Thomas Norwood

Mark Beuter
Honors English IV
11/25/14
The Hobbit Critical Analysis Review
John Ronald Reuel Tolkiens The Hobbit was first published in 1937. It concerns itself
with the adventure of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit that lives in Middle-earth. He is recruited by a
wizard named Gandalf to help a party of dwarves obtain a powerful gem, the Arkenstone, from
the dragon Smaug. Over the course of the book, Bilbo becomes increasingly outgoing and brave.
Upon the group obtaining the Arkenstone, he returns to his quiet home having had a taste of
adventure.
Despite sounding so simplistic, Tolkiens first published look into the epic world of
Middle-earth is distinctly interesting upon reflection. The world presented in the book has a rich
history, it is a living and breathing thing. And though we may not become familiar with every
aspect of Middle-earth from The Hobbit (that much is saved for larger works like The Lord of
the Rings and The Silmarillion), Tolkien gives the reader just enough of the detailed landscapes
and storied past of the world in his mind to make the reader profoundly curious. For in his world
are creatures from myth, events from history, and entire languages that make every character
belong in it.
By drawing on aspects of actual mythology, Tolkiens world is already faintly familiar to
the reader. They are naturally, as human beings on earth, familiar with the concepts of magic,
wizards, and dragons. These concepts, when presented in a fully realized way inside of a larger,
mysterious world, resonate with the reader. Bilbo Baggins is the readers everyman, and as he

first looks outside of his small home and to the world at large, so to are we looking with him,
with as much wonder and fear and awe. Tolkien uses this story as a means for the reader to
appreciate literature and history, mythology and language. The Hobbit is a celebration of the
human mind and its creations.
J.R.R. Tolkien was a longtime friend of another popular fantasy writer: C.S. Lewis.
Naturally, it comes as no surprise that Lewis would react favorably to Tolkiens book. Lewis
wrote The Hobbit, [] will be funnier to its youngest readers, and only years later, at a tenth or
a twentieth reading, will they begin to realise what deft scholarship and profound reflection have
gone to make everything in it so ripe, so friendly, and in its own way so true. His assessment is
very apt. Lewis is able to understand Tolkiens meaning clearly; Middle-earth is a densely
populated place. It seems that every character (primary to tertiary), if prompted, would be
entirely capable of reciting their lineage back several centuries. They would also be able to
describe the land they live in, every valley, peak, and tree, and what lived there and what it was
used for. They could recall culture and song, food and custom, poetry and folklore. In reading,
the audience may start to wonder after their own ancestry, or the ancestry of other peoples. It is a
work nothing short of inspiring, and makes one interested in seeking out old epics and lineages.
Though all is marvellous, nothing is arbitrary: all the inhabitants of Wilderland seem to have the
same unquestionable right to their existence as those of our own world, though the fortunate
child who meets them will have no notionand his unlearned elders not much moreof the
deep sources in our blood and tradition from which they spring. (Lewis)
The works of Tolkien became increasingly popular in the 1960s. Richard Hill, an English
teacher from the University of South Florida, wrote an article featured in the Florida Council of

Teachers of English Newsletter in which he praised the educational value of Tolkiens Hobbit
books in 1968.
Harris makes perfectly valid points throughout his article. He discusses the difficulty of
teaching Tolkien at a high school level (The Hobbit too juvenile, The Lord of the Rings too
long), and instead advises his students to read at their leisure. This, I think, is very appropriate.
When someone reads Hobbit books, it is a natural experience. Instead of working under
deadlines or an overbearing interpretation, the reader is free to make their own assumptions; the
significance of certain characters, the origins of certain names. Harris states that Though the
reader is aided by maps, geneologies [sic], histories and linguistic explanations, Middle Earth
cannot be absorbed at a reading. I agree. It requires years for certain individuals to fully grasp
Middle-earth; its history, people, cultures. Harris goes on to say And so I have had discussions
with students about such matters as the lineage of the Elves and the language of the Ents.
(Harris)
Harris believes that, though exciting and suited for younger readers, The Hobbit can be
enjoyed by adults. Lewis shares his sentiments, and so do I. While there exists a clear view of
good and evil in Tolkiens work, characters still struggle to define their actions and identities.
Powerful creatures oversee the lives of millions of beings. More importantly, at the end of The
Hobbit, several of the dwarves die in a climactic battle that determined the fate of the fabled
Arkenstone. No personal vengeance, no ceremony, no glowing light or shining star. They died in
combat, as many of the unnamed goblins and wargs did. It was only after their deaths that stories
were told. This perfectly displays our world. To quote Robert Jordans Wheel of Time book
series, The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become
legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth

comes again. In Jordans world, and Tolkiens, and our own, history and imagination gives birth
to myth. Tolkien disapproved of many allegorical interpretations of his work, but the fact that
there are so many and that it seems near impossible not to interpret his work in such a way is
only a testament to Tolkiens level of craft. His manufactured mythology is so convincing that
we make many parallels to our world from it. The Hobbit was informed by us, and we were then
informed by it. Fantasy shows us who we used to be, what we are capable of, and who we are
currently. It can show us, too, how to be better in the future.

Bibliography
Lewis, Clive Staples. "THE HOBBIT or There and Back Again." Times Literary
Supplement 2 Oct. 1937: 714. Print.
Hill, Richard. "'Hobbit' Books Make Good Reading." Florida Council of Teachers
of English Newsletter 18.3 (1968): 2-3. Print.