The Hobbit is the ancient dynamic of good against evil, the balance of power, and the triumph of right over might. In fairness, however, as was shown, this morality tale is tempered by the foibles of all parties concerned, and likewise shows that good and evil do not exist in absolutes, but are more likely to be found in subjective levels in everyone. While no one is totally good or totally bad, karma and vengeance will in time right all wrongs and set things in order.

Categorization and Clearer Understanding of the Text

When discussing The Hobbit, or indeed any of Tolkien's other works, one should avoid the temptation to dismiss the works as entertaining and clever, but merely the fictions creations of a colorful imagination. One must look beyond the words on the page for the content that exists beyond these words. Overall, a complete understanding of the text of The Hobbit and other works of Tolkien must include the relevance of his works as commentaries on the human condition and tales of morality. Perhaps Tolkien used non-human creatures with human attributes in an effort to show us things about ourselves that we are afraid to confront by looking into the mirror. By forcing the reader to realize that good, evil, greed, lust for power, and the like exist in the human heart and mind, albeit through the eyes of a Hobbit or dwarf, he was able to provide analyses of humanity in an entertaining and flowing way. Moreover, Tolkien forces us to look into that mirror and describe what we see, for better or worse.

A clear understanding of Tolkien, in retrospect, can best be summarized as follows: what he wanted the reader to comprehend is the complexity of humanity and the human condition, the need for humans to rise above adversity in the pursuit of ideals larger than they, and the need for discipline, control and temperance in the human mind.

Ideological Position of Tolkien's Work
Since previous portions of this essay have depicted Tolkien's work as, among other things a collection of morality tales, it is significant to consider the ideological position of his work. Simply put, what Tolkien can fairly be depicted as embodying is the classic view of the triumph of good over evil, the rising up of humble people against oppression, and the value system that values law and order over violence and chaos. Putting these considerations into the context of events that took place after the writing of The Hobbit, for example, thus events that Tolkien had no knowledge of when he wrote the text, it can be seen that he was on target ideologically, as proven by the events of history. More specifically, an excellent example is the unity and ultimate triumph of the traditionally peaceful nations of the world over the evils of fascism and Nazism in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Faced with a loss of identity, ethnic traditions and everything else, the "civilized" world for the most part banded together to fight for what is right, much like Bilbo aligned with others different than he to achieve an ultimate victory for the good.

How Tolkien has Been Read, Understood and Evaluated Over the Years

For all of the discussion of The Hobbit, and the temptation to try to strictly categorize the work for tidiness sake, the work, and indeed Tolkien himself, have been interpreted in varying ways over the years, and continue to be as such in the 21st century, decades after Tolkien's death. Originally, when Tolkien's works were published, at the risk of using a hackneyed expression, they were truly ahead of their time. Because early critics conveniently categorized the writings of Tolkien such as The Hobbit as fantasy fiction, which did not have widespread acceptance during that era, the works had quite the selected readership, which was quite small. Many of the readers of the day could not understand the complexity of Tolkien's characterization, and as such, the lessons and ideals presented in the works were all but lost in translation. In time, however, the works were rediscovered by subsequent generations and cherished not only for entertainment value, but also for the subplots and messages communicated within the text's pages. From this point, some truly unique understandings of Tolkien have emerged.

Possibly one of the most unusual interpretations of Tolkien is that by creating Hobbits as they were, he in fact was describing his own alienation from conventional society. This can be due to the lack of parental influence as a child, his inquisitive mind, and the exposure he had to many powerful thinkers during his lifetime. By depicting Hobbits as detached and misunderstood, with potential for greatness, he may in fact have been painting a remote portrait of himself. Whatever the case, what can fairly be said is this: the complexity of Tolkien's writings will lead to many more analyses and subsequent interpretations for generations to come.

Conclusion

JRR Tolkien, whether despite of the circumstances of his early childhood or because of them, wove fantastic tales that are still being discussed and rediscovered by every generation. For all of the millions of pages that have been written about Tolkien, far more than he ever wrote himself, he in some cases defies categorization. Because of this, in closing, let it be understood that Tolkien's uniqueness and cutting edge fiction seems to have depicted the human, and inhuman experience in one, and in the process, has baffled and thrilled the reader of the written word.

Works Cited

Tolkien, JRR. The Hobbit. rev ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1983.

Johnson, Judith A. J.R.R. Tolkien Six Decades of Criticism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986.