BARRON' S BOOK NOTES

J . R. R. TOLKI EN' S
THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS

^^^^^^^^^^J . R. R. TOLKI EN: THE AUTHOR AND HI S TI MES

When you wer e younger , di d you ever make up st or i es about t he peopl e and
pl aces ar ound your home? Maybe t her e was an abandoned house t hat i n your
i magi nat i on became haunt ed by ghost s, or an ol d nei ghbor woman t hat you
envi si oned as a wi t ch. Thi s f ant asi zi ng i sn' t ver y di f f er ent f r omwhat
many wr i t er s do when t hey t r ansf or mt hei r exper i ences i nt o f i ct i on. J . R.
R. Tol ki en, i n hi s i nvent i on of Mi ddl e- ear t h, has done t hi s t o a gr eat er
degr ee t han most . The Hobbi t and, even mor e so, The Lor d of t he Ri ngs
wer e t he f r ui t s of a l i f et i me' s wor k, and Tol ki en i ncor por at ed i nt o t hem
t he l andscape of hi s chi l dhood, hi s i nt er est i n phi l ol ogy ( t he st udy of
l anguages) , hi s r el i gi ous f ai t h, hi s own vi vi d i magi nat i on, and hi s
at t i t udes t owar d t he wor l d and t he event s happeni ng ar ound hi m.

The f i r st t hr ee year s of Tol ki en' s l i f e wer e spent i n Sout h Af r i ca, wher e
he had been bor n i n 1892. Hi s mot her r et ur ned t o Engl and i n 1895 wi t h hi m
and hi s younger br ot her . Hi s f at her st ayed i n Sout h Af r i ca, pl anni ng t o
j oi n t he f ami l y l at er , but wi t hi n a f ew mont hs he cont r act ed r heumat i c
f ever and di ed.

The Tol ki ens set t l ed i n t he smal l Engl i sh t own of Sar ehol e, wher e t he
wi dow st r uggl ed t o r ai se her chi l dr en al one. As he gr ew, Tol ki en showed
an apt i t ude f or l anguage, and under hi s mot her ' s t ut el age st udi ed Lat i n
and Fr ench. An avi d r eader , he especi al l y l oved f ai r y t al es. Hi s f avor i t e
was t he st or y of Si gur d, t he dr agon sl ayer . I t wasn' t t he her o but t he
dr agon Faf ni r who i nt r i gued hi m. The dr agon r epr esent ed a wor l d t hat was
exci t i ng and danger ous, yet t hat was saf el y r emoved f r omhi s own l i f e.
Tol ki en l at er r ecal l ed, " . . . t he wor l d t hat cont ai ned even t he i magi nat i on
of Faf ni r was r i cher and mor e beaut i f ul , at what ever t he cost or per i l . "
Hi s f asci nat i on wi t h dr agons was l at er t o appear i n t he char act er Smaug
i n The Hobbi t .

Despi t e t hei r pover t y, i t was a happy t i me f or t he boys, and i n l at er
year s Tol ki en r ecal l ed t he count r ysi de and i t s peopl e wi t h gr eat
f ondness. I n f act , t he l and and t he peopl e of Sar ehol e wer e t o become
par t of hi s books, as t he Shi r e and i t s whi msi cal i nhabi t ant s, t he
hobbi t s. You can see el ement s of hi s chi l dhood home i n hobbi t count r y.
The Sar ehol e mi l l became an i mpor t ant l andmar k near Bag End, Bi l bo' s
home, and t he mi l l er ' s evi l - l ooki ng son was t r ansf or med i nt o Ted
Sandyman, t he unscr upul ous hobbi t who cont r i but es t o t he pol l ut i ng of t he
Shi r e i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs. " The Shi r e, " Tol ki en once sai d, " i s ver y
l i ke t he ki nd of wor l d i n whi ch I f i r st became awar e of t hi ngs. " At
anot her t i me, he sai d, " I t ook t he i dea of t he hobbi t s f r omt he vi l l age
peopl e and t he chi l dr en. "

Tol ki en became absor bed i n t he st udy of l anguage. Af t er hi s t eacher s
i nt r oduced hi mt o Angl o- Saxon, or Ol d Engl i sh, he began t o r ead her oi c
t al es such as Beowul f and Si r Gawai n and t he Gr een Kni ght . Next he t ur ned
t o Ol d Nor se and t he Nor se sagas. On hi s own, he r ummaged t hr ough t he
l ocal bookst or e f or books on phi l ol ogy and ar chai c l anguages. Then he
began t o i nvent hi s own l anguages and al phabet s. He devel oped compl ex
hi st or i es f or hi s l anguages, ear l i er wor ds t hat evol ved i nt o l at er wor ds,
j ust as t he Ol d Engl i sh " st an" evol ved i nt o " st one" i n moder n Engl i sh.

Not sur pr i si ngl y, Tol ki en went t o Oxf or d Uni ver si t y t o st udy phi l ol ogy.
One day he di scover ed a Fi nni sh gr ammar book. Whi l e t he wor ds t hemsel ves
ent hr al l ed hi m, Tol ki en' s i magi nat i on was al so f i r ed by t he t al es wr i t t en
i n t hi s st r ange l anguage. He del ved i nt o Fi nni sh myt hol ogy and f ound
hi msel f wi shi ng t hat t her e was such a body of wor k f or Engl and. I t was
per haps at t hi s poi nt he f i r st t hought of wr i t i ng a myt hol ogy hi msel f .

Now Tol ki en began wor k on a new l anguage, based on Fi nni sh- - hi s " mad
hobby, " as he cal l ed i t . He f el t t hat t he l anguage needed a hi st or y t o
suppor t i t : a l anguage can' t exi st wi t hout t he peopl e who speak i t .
Tol ki en deci ded t hat t hi s l anguage was spoken by a r ace of el ves who had
al r eady appear ed i n t he poet r y he was wr i t i ng. Thi s poet r y was t o f or m
t he basi s of t he vast myt hol ogy Tol ki en wr ot e about a l and cal l ed Mi ddl e-
ear t h. j ust as hi s l anguages wer e based on act ual l anguages, hi s
myt hol ogy i ncor por at ed el ement s of t he myt hs and l egends t hat Tol ki en
admi r ed.

Ar ound t hi s t i me, Wor l d War I began, and Engl and decl ar ed war on Ger many.
Tol ki en ent er ed t he Br i t i sh ar my as an of f i cer . Bef or e goi ng of f t o war ,
he mar r i ed hi s chi l dhood sweet hear t , Edi t h Br at t . Li ke Tol ki en, whose
mot her di ed when he was 12, Edi t h was an or phan. They had f al l en i n l ove
when he was 16 and she was 19. Thei r guar di ans, however , had f ound out
about t he r omance and had f or bi dden t he l over s t o meet unt i l Tol ki en
t ur ned 21, when he woul d l egal l y be an adul t . He i ncor por at ed t hi s l ong
separ at i on i nt o The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, i n t he r omance bet ween Ar agor n and
Ar wen.

Tol ki en was sent t o Fr ance, wher e he t ook par t i n t he 1916 Bat t l e of t he
Somme, a cost l y bat t l e f or t he Al l i ed f or ces. The sl aught er t her e of
t housands of young Br i t i sh sol di er s l ef t a l ast i ng i mpr essi on on Tol ki en.
I n addi t i on, t he l and had been desol at ed by t r ench war f ar e and t he use of
heavy ar t i l l er y. Hi s descr i pt i on of t he desol at i on ar ound Mor dor has
of t en been ci t ed f or i t s r esembl ance t o t he war - t or n l andscapes i n
Eur ope. Many of hi s col l eagues who had been t hr ough t he war saw i t s
i nf l uence on Tol ki en i n scenes wher e he descr i bes not onl y t he hor r or of
war , but al so t he sense of cl ose comr adeshi p and t he qui et j oys of l i t t l e
t hi ngs. Those who sur vi ved t he Bat t l e of t he Somme f aced deat h f r oman
unexpect ed quar t er i n t he f ol l owi ng mont hs. I nf l uenza and t r ench f ever
swept t he r anks, af f ect i ng sol di er s and of f i cer s al i ke. Tol ki en
cont r act ed a par t i cul ar l y bad case of t r ench f ever and was shi pped back
t o Engl and i n l at e 1916. He spent hi s l ong r ecover y wor ki ng on hi s
myt hol ogy. The war ended i n l at e 1918. Tol ki en had sur vi ved, onl y t o f i nd
t hat al l but one of hi s cl ose f r i ends had di ed. To someone who val ued
f r i endshi p so hi ghl y, t hi s was a gr eat bl ow.

Tol ki en once sai d t hat at t he hear t of hi s books i s t he r eal i zat i on of
t he i nevi t abi l i t y of deat h. At t he age of 24, he had al r eady f aced not
onl y t he wi despr ead deat h of t he war , but al so t he per sonal l osses of hi s
par ent s and f r i ends.

Tol ki en sl owl y r et ur ned t o academi c l i f e. He moved t hr ough a ser i es of
uni ver si t y posi t i ons, cul mi nat i ng i n hi s el ect i on t o a pr of essor shi p at
Oxf or d. He publ i shed sever al schol ar l y wor ks t hat won r espect i n hi s
f i el d, i ncl udi ng a l andmar k l ect ur e on Beowul f , t he f amous Ol d Engl i sh
epi c poem.

But he began t o f eel i ncr easi ngl y al i enat ed f r omt he wor l d about hi m.
Post war Engl and was r api dl y changi ng wi t h t he gr owt h of t echnol ogy and
i ndust r y. The way of l i f e he l oved so much and had r i sked hi s l i f e t o
def end i n war was di sappear i ng. He wat ched sadl y as t r ees wer e cut down
and count r ysi de was t aken over by ci t y, al l i n t he name of pr ogr ess.

Tol ki en' s answer was t o t ur n t o t he myt hs and her oi c l egends of t he past .
He al so cont i nued t o wor k on hi s own myt hol ogy. By t hi s t i me, he had
devel oped sever al new l anguages and a compl ex hi st or y and myt hol ogy, f or
t he r aces who spoke t hem. Thi s hobby, as Tol ki en modest l y cal l ed i t , was
hi s consumi ng passi on, but he never expect ed i t t o ar ouse much i nt er est
i n ot her s. He wr ot e sever al poems and st or i es t hat wer e publ i shed i n a
uni ver si t y weekl y, but t her e was not hi ng yet t o cat ch t he popul ar
i magi nat i on.

That was t o change wi t h hi s i nvent i on of hobbi t s- - shor t , j ol l y f ol k wi t h
hai r y f eet and a l ove of t obacco pi pes. One day whi l e si t t i ng at hi s desk
and gr adi ng paper s, Tol ki en came upon a bl ank page. He wr ot e on i t , " I n a
hol e i n t he gr ound t her e l i ved a hobbi t . " Al most t en year s af t er he had
wr i t t en t hat f i r st l i ne, Tol ki en compl et ed The Hobbi t , t he st or y of a
t i mi d hobbi t named Bi l bo Baggi ns, who set s out on an advent ur e wi t h a
t r oop of dwar ves and a wi zar d. Tol ki en i ncor por at ed i nt o hi s book
el ement s f r omhi s myt hol ogy, i ncl udi ng t he dwar ves and el ves. Hi s
chi l dhood memor i es and t he i nvent i ve i magi nat i on t hat so del i ght ed hi s
own chi l dr en gave t he book i t s dr ol l humor and i t s mai n char act er , Bi l bo.
I n t he hobbi t , Tol ki en had f ound a char act er hi s r eader s coul d i dent i f y
wi t h and f ol l ow i nt o t he her oi c wor l d of myt h and l egends.

The Hobbi t was publ i shed i n 1937 as a chi l dr en' s book. I t was met wi t h
gr eat ent husi asmand r ecei ved sever al awar ds, i ncl udi ng t he pr est i gi ous
New Yor k Her al d Tr i bune pr i ze as t he year ' s best chi l dr en' s book. At t he
r equest of hi s publ i sher s, Tol ki en set out t o wr i t e a sequel t o The
Hobbi t . The publ i sher s had want ed anot her chi l dr en' s book, but i t soon
became appar ent t hat t he new book was t aki ng on a mor e pr of ound meani ng
and woul d f ar sur pass The Hobbi t i n dept h as wel l as l engt h. When Tol ki en
at l ast submi t t ed hi s new novel , The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, hi s publ i sher
t hought t hat i t was a wor k of geni us but t hat i t woul d pr obabl y be a
commer ci al f l op. However , when t he f i r st book of t he t r i l ogy, The
Fel l owshi p of t he Ri ng, was publ i shed i n 1954, i t had r espect abl e sal es
t hat qui ckl y i ncr eased t o a phenomenal r at e. The ot her books of t he
t r i l ogy, The Two Tower s and The Ret ur n of t he Ki ng, wer e publ i shed sooner
t han pl anned because of t he popul ar demand.

The cr i t i cs of f er ed a r ange of comment on Tol ki en. Some gave hi mgr eat
r evi ews, and he was awar ded a pr i ze f or t he best f ant asy novel of 1956.
Ot her s shar pened t hei r penci l s and at t acked t he t r i l ogy mer ci l essl y. They
sai d i t was badl y wr i t t en, and di smi ssed i t as escapi st f ant asy.
Accor di ng t o t hese cr i t i cs, Tol ki en' s popul ar i t y woul d qui ckl y f ade. But
such negat i ve pr opheci es pr oved wr ong. Tol ki en' s books soon devel oped a
wi de f ol l owi ng, especi al l y on col l ege campuses i n t he Uni t ed St at es. I n
t he 1960s, Tol ki en' s message of l ove and peace and r espect f or nat ur e
appeal ed t o st udent s l ooki ng f or new meani ng i n t hei r l i ves. Cl ubs wer e
f or med and f an magazi nes wer e publ i shed f or t he sol e pur pose of
di scussi ng hi s books.

Tol ki en, meanwhi l e, had r et i r ed f r omt eachi ng i n 1958. He publ i shed
sever al mor e smal l wor ks of f i ct i on. But most of hi s ef f or t went i nt o hi s
myt hol ogy, whi ch he st i l l had hopes of publ i shi ng. The t ask was a huge
one. Tol ki en had an assor t ment of manuscr i pt s t o wor k wi t h, some dat i ng
back t o hi s col l ege days. Thr ough t he year s, he had wr i t t en conf l i ct i ng
ver si ons of some st or i es f r omhi s myt hol ogy and had l ef t ot her s
unf i ni shed. The i nconsi st enci es had t o be i r oned out and t he gaps f i l l ed
i n. Fact s al so had t o be cor r ect ed wher e t hey di sagr eed wi t h The Hobbi t
and The Lor d of t he Ri ngs. Thi s wor k r emai ned unf i ni shed at hi s deat h i n
1973.

The j ob of f i ni shi ng t he book was t aken on by hi s son Chr i st opher , who
edi t ed t he manuscr i pt s and compi l ed a coher ent hi st or y of Mi ddl e- ear t h,
f r omi t s cr eat i on t hr ough t o t he event s r ecount ed i n The Lor d of t he
Ri ngs. I n 1977 t hi s hi st or y was publ i shed as The Si l mar i l l i on. I f you
r ead i t , you wi l l f i nd t he book ver y di f f er ent f r omTol ki en' s novel s. I t
cont ai ns a gr eat deal of l egends and t al es, some mor e f ul l y out l i ned t han
ot her s, but none wi t h t he pl ot and char act er devel opment t ypi cal of a
st or y. ( I n t hi s way, The Si l mar i l l i on i s even mor e l i ke t he anci ent epi cs
t han Tol ki en' s ot her books. ) I f you want t o know mor e about Mi ddl e- ear t h,
however , t he book cont ai ns a weal t h of i nf or mat i on about t he l and and
r aces cr eat ed by Tol ki en' s f er t i l e i magi nat i on.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THE HOBBI T

Bi l bo Baggi ns i s a hobbi t , one of a r ace of shor t , t i mi d cr eat ur es who
l i ve i n cozy t unnel s and who pr ef er t o keep t hei r l i ves or der ed and
pr edi ct abl e. One day, he unexpect edl y f i nds hi msel f pl ayi ng host t o
Gandal f t he wi zar d and t hi r t een dwar ves. The dwar ves, wi t h Gandal f ' s
hel p, pl an t o t r avel t o t he Lonel y Mount ai n t o r ecover t he t r easur e t hat
a dr agon named Smaug st ol e f r omt hei r peopl e l ong ago. Gandal f has
sel ect ed Bi l bo t o be t hei r bur gl ar . The dwar ves ar en' t t oo happy wi t h t he
wi zar d' s choi ce, especi al l y when Bi l bo f ai nt s at t he f i r st t al k of
danger . But Gandal f i nsi st s t her e i s mor e t o t he l i t t l e hobbi t t han meet s
t he eye.

Bi l bo hi msel f i sn' t sur e t hat he' s happy about bei ng chosen bur gl ar . But
a par t of hi mdoes year n f or advent ur e, and so one spr i ng mor ni ng he
f i nds hi msel f set t i ng out f or Lonel y Mount ai n wi t h Gandal f and t he
t hi r t een dwar ves. He doesn' t pr ove ver y hel pf ul at f i r st . But t hen
somet hi ng happens t hat changes Bi l bo' s l i f e. He f i nds a magi c r i ng t hat
makes hi mi nvi si bl e, and has sever al oppor t uni t i es t o use i t t o r escue
t he dwar ves f r omdanger and i mpr i sonment . They become qui t e i mpr essed by
hi m, and even r el y on hi m, j ust as Gandal f f or et ol d.

Bi l bo and t he dwar ves f i nal l y r each Lonel y Mount ai n, t he home of Smaug
t he dr agon. The dwar ves send Bi l bo down a secr et passage t o t he dr agon' s
l ai r . Bi l bo has mor e conf i dence i n hi msel f now and not onl y st eal s a cup,
but manages t o hol d hi s own i n a conver sat i on wi t h t he wi l y Smaug- - not an
easy t hi ng t o do.

Fur i ous t hat someone has dar ed st eal a pi ece of hi s t r easur e, Smaug
at t acks t he mount ai nsi de wher e t he dwar ves have t hei r camp. Then he f l i es
t owar d Lake- t own, t o puni sh t he i nhabi t ant s f or hel pi ng t he dwar ves.

The peopl e of Lake- t own r un at t he si ght of Smaug, but one man, Bar d,
hol ds hi s gr ound. He ki l l s t he dr agon wi t h hi s l ast ar r ow and escapes
bef or e Smaug f al l s, smashi ng t he t own. Bel i evi ng t he dwar ves ar e dead, an
ar my of men, l ed by Bar d, and an ar my of el ves mar ch t owar d t he Lonel y
Mount ai n t o di vi de t he t r easur e. They f i nd t o t hei r sur pr i se t hat t he
dwar ves ar e st i l l al i ve.

Bar d, because he ki l l ed t he dr agon, cl ai ms hi s r i ght f ul shar e of t he
t r easur e. When t he dwar ves r ef use t o sur r ender i t , t he ar my besi eges t he
mount ai n. Bi l bo t r i es t o end t he di sput e by st eal i ng t he Ar kenst one, t he
pi ece of t r easur e most val ued by t he l eader of t he dwar ves. He gi ves t he
j ewel t o Bar d, hopi ng i t can be used t o f or ce t he dwar ves t o negot i at e.
Bi l bo' s br aver y wi ns hi mpr ai se f r omal l but t he dwar ves, who ar e f ur i ous
wi t h hi m. When mor e dwar ves ar r i ve f r omt he nor t h, t hey ar e det er mi ned t o
f i ght .

J ust as war begi ns t o br eak out , an ar my of gobl i ns and wi l d wol ves
at t ack. The dwar ves, el ves, and men f or get t hei r di f f er ences and j oi n
t oget her t o keep f r ombei ng ki l l ed. Hel p comes i n t he ni ck of t i me, and
t he gobl i ns ar e def eat ed.

Bi l bo f i nds t hat he' s a her o, honor ed by men and el ves and even gi ven a
shar e of t he t r easur e. But he' s had enough of advent ur e and set s of f f or
home wi t h Gandal f . Once t her e, he f i nds t hat hi s house and f ur ni shi ngs
ar e bei ng auct i oned of f , si nce ever yone bel i eved hi mdead. Fi nal l y,
ever yt hi ng i s st r ai ght ened out and he' s abl e t o set t l e down agai n i nt o
hi s ol d, comf or t abl e l i f e. Al t hough f r omt hen on, he' s consi der ed
eccent r i c by hi s nei ghbor s, he cont i nues hi s f r i endshi p wi t h el ves and
dwar ves and t he wi zar d, happi l y r ecount i ng hi s t al es t o any who wi l l
l i st en.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THE LORD OF THE RI NGS

Long af t er t he event s i n The Hobbi t , Bi l bo agai n l eaves t he Shi r e, but
not bef or e r el uct ant l y passi ng on hi s magi c r i ng t o hi s hei r , Fr odo
Baggi ns.

Many year s l at er , Fr odo l ear ns f r omGandal f , t he wi zar d, t hat hi s r i ng i s
t he Ri ng, whi ch bel onged t o t he evi l r ul er Saur on. Saur on was t hought t o
have been dest r oyed ages ago. But now he has r eappear ed i n hi s anci ent
st r onghol d of Mor dor . Hi s Ri ng was pr esumed l ost , but Saur on has
di scover ed t hat i t ' s pr esent l y i n t he hands of a hobbi t named Baggi ns,
who l i ves i n t he Shi r e.

To pr ot ect t he i nhabi t ant s of t he Shi r e f r omSaur on' s wr at h, Fr odo
deci des t o t ake t he Ri ng and l eave Bag End f or Ri vendel l wi t h t hr ee
f r i ends- - Mer r y, Pi ppi n, and Sam. Gandal f was supposed t o accompany t hem,
but no wor d has been hear d f r omhi m. On t he way, t he f our hobbi t s ar e
cl osel y pur sued by menaci ng Bl ack Ri der s, ser vant s of Saur on. The hobbi t s
ar e unpr epar ed f or t he danger s t hat f ace t hem, and sever al t i mes t hey' r e
al most ki l l ed because of t hei r f ool i shness. For t unat el y, t hey ar e j oi ned
by a st r ange, secr et i ve man cal l ed St r i der , who of f er s t o l ead t hemt o
Ri vendel l .

One ni ght , Fr odo i s wounded i n an at t ack by t he Bl ack Ri der s. Hi s f r i ends
br i ng hi mt o Ri vendel l , wher e he i s cur ed by El r ond, t he l eader of t he
Hal f - el ven ( a r ace of peopl e who ar e hal f el f and hal f human) .

A counci l meet s i n Ri vendel l t o deci de what t o do about t he Ri ng. I t ' s
agr eed t he Ri ng must be dest r oyed, f or t he t empt at i on t o use i t i s t oo
st r ong, and anyone who does use i t wi l l be cor r upt ed by i t s power . Fr odo
t akes on t he t ask of br i ngi ng t he Ri ng t o Mor dor and cast i ng i t i nt o t he
vol cano wher e i t was f or ged.

St r i der t akes t hi s oppor t uni t y t o r eveal hi s t r ue name: Ar agor n. He i s
r i ght f ul hei r t o t he t hr one of Gondor , whi ch has been r ul ed by st ewar ds
f or many year s i n t he absence of a ki ng. He pl ans t o r et ur n t o Gondor , t o
ai d i n i t s f i ght agai nst Saur on and t o cl ai mhi s cr own.

When Fr odo depar t s f r omRi vendel l , he i s accompani ed by r epr esent at i ves
of al l t he f r ee r aces of Mi ddl e- ear t h: Gandal f t he wi zar d, Legol as t he
el f , Gi ml i t he dwar f , Ar agor n and Bor omi r of t he r ace of men, and Fr odo' s
hobbi t f r i ends, Sam, Mer r y, and Pi ppi n. Whi l e passi ng t hr ough t he mi nes
of Mor i a, t he company i s t hr eat ened by a Bal r og, a t er r i f yi ng cr eat ur e of
f l ame and shadow. Whi l e f i ght i ng t he Bal r og, Gandal f and t he cr eat ur e
pl unge i nt o a deep abyss and ar e bot h t hought ki l l ed.

The r est of t he company spl i t s up f ur t her sout h. Bor omi r has f al l en under
t he i nf l uence of t he Ri ng and t r i es t o t ake i t f r omFr odo. Fr odo r uns
away and deci des t o t r avel on t o Mor dor al one, but hi s f ai t hf ul ser vant ,
Sam, i nsi st s on goi ng wi t h hi m.

Meanwhi l e, t he ot her s ar e at t acked by or cs, an evi l r ace cr eat ed by
Saur on. ( Gobl i ns and or cs ar e t he same t hi ng- - Tol ki en changed t he name i n
The Lor d of t he Ri ngs. ) Mer r y and Pi ppi n ar e capt ur ed, and Bor omi r di es
def endi ng t he hobbi t s. Af t er gi vi ng Bor omi r a her o' s f uner al , Ar agor n,
Legol as, and Gi ml i f ol l ow t he t r ai l of t he or cs, hopi ng t o r escue t hei r
f r i ends. I nst ead, t hey f i nd Gandal f , who has sur vi ved hi s f i ght wi t h t he
Bal r og and has emer ged wi t h r enewed power . Gandal f t el l s t he ot her s t hat
Mer r y and Pi ppi n ar e saf e: t hey escaped t he or cs and ar e now wi t h t he
Ent s of Fangor n For est . The Ent s, who ar e shepher ds of t he t r ees, have
been r oused by t he hobbi t s' st or y t o at t ack Sar uman, an evi l wi zar d i n
l eague wi t h Saur on.

Gandal f , Legol as, Ar agor n, and Gi ml i enl i st t he men of Rohan, whose
count r y i s t hr eat ened by Sar uman' s gr owi ng power , t o j oi n t he f i ght
agai nst t he wi zar d. Wi t h t he hel p of t he Ent s, Sar uman i s over t hr own.

Fr odo and Sam, meanwhi l e, begi n t hei r l ong j our ney t owar d Mor dor . They
ar e f ol l owed by Gol l um, t he mi ser abl e cr eat ur e who owned t he Ri ng bef or e
Bi l bo f ound i t . Fr odo and Samcapt ur e hi mand make hi mpr omi se t o hel p
t hem. Gol l umgui des t hemt o a secr et passage i nt o Mor dor . But i n doi ng
so, he al so t r eacher ousl y l eads t hemi nt o a t r ap. The secr et passage he
t akes t hemt hr ough i s t he l ai r of a gi ant spi der named Shel ob, who he
hopes wi l l ki l l t hemso he can r ecover t he Ri ng.

Shel ob at t acks Fr odo, par al yzi ng hi mwi t h her st i ng. Thi nki ng t hat Fr odo
i s dead, Samchar ges t he spi der and succeeds i n dr i vi ng her of f . Then he
t akes t he Ri ng, i nt endi ng t o car r y on t he quest . Bef or e he can l eave,
however , some or cs f i nd Fr odo' s body and car r y i t i nt o t hei r f or t r ess.
Samover hear s t hemsay t hat Fr odo i sn' t dead, but onl y poi soned. Then t he
gat es of t he t ower cl ose behi nd t he or cs, and Samf i nds hi msel f l ocked
out .

Meanwhi l e, t he ot her s f i ght desper at el y t o save Mi nas Ti r i t h, t he capi t al
of Gondor , f r omSaur on' s ar my. Agai nst gr eat odds, t hey wi n. Ar agor n
pr oves hi s cl ai mt o ki ngshi p by hi s gr eat heal i ng power : i t i s sai d t hat
t he hands of a ki ng ar e t he hands of a heal er . But he doesn' t yet cl ai m
t he t hr one. Fi r st he l eads what r emai ns of t he ar my t o t he gat es of
Mor dor . Agai nst Saur on' s mi ght t hey seempi t i f ul l y weak. Thei r onl y hope
i s t o di st r act Saur on whi l e Fr odo and Samt r avel t hr ough Mor dor and
dest r oy t he Ri ng. I f Fr odo succeeds, Saur on wi l l f al l . I f Fr odo f ai l s,
t hey wi l l al l di e or be ensl aved.

I nsi de Mor dor , Samhas managed t o r escue Fr odo f r omSaur on' s or cs. The
t wo hobbi t s cr eep t hr ough t he desol at e l andscape of Mor dor . Fr odo gr ows
so weak f r omr esi st i ng t he power of t he Ri ng t hat he can bar el y cr awl ,
and Samcar r i es hi mf or a whi l e. When t hey at l ast r each t he Cr ack of
Doomwher e t he Ri ng i s t o be dest r oyed, Fr odo' s wi l l snaps, and he cl ai ms
t he Ri ng as hi s own. But Gol l umappear s and f i ght s hi mf or t he Ri ng,
bi t i ng i t of f Fr odo' s hand. St i l l gl oat i ng, Gol l umf al l s i nt o t he f l ames
and i s dest r oyed al ong wi t h t he Ri ng. Wi t h t he Ri ng dest r oyed, Saur on i s
vanqui shed f or ever . Fr odo and Samar e r escued f r omt he r ui ns of Mor dor by
eagl es, and t oget her wi t h Ar agor n' s ar my, t hey r et ur n t o Mi nas Ti r i t h i n
t r i umph.

Ther e i s much f east i ng and r ej oi ci ng as Ar agor n i s decl ar ed ki ng and
mar r i es Ar wen, t he daught er of El r ond. The hobbi t s have al l become
her oes. But now t hey ar e r eady t o go home, and t hey head f or t he Shi r e.
When t hey get back, however , t hey f i nd t hat t hi ngs have changed. Sar uman
has gai ned cont r ol , al ong wi t h hi s r uf f i ans, and i s bul l yi ng t he hobbi t s
and dest r oyi ng t he beaut i f ul count r ysi de of t he Shi r e. But Fr odo, Sam,
Mer r y, and Pi ppi n have l ear ned much f r omt hei r advent ur es and qui ckl y set
t hi ngs r i ght .

Al l seems wel l , unt i l Fr odo f al l s si ck. He has been wounded t oo many
t i mes- - by t he Bl ack Ri der ' s kni f e, by t he Ri ng, and by Gol l um. I t i s
i r oni cal t hat even t hough he saved t he Shi r e, he cannot enj oy i t anymor e.
One aut umn day he set s sai l wi t h Bi l bo and Gandal f acr oss t he sea t o t he
Bl essed Real m, wher e he may at l ast f i nd peace.


The f ol l owi ng ar e maj or char act er s i n The Hobbi t and i n The Lor d of t he
Ri ngs.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BI LBO BAGGI NS

Bi l bo i s t he smal l , t i mi d her o of The Hobbi t . I t has been poi nt ed out by
some r eader s t hat i n hi s t hought s and act i ons he i s r epr esent at i ve of
moder n man. Thus, adul t s ar e abl e t o i dent i f y wi t h hi mand not f eel so
out of pl ace i n Tol ki en' s her oi c wor l d of wi zar ds and dwar ves. Bi l bo i s
al so, f i t t i ngl y, a char act er t hat chi l dr en can r eadi l y i dent i f y wi t h,
si nce The Hobbi t was wr i t t en as a chi l dr en' s st or y and t oday i s
consi der ed by many t o be a cl assi c i n t hat genr e.

Bi l bo can al so be seen as an exampl e of Ever yman, r ef l ect i ng t he
pot ent i al gr eat ness i n us al l . He' s j ust an or di nar y per son. And wi t h hi s
smal l st at ur e and si mpl e, t i mi d nat ur e, he' s cer t ai nl y an unl i kel y her o.

Yet , despi t e hi s appar ent weaknesses, Bi l bo f i nds t he st r engt h t o become
her oi c. Hi s st r engt h seems t o come f r omt he t hi ngs he hol ds dear - -
f r equent meal s, a peacef ul or der ed l i f e, and hi s pi pe- - t he ver y t hi ngs
t hat , t o some, make hi mseemso or di nar y and l aughabl e. And at t he end of
t he book, t hese t hi ngs ar e st i l l i mpor t ant t o Bi l bo, a si gn t hat t hese
ar e qual i t i es Tol ki en want ed t o emphasi ze. The onl y way Bi l bo has changed
i s t hat he has become mor e sel f - conf i dent , mor e capabl e of t aki ng car e of
hi msel f and of ot her s.

But i s Bi l bo r eal l y an exampl e of Ever yman? I n some ways he' s not your
aver age hobbi t . For one t hi ng, he' s a bachel or , and a weal t hy one at
t hat . For anot her , hi s mot her was f r omt he Took f ami l y, hobbi t s wi t h a
t endency t o be mor e dar i ng and advent ur ous t han most . Thi s l eads some
r eader s t o say t hat Bi l bo i s a member of an el i t e gr oup, a sel ect f ew who
ar e super i or t o t he common peopl e. You' l l have t o deci de f or your sel f
what Tol ki en i nt ended- - whet her Bi l bo r epr esent s t he pot ent i al f or
gr eat ness i n even t he weakest i ndi vi dual , or whet her Bi l bo i s par t of an
el i t e ci r cl e t hat most peopl e can never r each.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: GANDALF

Gandal f i s t he wi zar d who assi st s Bi l bo and t he dwar ves on t hei r j our ney.
Li ke a t ypi cal wi zar d, Gandal f appear s as an ol d man dr essed i n bl ue
r obes and a t al l poi nt ed hat . Wi zar ds ar e ski l l ed i n magi c, and Gandal f ' s
speci al t y i s f i r e. I n t he begi nni ng of The Hobbi t , Bi l bo ent husi ast i cal l y
r ecal l s Gandal f ' s mar vel ous f i r ewor ks. Lat er i n t he st or y, Gandal f put s
hi s ski l l s t o mor e pr act i cal use- - f or exampl e, when he t hr ows t he evi l
war gs i nt o an upr oar wi t h a magi cal f i r e t hat cl i ngs t o t hei r f ur .

Wi zar ds ar e of t en known f or t hei r shr ewdness as wel l as f or t hei r magi c,
and Gandal f i s no except i on. He def eat s t he t r ol l s not by magi c but by
cl ever l y di st r act i ng t hemunt i l t he sun r i ses and t ur ns t hemt o st one.

Despi t e hi s wi sdomand magi cal power s, however , Gandal f can al so be seen
as a humor ous f i gur e. When Gandal f f i r st meet s Bi l bo, Tol ki en descr i bes
hi mi n comi c t er ms as havi ng l ong, bushy eyebr ows t hat st i ck out beyond
hi s hat . He can be chi l di sh at t i mes, act i ng gr umpy i n a r ai nst or m, or
vexed t hat El r ond i s t he f i r st t o f i nd t he secr et l et t er s on Thor i n' s
map.

Bi l bo r emember s f r omhi s chi l dhood t he wi zar d' s f abul ous f i r ewor ks,
wonder f ul gadget s, and t hr i l l i ng st or i es of advent ur e. j ust as Faf ni r t he
dr agon exci t ed t he i magi nat i on of t he young Tol ki en, so Gandal f i nt r i gues
Bi l bo wi t h a danger ous wor l d, f ar r emoved f r omt he hobbi t ' s comf or t abl e
l i f e. As t he st or y of The Hobbi t begi ns, Gandal f r eent er s Bi l bo' s l i f e
and st ar t s t he hobbi t on an advent ur e i nt o t hat danger ous wor l d.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THORI N OAKENSHI ELD

Thor i n i s t he sel f - i mpor t ant l eader of t he dwar ves and t he gr andson of
Thr ai n, t he l ast ki ng under Lonel y Mount ai n. The most compl et el y
devel oped char act er of t he t hi r t een dwar ves, he shows bot h t he weaknesses
and t he st r engt hs of hi s r ace. Accor di ngl y, r eader s may f i nd hi m
ambi guous. He can be pet t y, sel f i sh, and pompous, but he can al so be
her oi c and awe- i nspi r i ng. He' s mot i vat ed at f i r st by gr eed and t he desi r e
f or r evenge, but when he r eaches Lonel y Mount ai n he begi ns t o f eel a
hi gher pur pose, cl ai mi ng hi s r i ght f ul t i t l e as ki ng under t he mount ai n.
He succumbs t o a weakness of hi s r ace- - possessi veness- - but l at er r edeems
hi msel f t hr ough cour age i n bat t l e.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: GOLLUM

Gol l umwas once a hobbi t l i ke cr eat ur e, but when Bi l bo meet s hi mhe has
degener at ed bot h mor al l y and physi cal l y. Gol l umhas become a " smal l ,
sl i my cr eat ur e" wi t h l ong webby f eet , who l i ves i n t he hear t of t he
mount ai n, paddl i ng hi s boat on a subt er r anean l ake. Hi s most pr i zed
possessi on i s hi s r i ng, whi ch can make hi mi nvi si bl e. He' s obsessed wi t h
t hi s r i ng, cal l i ng i t by t he name he uses f or hi msel f : " my pr eci ous. "

Gol l um' s mor al degener at i on can be seen i n hi s decei t f ul act i ons t owar d
Bi l bo. Yet Tol ki en al so depi ct s Gol l umas a l onel y, pi t i abl e cr eat ur e,
who weeps at t he l oss of hi s one pr eci ous possessi on.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BARD

When Bar d f i r st appear s i n t he st or y, he i s j ust an anonymous i nhabi t ant
of Lake- t own. He pr oves hi s wor t h when he ar ouses t he t own t o f ace t he
dr agon Smaug' s at t ack, and succeeds i n ki l l i ng Smaug when ever yone el se
has gi ven up t he f i ght .

Bar d i s a her oi c f i gur e, a gr i ml eader of st r engt h and di sci pl i ne, who
ser ves as a cont r ast t o Bi l bo, t he t i mi d hobbi t . Yet t hey bot h become
her oes because of t hei r det er mi nat i on t o do what must be done, r egar dl ess
of t he consequences. I r oni cal l y, Bar d' s name i s an ol d wor d f or a cer t ai n
t ype of poet who i n Engl and and I r el and' s past of t en composed t al es of
her oi sm. When you r ead t he book, t r y t o deci de whet her t hi s i s a j oke on
Tol ki en' s par t or whet her i n some ways Bar d i s mor e l i ke a poet t han a
war r i or .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: SMAUG

Dr agons ar e of t en depi ct ed i n l egends as j eal ousl y guar di ng a gr eat
t r easur e. Tol ki en st ays t r ue t o t hi s t r adi t i on i n hi s por t r ayal of Smaug,
who l ong ago dr ove t he dwar ves f r omt hei r home i n t he Lonel y Mount ai n and
now j eal ousl y br oods over t r easur e st ol en f r omt hemand ot her s. Dr agons
al so have a r eput at i on as wi l y t al ker s, and Smaug r anks wi t h t he best of
t hem. He never says what he means, and even hi s pol i t e wor ds car r y vei l ed
menace. He ski l l f ul l y pl ays on Bi l bo' s doubt s and seeks t o t r i ck hi mi nt o
gi vi ng hi msel f away.

Fol kl or e descr i bes dr agons as mi ser s who have been t r ansf or med by t hei r
gr eed. Dr agons have al so l ong been a symbol f or t he l ur e of gol d and t he
evi l t hat weal t h br i ngs. Tol ki en uses t hi s associ at i on bet ween dr agons
and gr eed. He even r ef er s t o t he cor r upt i ng ef f ect of t he t r easur e as
" dr agon- si ckness. "

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THE MASTER

The Mast er , t he gr eedy and schemi ng l eader of Lake- t own, seems i n some
ways a human count er par t t o t he dr agon Smaug. He, t oo, i s a wi l y t al ker ,
car ef ul l y choosi ng hi s wor ds t o mani pul at e ot her s. He succumbs t o t he
dr agon- si ckness- - gr eed- - and st eal s t he shar e of t he t r easur e t hat was t o
go t o Lake- t own.

The Mast er cont r ast s wi t h Bar d, who al ways says exact l y what he t hi nks,
even i f ot her s don' t want t o hear i t . Al so unl i ke Bar d, t he Mast er t ur ns
hi s back on hi s t own, t hi nki ng onl y t o save hi s own ski n. I n hi s
sel f i shness he pr oves hi msel f t o be a poor l eader .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: FRODO BAGGI NS

The her o of The Lor d of t he Ri ngs t r i l ogy, Fr odo i s Bi l bo' s young cousi n.
He i nher i t s Bi l bo' s home and hi s magi c r i ng when Bi l bo l eaves t he Shi r e.
Fr odo' s advent ur e begi ns when he l ear ns t hat t he r i ng i s act ual l y a t hi ng
of gr eat evi l . I t i s t he Ri ng, made by Saur on, t he Dar k Lor d, who i s now
t r yi ng t o r egai n i t . Fr odo set s of f on what wi l l become a l ong and
danger ous quest t o dest r oy t he Ri ng.

Reader s of t en compar e t he char act er s of Bi l bo and Fr odo. Li ke Bi l bo,
Fr odo i s a bachel or and has some eccent r i c bl ood; hi s mot her was a
Br andybuck, a f ami l y of advent ur ous hobbi t s l i ke t he Tooks. Al so l i ke
Bi l bo, he st ar t s out as a somewhat f ool i sh hobbi t and t hr ough hi s t r avel s
mat ur es i nt o a her oi c f i gur e.

But t her e ar e i mpor t ant di f f er ences bet ween t he t wo hobbi t s. Fr odo i s not
t he comi c char act er t hat Bi l bo was. He has benef i t ed f r omBi l bo' s
knowl edge, l ear ni ng t he l or e and l anguage of t he el ves and t her eby
ear ni ng t hei r r espect . Hi s quest i s mor e sel f l ess t han Bi l bo' s. He
doesn' t seek t o wi n a t r easur e, but hopes t o dest r oy one ( t he Ri ng of
Saur on) f or t he good of al l Mi ddl e- ear t h. Unl i ke Bi l bo, Fr odo can' t use
t he Ri ng t o hel p hi mwi t h hi s t ask. And, f i nal l y, hi s st or y i s i n t he end
t r agi c- - whi l e he saves Mi ddl e- ear t h f r omdest r uct i on, he can no l onger
enj oy i t s beaut i es. He suf f er s t oo gr eat l y f r omhi s wounds and f r omt he
l oss of t he Ri ng. Hi s depar t ur e f or t he Bl essed Real mat t he end of t he
book i s i nt er pr et ed by some r eader s t o be a symbol i c deat h and al so bear s
some si mi l ar i t y t o t he depar t ur e of t he l egendar y Ki ng Ar t hur t o Aval on,
a magi cal i sl and.

Fr odo i s somet i mes consi der ed a Chr i st - f i gur e, because he under goes gr eat
suf f er i ng f or t he sake of ot her s ( Tol ki en hi msel f woul d not say i f t hi s
i s what he i nt ended. He want ed r eader s t o make t hei r own i nt er pr et at i on. )
Whi l e he becomes weaker physi cal l y t hr ough t he cour se of hi s t r i al s, he
al so becomes st r onger spi r i t ual l y. A cer t ai n l i ght seems t o shi ne wi t hi n
Fr odo, r emi ni scent of t he descr i pt i on of sai nt s. When Fr odo l eaves
Mi ddl e- ear t h i n t he company of Gandal f , Gal adr i el , and ot her bei ngs of
gr eat power , t hi s i ncr eases t he sense t hat Fr odo has become somet hi ng
mor e t han human.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: ARAGORN ( STRI DER, THE
DUNADAN, ELESSAR THE ELF- STONE)

As St r i der , chi ef of t he Ranger s who secr et l y guar d t he Shi r e, Ar agor n
gui des Fr odo and hi s f r i ends t o t he saf et y of Ri vendel l . Ther e Ar agor n
r eveal s t hat he' s t he descendant of ki ngs. Thr ough t he r est of t he book,
Ar agor n must pr ove hi msel f wor t hy of t he t hr one of Gondor .

Some r eader s f eel t hat Ar agor n shoul d be consi der ed as a second her o of
The Lor d of t he Ri ngs who i s equal l y as i mpor t ant as Fr odo. As you r ead,
not e t he cont r ast s and par al l el s bet ween t he t wo char act er s. Ar agor n' s
quest i s t o r egai n hi s i nher i t ance, t he t hr one of Gondor , wher eas Fr odo' s
quest i s t o dest r oy hi s i nher i t ance ( t he Ri ng gi ven hi mby Bi l bo) .
Ar agor n i s a man of her oi c st at ur e and hi s t asks ar e t hose of war and
l eader shi p, wher eas Fr odo' s ar e mor e spi r i t ual : he must r esi st t he
t empt at i on of t he Ri ng.

Li ke Fr odo, Ar agor n cont i nues t o gr ow i n char act er t hr ough t he cour se of
t he book. I n t he begi nni ng, he' s shown as a l oner , unaccust omed t o
f r i endshi p. At f i r st gl ance he even seems di sr eput abl e, and t he hobbi t s
ar e suspi ci ous of hi m. I n Ri vendel l , he r eveal s t hat as r i ght f ul hei r t o
t he t hr one of Gondor , he pl ans t o go t her e t o pr esent hi s cl ai m. But when
t he l oss of Gandal f f or ces hi mt o t ake over l eader shi p of t he gr oup of
hobbi t s, he can no l onger t hi nk onl y of hi s per sonal i nt er est s.

Ar agor n i s a ver y pr i vat e man, yet Tol ki en r eveal s gl i mpses of st r ong
emot i ons: r esent ment at t he si mpl e f ol k who scor n hi m, not knowi ng t hat
he pr ot ect s t hemf r omgr eat danger ; l onel i ness at l i vi ng t he l i f e of an
out cast ; and deep l ove f or Ar wen, El r ond' s daught er .

The r omance bet ween Ar wen and Ar agor n i s onl y hi nt ed at i n t he book, and
t hei r mar r i age at t he end of t he st or y may come as a sur pr i se t o you. I n
an appendi x of The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, you wi l l f i nd t he f ul l st or y of
t hei r r omance.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: SAM GAMGEE ( SAMWI SE)

SamGamgee, t he son of Fr odo' s gar dener , set s out wi t h Fr odo on t he quest
t o dest r oy t he Ri ng. He pr oves hi msel f a f ai t hf ul ser vant .

Tol ki en once sai d t hat Samwas model ed on t he noncommi ssi oned sol di er s he
ser ved wi t h i n Wor l d War I . Tol ki en had f ound t he common sol di er s much
mor e l i kabl e t han hi s f el l ow commi ssi oned of f i cer s. Year s l at er he sai d,
" My ' SamGamgee' i s i ndeed a r ef l ect i on of t he Engl i sh sol di er , of t he
pr i vat es and bat men [ sol di er s who per f or mvar i ous ser vi ces f or super i or
of f i cer s] I knew i n t he 1914 war , and r ecogni zed as so f ar super i or t o
mysel f . "

Because he' s j ust a gar dener ' s son, Samser ves as t he best exampl e of
Tol ki en' s t heme about t he gr eat ness i n common peopl e. Samat t i mes seems
si mpl emi nded and shows a l ack of under st andi ng of t he t r ue ser i ousness of
a si t uat i on. But hi s name, Samwi se, hi nt s t hat he' s not so f ool i sh as he
seems. Somet i mes he can be ver y per cept i ve i n det er mi ni ng t he mot i ves of
ot her s. Hi s gr eat est vi r t ue i s l oyal t y. Because of hi s devot i on t o Fr odo,
he t oo becomes a her o. I t i s Samwho r escues Fr odo f r omt he or cs and
hel ps Fr odo i n hi s pai nf ul j our ney t hr ough Mor dor , even car r yi ng hi mwhen
Fr odo i s t oo weak t o cr awl .

Some r eader s vi ew Samas a negat i ve st er eot ype of a member of t he wor ki ng
cl ass. They obj ect t o what t hey see as hi s si mpl emi ndedness and hi s
dogl i ke devot i on t o Fr odo. They f eel t hat Samshoul d be an equal t o
Fr odo. What do you t hi nk of t he r el at i onshi p bet ween Samand Fr odo? I s i t
possi bl e or desi r abl e i n t he wor l d t oday?

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: GOLLUM ( SMEAGOL)

Gol l um, t he mi ser abl e cr eat ur e who owned t he Ri ng bef or e Bi l bo, r eappear s
i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs. He r eveal s t he l ocat i on of t he Ri ng t o Saur on,
who sends t he Bl ack Ri der s t o t he Shi r e af t er Fr odo. Much l at er i n t he
t r i l ogy, Gol l umgui des Fr odo i nt o Mor dor and bet r ays hi mby l eadi ng hi m
i nt o t he l ai r of Shel ob t he spi der . Even so, nei t her Fr odo nor Samcan
br i ng hi msel f t o ki l l Gol l um. Thei r mer cy i s r ewar ded, f or Gol l umbr i ngs
about hi s own dest r uct i on as wel l as t he dest r uct i on of t he Ri ng.

Many peopl e t hi nk of Gol l umas Fr odo' s doppel ganger , or al t er ego. A
doppel ganger i s a char act er who i s st r ongl y connect ed t o t he mai n
char act er , and who seems t o r epr esent a hi dden f acet , of t en t he dar ker
si de, of t he mai n char act er ' s per sonal i t y. Whi l e doppel ganger s ar e used
as a l i t er ar y devi ce, t hey al so appear of t en i n f ol kl or e. Gol l um' s
connect i on t o Fr odo i s t hr ough t he Ri ng. They have bot h possessed t he
Ri ng, t hough Gol l umuses i t sel f i shl y f or evi l pur poses, whi l e Fr odo
unwi l l i ngl y accept s i t i n or der t o dest r oy i t . Fr odo, unl i ke t he ot her
char act er s, can under st and Gol l um' s obsessi on wi t h t he Ri ng and t he
mi ser y i t has caused hi m, f or Gol l umr epr esent s what may happen t o Fr odo
i f he succumbs t o t he Ri ng' s power . I n Fr odo, Gol l umsees what he mi ght
have been, had i t not been f or t he Ri ng. Gol l um' s gr i ef at t he l oss of
t he Ri ng f or eshadows Fr odo' s own pai n and unhappi ness af t er t he Ri ng i s
gone. I n t he end, l i ke most doppel ganger s, Gol l umi s f i nal l y dest r oyed,
r epr esent i ng t he dest r uct i on of t he evi l t hat Fr odo has had t o st r uggl e
wi t h i n hi msel f .

Some peopl e see Gol l umas a t r agi c f i gur e. He has not been compl et el y
cor r upt ed by t he Ri ng. A par t of hi mr emember s hi s ol d l i f e, and by
i mpl i cat i on, he can t hen st i l l r emember and compr ehend good, somet hi ng
t hat char act er s such as Saur on, who ar e t ot al l y evi l , cannot . Because
par t of hi s ol d sel f r emai ns, he' s t or ment ed. He bot h hat es t he Ri ng and
cr aves i t desper at el y. The conf l i ct bet ween hi s t wo si des i s r eveal ed as
he al t er nat es bet ween hi s or i gi nal hobbi t l i ke per sonal i t y ( Smeagol ) ,
speaki ng nor mal l y and eager t o pl ease, and hi s Gol l umsi de, nast y and
t r eacher ous. But Gol l umseems doomed f r omt he begi nni ng, f or hi s dest i ny,
as has been hi nt ed t hr oughout t he t r i l ogy, i s t o be dest r oyed wi t h t he
Ri ng.

Do you sympat hi ze wi t h Gol l um? Why or why not ? Do you t hi nk he deser ves
hi s f at e?

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: GANDALF ( MI THRANDI R, THE
GREY PI LGRI M, THE WHI TE RI DER)

Gandal f t he Gr ey i s one of t hr ee wi zar ds who appear i n The Lor d of t he
Ri ngs. The ot her t wo ar e Sar uman t he Whi t e and Radagast t he Br own.
Gandal f seems t o be a mor e di gni f i ed char act er i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs
t han he was i n The Hobbi t . I n Ri vendel l he i s r eveal ed as an i mposi ng
f i gur e of gr eat power t hat he uses f or unsel f i sh pur poses. He says t hat
he' s a st ewar d over al l l i vi ng t hi ngs, and he wor ks t o pr ot ect t hemf r om
evi l .

Wher eas Sar uman i s t empt ed t o use hi s power t o f ur t her hi s own ends,
Gandal f i s cont ent t o hel p ot her s i n t hei r st r uggl es agai nst evi l ,
pl aci ng hi msel f i n t he ser vi ce of al l who need hi m. Thi s i s vi ewed by
some r eader s as a Chr i st i an i mage and t hey i nt er pr et Gandal f as bei ng
sai nt l i ke. ( I t shoul d be poi nt ed out t hat such sel f l essness i s consi der ed
a vi r t ue by many r el i gi ons, and al so by many nonr el i gi ous peopl e. I t need
not be i nt er pr et ed as a Chr i st i an i dea. ) Li ke Fr odo, Gandal f sacr i f i ces
hi msel f f or t he sake of ot her s, appar ent l y dyi ng i n hi s f i ght wi t h t he
Bal r og, and l at er bei ng r esur r ect ed. Tol ki en once sai d t hat Gandal f i s an
angel . But i t i s not cl ear i f he meant i t l i t er al l y, or meant onl y t hat
Gandal f was si mi l ar t o an angel , someone wi t h gr eat power who i s sent as
a guar di an.

Some peopl e ar gue t hat Gandal f i s t he t r ue her o of t he book. He has been
opposi ng Saur on f or ages, wher eas ot her s such as Fr odo and Ar agor n appear
onl y near t he end of t he l ong bat t l e agai nst evi l . Thr oughout t he st or y,
Gandal f wor ks behi nd t he scenes, gui di ng t he ot her s and maki ng i t
possi bl e f or t hemt o f ul f i l l t hei r r ol es i n t he st r uggl e. When t he r i ng
i s dest r oyed, Gandal f ' s l ong guar di anshi p of Mi ddl e- ear t h i s at l ast
over . Wi t h Fr odo, he passes over t he sea t o t he Bl essed Real m.

Gandal f can be compar ed t o Mer l i n t he magi ci an, who appear s i n Ar t hur i an
l egend. Li ke Gandal f , Mer l i n doesn' t use hi s power s t o f ur t her hi s own
ends, but i nst ead act s f or t he good of Engl and, whi ch i s t hr eat ened wi t h
i nt er nal conf l i ct and wi t h conquest by f or ei gner s. He act s as a
counci l or , somet i mes usi ng hi s magi c t o hel p t hi ngs al ong, but never
usi ng i t i n any out r i ght at t empt t o f or ce event s t o f ol l ow hi s wi l l .
Gandal f ' s r el at i onshi p wi t h Ar agor n i s compar abl e t o Mer l i n' s
r el at i onshi p wi t h Ar t hur , whomMer l i n hel ps t o wi n t he t hr one of Engl and
and est abl i sh a l ast i ng peace.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: SAURON

Saur on, t he Dar k Lor d of Mor dor , i s t he per soni f i cat i on of evi l i n The
Lor d of t he Ri ngs. He i s al so r ef er r ed t o as t he Necr omancer i n The
Hobbi t . Tol ki en' s onl y physi cal descr i pt i on of hi mi s as a l i dl ess r ed
eye. Thi s ser ves t o hei ght en t he sense of dr ead sur r oundi ng hi m, mor e
t han any ot her descr i pt i on coul d. Thr ough Saur on, Tol ki en of f er s hi s own
i deas about evi l : t hat not hi ng st ar t ed out evi l , t hat evi l cannot cr eat e
but can onl y per ver t , t hat evi l cannot compr ehend good and so cannot
pr edi ct t he act i ons of good, and t hat evi l dest r oys f r ee wi l l . Thr ough
t he power of t he Ri ng, Saur on i nt ends t o ensl ave t he i nhabi t ant s of
Mi ddl e- ear t h.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: SARUMAN ( SHARKEY)

Sar uman t he Whi t e i s a wi zar d l i ke Gandal f and i s head of t he Whi t e
Counci l t hat or i gi nal l y dr ove Saur on ( t he Necr omancer ) f r omMi r kwood
For est . But Sar uman has st udi ed t he ways of t he enemy and has f al l en i nt o
t he t empt at i on t o be l i ke hi m, t o r ul e t he wor l d as he sees f i t . When he
speaks t o Gandal f of t he need t o dr op weaker al l i es, and when he def ends
mur der i f i t ' s commi t t ed f or gr eat er good, he may r emi nd you of some
moder n pol i t i cal speaker s who bel i eve t hat anyt hi ng can be j ust i f i ed by
an appeal t o some nebul ous gr eat er good. That , coupl ed wi t h hi s
dest r uct i ve t echnol ogy, makes hi ma ver y moder n vi l l ai n, a l i t t l e mor e
r ecogni zabl e t han Saur on. Sar uman, l i ke al l of Tol ki en' s t ot al l y evi l
char act er s, cannot under st and good and hat es t hose who ar e good. For
exampl e, he doesn' t under st and Fr odo' s mer cy t owar d hi mnear t he end of
t he t r i l ogy, and he hat es Fr odo f or i t .

Some r eader s see Sar uman as Gandal f ' s al t er ego, i n much t he same way
t hat Gol l umi s Fr odo' s al t er ego. Sar uman had t he pot ent i al t o be what
Gandal f i s, a wi se and power f ul bei ng. Li kewi se, Gandal f has t he
pot ent i al t o become l i ke Sar uman, f or he has t he same abi l i t i es and i s
f aced wi t h t he same t empt at i ons as hi s f al l en count er par t .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: MERRY AND PI PPI N ( MERI ADOC
BRANDYBUCK AND PEREGRI NE TOOK)

These t wo hobbi t s, f r i ends of Fr odo, ser ve as a bal ance t o Fr odo and Sam.
Even mor e so t han Samand Fr odo, t hey ar e f ool i sh, i nnocent , and
unpr epar ed f or t he t r i al s ahead. Wher e Samand Fr odo f ace mai nl y ment al
t r i al s, Mer r y and Pi ppi n endur e t he physi cal t r i al s of war . I t i s t hr ough
t hei r eyes t hat you see most of t he act i on i n Rohan and Gondor . And t hey
bot h come f ace t o f ace wi t h evi l , when Pi ppi n i s quest i oned by Saur on
t hr ough t he pal ant i r , t he st one of seei ng, and when Mer r y meet s t he
l eader of t he Bl ack Ri der s i n bat t l e. They emer ge f r omt hei r t r i al s
st r onger and wi ser , and abl e t o def end t hei r own home. As an out war d si gn
of t hi s i nt er nal change, t hey have al so gr own t al l er .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOROMI R AND FARAMI R

Bor omi r and Far ami r ar e bot h sons of Denet hor , t he st ewar d of Gondor . You
f i r st meet Bor omi r i n Book I I , wher e he j oi ns t he company who set out
f r omRi vendel l wi t h Fr odo. Far ami r doesn' t appear unt i l Book I V, when
Fr odo and Sammeet hi mi n I t hi l i en, j ust out si de t he bor der s of Mor dor .
Far ami r i s t he l eader of a band of men f r omGondor who ar e engaged i n
guer r i l l a war f ar e, har assi ng Saur on' s ar mi es.

Bor omi r and Far ami r ser ve t o cont r ast t he war r i or wi t h t he spi r i t ual man.
Bor omi r i s char act er i zed by hi s br ot her as cl oser t o t he " mi ddl e" r ace of
men, t he war r i or s. He i s a pr oud man, who l oves f i ght i ng, gl or y, and
power . He f al l s under t he t empt at i on of t he Ri ng, f or he bel i eves t hat
f or ce can be used i n t he f i ght f or good. Far ami r , on t he ot her hand, i s
of t he " hi gh" r ace, whi ch i s mor e nobl e t han t he mi ddl e r ace i n Tol ki en' s
scheme of t hi ngs. A l over of knowl edge, he hat es war and f i ght s onl y t o
pr ot ect t he l and he l oves. He easi l y r esi st s t he t empt at i on of t he Ri ng,
f or he r ecogni zes t he danger of power over ot her s.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THEODEN AND DENETHOR

Theoden, ki ng of Rohan, i s a war r i or of t he mi ddl e r ace of men, whi l e
Denet hor , st ewar d of Gondor , i s of t he hi gh r ace, a l over of knowl edge.
Yet i n t hi s case t he compar i son bet ween " mi ddl e" and " hi gh" i s r ever sed,
wi t h t he war r i or appear i ng i n t he mor e f avor abl e l i ght . Theoden bel i eves
i n t he her oi c et hi c of t he Angl o- Saxon epi cs: " Wi l l shal l be t he st er ner ,
hear t t he bol der , spi r i t t he gr eat er as our st r engt h l essens. " No mat t er
how t he bat t l e goes, he never gi ves i nt o despai r , and event ual l y di es,
f i ght i ng t o t he end. Denet hor , on t he ot her hand, pr i des hi msel f as a man
of knowl edge. When hi s knowl edge l eads hi mt o bel i eve t he f i ght i s
hopel ess, he can' t accept def eat and, gi vi ng i n t o despai r , commi t s
sui ci de. I r oni cal l y, hi s sui ci de i ndi r ect l y causes Theoden' s deat h.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: EOWYN

The ni ece of Theoden, Eowyn i s t he most f ul l y devel oped f emal e char act er
i n Tol ki en' s wor ks. She f eel s caged, f i r st at havi ng t o t ake car e of her
ai l i ng uncl e, t hen at bei ng l ef t behi nd when t he ar my r i des i nt o bat t l e.
She desi r es gl or y, not j ust dul l dut y. She f al l s i n l ove wi t h Ar agor n,
and when he doesn' t r et ur n her l ove, she seeks deat h i n bat t l e. Cal l i ng
her sel f Der nhel m, she di sgui ses her sel f as a young war r i or and becomes a
her o by ki l l i ng t he l eader of t he r i ngwr ai t hs. Eowyn i s f i nal l y cur ed of
her deat h wi sh when she f al l s i n l ove wi t h Far ami r . I nst ead of ear ni ng
gl or y i n bat t l e, she now want s t o be a heal er .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THE RI NGWRAI THS ( BLACK
RI DERS, NAZGUL, THE NI NE, FELL RI DERS)

Thei r capt ai n i s cal l ed t he Bl ack Capt ai n, t he Dar k Capt ai n, t he Mor gul
ki ng, and t he Wi t ch- l or d of Angmar . The r i ngwr ai t hs wer e ni ne men who
ser ved Saur on and f el l under t he power of t he r i ngs he had made f or t he
r ace of men. Now t hey have f aded i nt o a shadow wor l d and ar e i nvi si bl e.
Thei r cr y dr i ves men t o despai r . Some r eader s say t hat t he r i ngwr ai t hs
coul dn' t cause such despai r unl ess t hey t hemsel ves f el t i t .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: TOM BOMBADI L

TomBombadi l was named af t er a dol l t hat bel onged t o Tol ki en' s daught er .
Fr odo and hi s f r i ends meet hi mwhen he comes t o t hei r r escue i n t he Ol d
For est . Hi s appear ance i s humor ous: he i s a shor t ol d man wi t h yel l ow
boot s and a bl ue coat , and when t he hobbi t s f i r st see hi mhe i s hoppi ng
and danci ng down t he pat h, car r yi ng l i l i es and si ngi ng nonsense songs.

But Tompr oves t o be a ver y power f ul bei ng. Even t he Ri ng has no ef f ect
on hi m; i n f act , he' s abl e t o make t he Ri ng vani sh. Hi s wi f e, Gol dber r y,
says t hat Tomi s t he El dest , and mast er over al l . Wi t h hi s gr eat power ,
he coul d ser ve as a st r ong al l y agai nst Saur on. But when Gandal f speaks
about hi ml at er , he says t hat Tomi s not i nvol ved i n t hi s bat t l e. The
Ri ng means not hi ng t o Tom, and i f t hey asked hi mt o guar d i t he woul d
pr obabl y f or get about i t and l ose i t .

Tomi s one of Tol ki en' s char act er s who ar e cl osel y associ at ed wi t h t he
nat ur al wor l d. I n f act , many r eader s t hi nk of TomBombadi l as a
per soni f i cat i on of nat ur e. Hi s l ack of i nvol vement i n t he war agai nst
Saur on i s seen as a si gn of nat ur e' s neut r al i t y i n t he war bet ween good
and evi l .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: TREEBEARD ( FANGORN)

Tr eebear d t he Ent i s anot her char act er who i s cl osel y associ at ed wi t h
nat ur e. Ther e' s a st or y t hat Tol ki en i nvent ed t he Ent s f or one of hi s
sons, who was di st r essed t o see so many t r ees cut down i n t he name of
pr ogr ess, and want ed t o see t he t r ees get r evenge. Tr eebear d l eads t he
Ent s, a r ace of t r eel i ke cr eat ur es, agai nst Sar uman, whose or cs have been
want onl y cut t i ng down t r ees.

Li ke TomBombadi l , Tr eebear d i s neut r al i n t he war agai nst Saur on. He
t el l s Mer r y and Pi ppi n t hat t he onl y r eason t he Ent s at t ack Sar uman i s
t hat he has been dest r oyi ng t he f or est .


^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: SETTI NG

The event s i n The Hobbi t and The Lor d of t he Ri ngs t ake pl ace i n t he
i magi nar y wor l d of Mi ddl e- ear t h, whi ch i s i nhabi t ed by f ant ast i c peopl e
and ani mal s, such as el ves, wi zar ds, and dr agons, who ar e r at her human i n
many ways. Some peopl e say t hat si nce t he wor ks ar e set i n a wor l d t hat
coul d never exi st , t hey have no r el evance t o our own. However , many
aut hor s have used i nvent ed set t i ngs t o make t el l i ng poi nt s about t he r eal
wor l d. Some wel l - known exampl es ar e Gul l i ver ' s Tr avel s by J onat han Swi f t
and Ani mal Far mby Geor ge Or wel l . Fur t her mor e, accor di ng t o Tol ki en,
Mi ddl e- ear t h i s not hi ng mor e t han our own wor l d i n t he r emot e past . The
name Mi ddl e- ear t h i t sel f i s act ual l y an ar chai c wor d f or t he ear t h.
Al t hough wi zar ds, el ves, and dr agons may no l onger exi st , t he pr i nci pl es
r ul i ng Mi ddl e- ear t h ar e st i l l i n ef f ect t oday.

Tol ki en t r i es t o dr aw you i nt o hi s f i ct i onal wor l d by cr eat i ng t he
i mpr essi on t hat Mi ddl e- ear t h i s a r eal pl ace. He descr i bes i n det ai l t he
l andscape, f i l l i ng i t wi t h t he f ami l i ar pl ant s and ani mal s of Ear t h. The
books, on one l evel , ar e a t our t hr ough Mi ddl e- ear t h. You l ear n t he names
and backgr ound of di f f er ent l andmar ks. You al so meet t he i nhabi t ant s of
Mi ddl e- ear t h and l ear n somet hi ng about t hei r cust oms and hi st or i es.
You' l l pr obabl y enj oy t hese det ai l s, even t hough most ar e not essent i al
t o t he pl ot . But al l t hi s i nf or mat i on can al so be conf usi ng. I n t he i ndex
at t he end of The Lor d of t he Ri ngs you wi l l f i nd t he names of peopl e,
pl aces, and t hi ngs. At t he begi nni ng of each vol ume you wi l l f i nd maps t o
hel p you f ol l ow t he act i on t hr ough Mi ddl e- ear t h. Al so, a br i ef hi st or y of
Mi ddl e- ear t h i s gi ven i n t he end of t hi s gui de.

The set t i ng f or ms a ver y i mpor t ant par t of t he st or y. Pl aces such as t he
Shi r e, Ri vendel l , and Lor i en ar e di f f er ent f or ms of ut opi as, pr esent i ng
some of Tol ki en' s t hought s about t he i deal soci et y- - f or exampl e, t hat
humans shoul d l i ve i n har mony wi t h nat ur e. Evi l i s of t en associ at ed wi t h
par t i cul ar l ocat i ons, such as Saur on' s st r onghol d i n Mor dor . I t i s al so
associ at ed wi t h mount ai ns and bar r en l andscapes; compar e t he Desol at i on
of Smaug, f or exampl e, wi t h t he wast el ands ar ound Mor dor .

Encount er s wi t h danger i n Tol ki en' s books of t en occur i n mount ai ns or i n
a f or est . A char act er ' s passage i nt o an under gr ound pl ace or i nt o a dense
f or est can be i nt er pr et ed as a descent i nt o t he per son' s subconsci ous. I n
ot her wor ds, t he danger t hat t he char act er f aces i s symbol i c of an
i nt er nal st r uggl e. So, f or exampl e, when Bi l bo meet s Gol l umi n t he
under gr ound l ake, he' s act ual l y meet i ng a par t of hi s subconsci ous. I n
ot her wor ds, t he epi sode wi t h Gol l ummay be i nt er pr et ed as Bi l bo
conf r ont i ng t he pot ent i al f or evi l wi t hi n hi msel f . Tol ki en di sl i ked such
i nt er pr et at i ons, however , and i nsi st ed t hat hi s books be t aken at f ace
val ue.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THEMES

The f ol l owi ng ar e t hemes of The Hobbi t and The Lor d of t he Ri ngs.

1. STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVI L

The f or ces of good i n Mi ddl e- ear t h ar e engaged i n a cont i nui ng st r uggl e
agai nst evi l . What wi l l be t he f i nal out come of t hi s st r uggl e? Some
r eader s t hi nk Tol ki en i ndi cat es evi l wi l l pr evai l , whi l e ot her s say he' s
opt i mi st i c about t he ul t i mat e vi ct or y of good.

Those f eel i ng Tol ki en t hi nks evi l wi l l wi n out not e t hat i t ' s l ef t t o
seemi ngl y power l ess i ndi vi dual s l i ke Fr odo t o f ace t he over whel mi ng f or ce
of evi l . These i ndi vi dual s must st r uggl e on wi t h no hope f or assi st ance
f r omsomeone mor e power f ul , and wi t h l i t t l e hope f or vi ct or y or even
sur vi val . Vi ct or y, when i t i s achi eved, comes onl y at gr eat cost t o t he
f or ces of good. And i t seems t o wi n onl y a br eat hi ng space, bar el y enough
t i me t o r ecover bef or e evi l agai n ar i ses and t hr eat ens t he f r eedomof
Mi ddl e- ear t h.

Ot her r eader s see a st r ong vei n of opt i mi smi n Tol ki en' s wor ks. They
poi nt t o t he f act t hat t he i nhabi t ant s of Mi ddl e- ear t h ar e hel ped i n
t hei r f i ght by a benevol ent power . The wor ki ngs of t hat power ar e sel dom
vi si bl e t o t he i ndi vi dual s i n t he mi dst of t he act i on, but a l ar ger
vi ewpoi nt r eveal s a gr and desi gn. Even evi l deeds ar e t ur ned t o good
pur pose- - f or exampl e, when Mer r y and Pi ppi n' s capt ur e by t he or cs ser ves
t o br i ng t hemt o Fangor n i n t i me t o r ouse t he Ent s agai nst t he evi l
wi zar d Sar uman. Thi s seems t o i mpl y t hat good i s st r onger and mor e
l ast i ng t han evi l .

Keep t hese t wo vi ewpoi nt s i n mi nd as you r ead t he book. Look f or evi dence
t o suppor t one or t he ot her , and deci de whi ch you t hi nk bet t er expl ai ns
Tol ki en' s wor ks.

2. DETERMI NI SM VS. FREE WI LL

The quest i on of det er mi ni smi s onl y hi nt ed at i n t he l ast chapt er of The
Hobbi t , when Gandal f suggest s t o Bi l bo t hat hi s advent ur es may have been
managed f or some hi gher pur pose. But i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs i t i s
r epeat edl y emphasi zed t hat seemi ngl y r andomevent s ar e par t of some gr and
desi gn. Each of Tol ki en' s char act er s t her e has a bi g or smal l par t t o
pl ay i n t hat desi gn. The act i ons of evi l char act er s ar e t ur ned t o good,
agai nst t hei r wi l l . The mai n weapon of evi l - - despai r - - i s used t o t ur n
peopl e f r omt hei r assi gned t asks and so f oi l t he desi gns of good. These
el ement s i n t he wor ks make peopl e seeml i ke puppet s mani pul at ed by
opposi ng power s of good and evi l .

Tol ki en, however , al so not es t he i mpor t ance of f r ee wi l l . Hi s char act er s
ar e f r ee t o accept or r ej ect possi bl e cour ses of act i on. The f or ces of
good i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, such as Gandal f and Gal adr i el , r espect
t hi s f r eedomt o choose. They cont i nual l y t el l ot her s t hat t hey not onl y
can but must make t hei r own deci si ons. Not even t he pr ospect of t ot al
def eat can j ust i f y i nt er f er i ng wi t h t he f r ee wi l l of ot her s. The f or ces
of evi l , on t he ot her hand, seek t o dest r oy f r ee wi l l .

I t may be ar gued t hat , accor di ng t o Tol ki en, f r ee wi l l i s onl y an
i l l usi on. Many t i mes char act er s make i mpor t ant deci si ons wi t hout knowi ng
why t hey made t hem. Bi l bo, f or exampl e, i s never sur e j ust how he ended
up l eavi ng hi s comf or t abl e home t o j oi n t he dwar ves on t hei r advent ur e.
Do you t hi nk t hat such deci si ons ar e t r ul y f r ee, or ar e Tol ki en' s
char act er s bei ng mani pul at ed wi t hout t hei r knowl edge? Keep t hi s quest i on
i n mi nd as you r ead t he wor ks.

3. NATURE OR HEROI SM

I t i s i n t hei r dar kest moment s t hat Tol ki en' s char act er s seemt o r i se
above t hemsel ves and become t r ul y her oi c. Thei r her oi smdoes not come
f r omgr eat st r engt h or cunni ng, but f r omt he i ndomi t abl e wi l l t o cont i nue
as l ong as t her e i s a means t o r esi st . Thi s i s a ki nd of her oi smt hat
even t he physi cal l y weak can achi eve, as shown by Tol ki en' s hobbi t s.

4. RESPONSI BLE USE OF POWER

I n Mi ddl e- ear t h, power i s a danger ous t hi ng t hat can t ur n agai nst t hose
who wi el d i t . The f or ces of good i n Mi ddl e- ear t h, such as El r ond and
Gandal f , r ecogni ze t hi s danger and ar e ver y car ef ul how t hey use t hei r
power . They know t hat no mat t er how good t hei r i nt ent i on, t hey wi l l f i nd
t hei r pur pose per ver t ed i f t hey r esor t t o f or ce. The best exampl e of t hi s
i s t hei r r ef usal t o use t he Ri ng. The Ri ng gi ves t he power t o domi nat e
ot her s, and wi t h i t t hey coul d over t hr ow Saur on. But t he Ri ng al so
domi nat es t he wi l l of whoever wear s i t . Even i f Gandal f used t he Ri ng
onl y out of t he wor t hy desi r e t o hel p ot her s, he' d f al l under i t s
i nf l uence and t ur n i nt o anot her Dar k Lor d l i ke Saur on.

Al t hough t he f or ces of good wi l l not use t he power t o domi nat e ot her s,
t hey do have ot her power s avai l abl e t o t hem- - t he power t o heal , t he power
t o under st and, and t he power t o cr eat e beaut y. But t hese seempi t i f ul l y
smal l i n t he f ace of Saur on' s power , and t he t empt at i on t o " f i ght f i r e
wi t h f i r e" i s st r ong.

5. COMMON PEOPLE VS. THE ELI TE

Tol ki en bel i eved i n t he power of common peopl e. Thi s can be seen most
cl ear l y i n t he hobbi t s. They ar e weak and of t en f ool i sh, yet capabl e of
gr eat act s of her oi smt hat amaze even t he ver y wi se and t he ver y st r ong.

The opposi t e poi nt of vi ew, el i t i sm, i s al so appar ent i n Tol ki en' s wor ks.
Hi s her oes seemt o be a sel ect f ew, chosen f or t he t ask of savi ng t he
wor l d f r omevi l . The or di nar y peopl e, such as t he men of Lake- t own and
t he hobbi t s of t he Shi r e, ar e of t en depi ct ed as si mpl e and compl acent .
Some peopl e see el i t i smas a bad t hi ng. Ot her s don' t : Peopl e ar en' t al l
equal , t hey say, and i t i s t he r esponsi bi l i t y of t he st r ong t o hel p t he
weak. Whi ch vi ew do you f avor ? Why?

6. I MPORTANCE OF FRI ENDSHI P

I t i s not l of t y pr i nci pl es but l ove f or l and and f r i ends t hat gi ves
Tol ki en' s char act er s t he st r engt h t o make t he r i ght choi ces i n t he
di f f i cul t deci si ons t hey f ace. The evi l char act er s, who l ack t hi s
capaci t y f or f r i endshi p, hur t t hei r own ef f or t s by f i ght i ng among
t hemsel ves. Tol ki en goes f ur t her t o show t hat f r i endshi p shoul d not be
gi ven j ust wi t hi n a cl osed ci r cl e but shoul d be ext ended t o al l peopl e.

7. EVI LS OF POSSESSI VENESS

I n The Hobbi t t he evi l s of possessi veness can be easi l y seen. The dwar ves
ar e cor r upt ed by t hei r desi r e f or t r easur e, and t hei r gr eed al most l eads
t o war wi t h men and el ves. But possessi veness can al so be t he r oot of t he
desi r e t o domi nat e ot her s t hat l eads t o t he evi l i n The Lor d of t he
Ri ngs. Do you know what i t ' s l i ke t o have anot her per son f eel possessi ve
t owar d you? Such peopl e can' t seemt o al l ow you your own i dent i t y- - your
own f r ee wi l l - - and ar e unhappy i f you ar en' t exact l y what t hey want you
t o be. Now i magi ne i f someone f el t t hat way about t he wor l d, want i ng t o
make ever yt hi ng go hi s way and havi ng t he power t o accompl i sh t hi s. He' d
hat e anyt hi ng t hat had a wi l l of i t s own and woul d want t o domi nat e i t .
He mi ght t r y t o ensl ave al l manki nd. I f he wasn' t abl e t o f or ce nat ur e t o
hi s wi l l , he mi ght even at t empt t o dest r oy i t . Thi s i s exact l y what
Saur on t r i es t o do i n Mi ddl e- ear t h; he r educes count r ysi de t o wast el and,
ensl aves ot her s t hr ough t he l esser Ri ngs of power , and at t empt s t o r ul e
al l of Mi ddl e- ear t h.

8. RELATI ONSHI P BETWEEN MAN AND NATURE

Nat ur e pl ays an i mpor t ant r ol e i n Tol ki en' s wor ks. Thr ough char act er s
l i ke TomBombadi l and t he Ent s, Tol ki en seems t o be sayi ng t hat nat ur e i s
an ent i t y separ at e f r omour sel ves, somet hi ng t o be r espect ed, not
domi nat ed. Hi s good char act er s have a gr eat r espect and l ove f or nat ur e,
whi l e t he evi l ones dest r oy nat ur e. Fur t her mor e, t hose who l i ve cl ose t o
nat ur e, such as t he hobbi t s and t he el ves of Lor i en, seemt o dr aw gr eat
power f or good f r omi t .

9. EVI LS OF TECHNOLOGY

Thi s i s r el at ed t o t he pr evi ous t heme, f or Tol ki en saw t echnol ogy as
somet hi ng t hat dest r oys nat ur e. Mi ddl e- ear t h i s f or t he most par t a
pr et echnol ogi cal wor l d. The onl y t echnol ogy t hat exi st s i s i nt r oduced by
t he f or ces of evi l and i s used i n dest r uct i ve ways. To Tol ki en,
t echnol ogy r epr esent s t he evi l s of t he moder n wor l d: ugl i ness,
deper sonal i zat i on, and t he separ at i on of man f r omnat ur e.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: STYLE

Tol ki en uses a var i et y of st yl es i n hi s wor ks. The Hobbi t i s most l y
wr i t t en i n r el at i vel y si mpl e, f r i endl y l anguage: " Wi t h t hat t he hobbi t
t ur ned and scut t l ed i nsi de hi s r ound gr een door , and shut i t as qui ckl y
as he dar ed, not t o seemr ude. " Tol ki en' s use of t hi s ki nd of st yl e makes
sense when you r eal i ze t hat t he book was or i gi nal l y publ i shed as a
chi l dr en' s book.

The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, whi ch had been begun as a sequel t o The Hobbi t ,
st ar t s out i n si mi l ar st yl e. But Tol ki en soon r eal i zed t hat i t woul d be a
book of much wi der scope t han The Hobbi t , and, accor di ngl y, not f ar i nt o
t he st or y he i nt r oduces a mor e ser i ous t one. Somet i mes he uses si mpl e,
conver sat i onal speech: " When Fr odo came t o hi msel f he was st i l l cl ut chi ng
t he Ri ng desper at el y. " At ot her t i mes he uses a ver y f or mal st yl e,
r emi ni scent of t he l anguage of bot h anci ent epi cs and t he Bi bl e: " And
t her e came Gandal f on f oot and wi t h hi mone cl oaked i n gr ey; and t hey met
bef or e t he door s of t he Houses of Heal i ng. "

You wi l l f i nd many songs or poems scat t er ed t hr oughout Tol ki en' s books.
You may be t empt ed t o ski p over t hese songs, but t ake a l ook at t hem
anyway. They ser ve i mpor t ant pur poses. They hel p char act er i ze t he peopl e
si ngi ng t hem. They al so add humor or set t he mood i n some scenes. I n
addi t i on, Tol ki en' s char act er s at t i mes use songs i n t he anci ent
t r adi t i on of t el l i ng t al es t hr ough song, as t he mi nst r el s of medi eval
Eur ope di d. Keep i n mi nd t hat Tol ki en di d not t r y t o wr i t e pol i shed
poet r y. I nst ead, he t r i ed t o make hi s songs sound l i ke somet hi ng t hat hi s
char act er s woul d make up t hemsel ves.

As a schol ar of l anguage, Tol ki en has a good ear f or t he ways di f f er ent
peopl e t al k. Hi s char act er s and t hei r di f f er ent r aces have di st i nct i ve
st yl es of speech t hat r eveal a l ot about t hei r per sonal i t i es. Look at
t hi s exchange, f or exampl e, bet ween Bi l bo and one of t he dwar ves i n The
Hobbi t :

" Good- bye and good l uck, wher ever you f ar e! " sai d Bal i n at l ast . " I f ever
you vi si t us agai n, when our hal l s ar e made f ai r once mor e, t hen t he
f east shal l i ndeed be spl endi d! "

" I f ever you ar e passi ng my way, " sai d Bi l bo, " don' t wai t t o knock! Tea
i s at f our , but any of you ar e wel come at any t i me! "

As you can see, t he mai n char act er i st i c of Tol ki en' s st yl e i s t o use
l anguage i n a var i et y of ways. He even i nvent ed l anguages f or hi s
di f f er ent r aces, such as t he el ves and t he dwar ves. You may f i nd i t
i nt er est i ng t o choose a scene t hat you especi al l y l i ke and r ead i t
cl osel y, not i ng t he var i ous ways t hat Tol ki en uses wor ds.

Tol ki en al so used ot her t echni ques of st yl e, such as per soni f i cat i on,
met aphor , and i mager y. These ar e di scussed at var i ous poi nt s i n The St or y
sect i on of t hi s gui de.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: POI NT OF VI EW

Tol ki en' s wor ks ar e wr i t t en i n t he t hi r d per son and sound as t hough t hey
ar e st or i es bei ng t ol d al oud. I n The Hobbi t , t he nar r at or speaks as i f
he' s t el l i ng a st or y t o chi l dr en, of t en i nt er r upt i ng hi msel f t o make
l i t t l e asi des. He al so cr eat es a ver y cl ear mor al f r amewor k f or t he
st or y, t el l i ng you f r omt he onset whet her a char act er i s good or bad or
somewher e i n bet ween. Thi s i s appr opr i at e f or chi l dr en, who usual l y want
t o be abl e t o easi l y di f f er ent i at e good and evi l char act er s. I n The Lor d
of t he Ri ngs, whi ch i s i nt ended f or adul t s, Tol ki en no l onger does t hi s.
I nst ead he r emai ns f or t he most par t out si de t he st or y, l eavi ng i t up t o
t he char act er s t o j udge each ot her .

The nar r at or usual l y f ol l ows t he st or y t hr ough t he eyes of one of t he
hobbi t s. Thi s ser ves t wo pur poses. Fi r st , t he hobbi t i s gener al l y
consi der ed t o be a r epr esent at i ve of t he moder n wor l d, a comf or t abl y
f ami l i ar char act er you can i dent i f y wi t h i n a book f i l l ed wi t h such
magi cal i mages as wi zar ds and el ves. Second, f ol l owi ng t he st or y f r omt he
hobbi t s' poi nt of vi ew makes t he hobbi t s t he her oes of t he book, pl aci ng
an emphasi s on t hei r t r ai t s and t hei r way of l ooki ng at t he wor l d. I n
t hi s way, Tol ki en shows t he i mpor t ance of or di nar y peopl e and r eveal s
what i t i s t hat he bel i eves makes t hemso speci al .

Whi l e t he nar r at or of t hese books gener al l y f ol l ows t he st or y f r omt he
poi nt of vi ew of a char act er , he' s not l i mi t ed by t hat char act er ' s
knowl edge. He' s abl e t o st ep out of t he st or y and of f er i nf or mat i on and
i nsi ght s t hat t he char act er s ar e not awar e of . I n t hi s way he' s abl e t o
show you t he t ot al pi ct ur e, whi ch can r eveal a cl ear pat t er n and pur pose
behi nd seemi ngl y r andomevent s, whi l e at t he same t i me he shows how t hese
event s appear t o t he i ndi vi dual s i nvol ved.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: FORM AND STRUCTURE

The Hobbi t and The Lor d of t he Ri ngs ar e si mi l ar i n st r uct ur e. Bot h ar e
or gani zed ar ound t he i dea of a j our ney i nt o t he unknown and back agai n,
maki ng t he st or i es ci r cul ar i n f or m. Each j our ney can be r oughl y di vi ded
i nt o f our par t s: a per i od of i ni t i at i on, t he f ul f i l l ment of a quest , a
bat t l e or bat t l es, and t he r et ur n home.

I n t he f i r st par t , t he i nexper i enced her o of t he st or y set s out on a
j our ney wi t h a gr oup of compani ons. The st or y pr ogr esses f r omone saf e
haven t o anot her , wi t h danger ous epi sodes i n bet ween. I n The Hobbi t , f or
exampl e, Bi l bo and t he dwar ves set out f r omBi l bo' s comf or t abl e home i nt o
t he Wi l ds. Af t er f aci ng t he t r ol l s, t hey ar r i ve i n Ri vendel l , wher e t hey
r epl eni sh t hei r suppl i es. They ar e at t acked by gobl i ns whi l e cr ossi ng t he
Mi st y Mount ai ns, and at l ast r each t he saf et y of Beor n' s home. Fr omt her e
t hey pass t hr ough t he danger s of Mi r kwood and ar r i ve i n Lake- t own. Fr odo
and hi s f r i ends have a si mi l ar ser i es of advent ur es i n The Fel l owshi p of
t he Ri ng, t he f i r st par t of The Lor d of t he Ri ngs.

These advent ur es ser ve as a per i od of i ni t i at i on: t hr ough t hem, Bi l bo and
Fr odo ar e pr epar ed f or t he t asks t hat st i l l awai t t hem. These
ent er t ai ni ng epi sodes al so gi ve Tol ki en an oppor t uni t y t o pr esent
char act er s and t hemes.

The saf e havens ser ve a si mi l ar f unct i on, i nt r oduci ng t hemes and
char act er s. I n cont r ast t o t he act i on of t he ot her scenes, t hey pr ovi de a
" t abl eaux, " a gr aphi c r epr esent at i on of a pl ace or cul t ur e. Thi s i s
especi al l y t r ue of The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, wi t h i t s pi ct ur es of Ri vendel l ,
Lor i en, and Fangor n For est , j ust t o name a f ew. These pl aces add t o t he
sense of t he hi st or y and cul t ur es of Mi ddl e- ear t h and pl ace t he pl ot
wi t hi n t he f r amewor k of t hi s hi st or y. Many peopl e bel i eve t hat t hi s
bal ance bet ween t he f ast - paced act i on of t he her e and now and t he sl ow,
gr and sweep of hi st or y i s par t of what makes Tol ki en' s books st and out as
somet hi ng mor e t han j ust advent ur e st or i es.

The second par t of each st or y concer ns t he f ul f i l l ment of t he quest ,
wher e t he her o f aces hi s moment of t r ut h. ( Bi l bo' s par t i n t he quest i s
t o hel p r ecover t he t r easur e; Fr odo' s quest i s t o dest r oy t he Ri ng. ) Each
must conf r ont hi s f ear s and conquer t hemal one. I t i s at t hi s poi nt t hat
t he char act er appear s as a t r ul y her oi c f i gur e.

The t hi r d par t of t he st or y concer ns a war bet ween t he f or ces of good and
evi l . ( I n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, you wi l l not i ce, t he st or y of t he quest
and t he st or y of t he war ar e i nt er t wi ned. ) The good si de seems hopel essl y
out cl assed, but somehow manages t o emer ge vi ct or i ous at t he l ast mi nut e.
Tol ki en has been bui l di ng t o t hi s moment f r omt he begi nni ng of t he st or y.
Each pr ecedi ng epi sode al so seemed bound f or di sast er . Each t i me, t he
danger has become mor e gr i m, and t he hope of r escue has st eadi l y
decr eased, unt i l t he her o has onl y hi msel f t o r el y on. As t he danger
i ncr eases, so does t he l evel of exci t ement unt i l yet anot her dar i ng
escape i s managed.

I n The Hobbi t t he danger and t he exci t ement r each a peak when t he f or ces
of good seemabout t o be over come by t he f or ces of evi l . I n The Lor d of
t he Ri ngs, Tol ki en bui l ds t o t wo si mul t aneous peaks. One occur s at t he
poi nt when Saur on' s f or ces sweep down on t he smal l ar my l ed by Ar agor n at
t he gat es of Mor dor . The ot her occur s i nsi de Mor dor , as Fr odo st r uggl es
wi t h Gol l umon t he edge of t he Cr ack of Doom, wher e t he Ri ng i s t o be
dest r oyed. Bot h t he war and t he quest r each t hei r r esol ut i on i n t he same
i nst ant , when t he Ri ng i s dest r oyed and wi t h i t , Saur on' s power .

The f our t h and f i nal par t of each st or y ser ves t o wi nd t hi ngs down. The
her o r et ur ns home, l ooki ng f or war d t o comf or t . He f i nds i nst ead t hat hi s
home i s t hr eat ened. But he has gr own t hr ough hi s exper i ences and i s abl e
t o r egai n what i s hi s.

Of cour se, t her e ar e many i mpor t ant di f f er ences bet ween t he t wo wor ks.
The Hobbi t f ol l ows t he st or y t hr ough Bi l bo' s eyes and t el l s of event s i n
a chr onol ogi cal sequence. I n ot her wor ds, you hear about t hi ngs as t hey
happen, r at her t han j umpi ng ahead t o f ut ur e event s, or f l ashi ng back t o
somet hi ng t hat happened i n t he past . When Tol ki en depar t s f r omt hi s
chr onol ogi cal sequence i n The Hobbi t , he car ef ul l y gui des you t hr ough t he
j ump i n t i me: " Now i f you wi sh, l i ke t he dwar ves, t o hear news of Smaug,
you must go back agai n t o t he eveni ng when he smashed t he door and f l ew
of f i n a r age, t wo days bef or e. "

The st or y l i ne of The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, on t he ot her hand, i s much mor e
compl i cat ed. The Lor d of t he Ri ngs i s a t r i l ogy, consi st i ng of t hr ee
vol umes ( Par t s One t o Thr ee) di vi ded i nt o si x sect i ons ( Books I t hr ough
VI ) . The novel j umps back and f or t h i n t i me, f ol l owi ng t he st or i es of
sever al char act er s. The var i ous st or y l i nes f i nal l y conver ge near t he end
when al l t he char act er s ar e r euni t ed as Ar agor n i s cr owned ki ng of
Gondor . Tol ki en uses t hese shi f t s i n vi ewpoi nt t o good ef f ect , of t en
endi ng hi s scenes as cl i f f - hanger s, sl owl y bui l di ng t he t ensi on t o i t s
cl i max. But t r yi ng t o f ol l ow t he di f f er ent st or y l i nes as he j umps back
and f or t h f r omone t o t he ot her can be ver y di f f i cul t . Tol ki en doesn' t
gui de you t hr ough t hemas he di d i n The Hobbi t . But he does gi ve cl ues t o
hel p you put t he pi eces i n or der . For exampl e, when Tol ki en r et ur ns t o
Samand Fr odo i n Book VI , he shows you t hat he' s j umpi ng back i n t i me by
t el l i ng you what Mer r y, Pi ppi n, and Ar agor n ar e doi ng at t he same moment .

Many peopl e have comment ed t hat The Hobbi t i s l i ke a si mpl e f ai r y t al e,
wher eas The Lor d of t he Ri ngs i s mor e l i ke a gr eat epi c poemof t he past ,
such as The Odyssey of Homer or Beowul f , t he f amous Ol d Engl i sh t al e of
her oi sm. Li ke bot h f ai r y t al es and epi cs, Tol ki en' s books ar e st or i es of
her oi smi n an i magi nar y wor l d f i l l ed wi t h f ant ast i c peopl e and cr eat ur es.
But The Hobbi t , l i ke many f ai r y t al es, i s f i r st and f or emost t he st or y of
an i ndi vi dual ' s gr owt h i nt o mat ur i t y. I t has a f ai r y- t al e endi ng, wi t h
Bi l bo smoki ng happi l y on hi s pi pe many year s l at er , r i ch f r omhi s
advent ur es and sat i sf i ed wi t h hi s l i f e. An epi c, on t he ot her hand, t r i es
t o r el at e t he her o' s st or y t o a l ong hi st or y and i s mor e concer ned wi t h
quest i ons of mor al choi ces and t he f at e of al l men, t han wi t h i t s
i ndi vi dual her o. I n f act , many epi cs, such as Beowul f , end wi t h t he deat h
of t hei r her oes. The Lor d of t he Ri ngs shar es t hese char act er i st i cs of
epi cs. Unl i ke Bi l bo, Fr odo doesn' t l i ve happi l y ever af t er . He' s been
wounded physi cal l y and al so psychi cal l y by t he l oss of t he Ri ng. Hi s
passage t o t he Bl essed Real mat t he end of t he book may be i nt er pr et ed as
a symbol i c deat h.

Par t of Tol ki en' s geni us l i es i n t he way he combi ned t he f or ms of f ai r y
t al e and epi c. The her oes of most epi cs ar e l ar ger t han l i f e, possessi ng
gr eat st r engt h and abi l i t y, l i ke t he super her oes of comi c books. But
peopl e nowadays f i nd i t har d t o i dent i f y wi t h such i mpossi bl e her oes.
Fr odo, an or di nar y per son who has been t hr ust i nt o a si t uat i on beyond hi s
abi l i t i es, i s a mor e sui t abl e her o f or a moder n audi ence. Ar agor n, on t he
ot her hand, i s a cl assi c epi c her o. But he has a f ai r y- t al e endi ng,
wi nni ng a ki ngdomand mar r yi ng hi s l i f el ong l ove. So you see, Tol ki en
di dn' t j ust copy t he ol d f or ms of f ai r y t al e and epi c. He r ewor ked t hem
t o meet t he needs of a moder n audi ence. Fr omt he gr eat success of hi s
books, he seems t o have achi eved hi s goal .

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THE STORI ES

I n t hi s di scussi on, t he chapt er s i n The Hobbi t and The Lor d of t he Ri ngs
ar e gr ouped i nt o sect i ons. The sect i ons i n The Hobbi t cor r espond t o t he
ser i es of advent ur es of Bi l bo. Tol ki en hi msel f di vi ded The Lor d of t he
Ri ngs i nt o si x sect i ons, or books. I n our di scussi on of t he st or y, each
of t he si x books i s f ur t her di vi ded i nt o t wo r oughl y equal par t s.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T: CHAPTERS 1- 3

Bi l bo set s out on hi s advent ur e wi t h Gandal f and t he dwar ves. Af t er a
near - f at al encount er wi t h t hr ee t r ol l s, t he t r avel er s ar r i ve i n t he haven
of Ri vendel l .

*

Bi l bo Baggi ns i s a wel l - t o- do, r espect abl e hobbi t who l i ves al one i n hi s
t i dy hobbi t - hol e. The comf or t abl e or der of hi s l i f e i s di sr upt ed one day
when Gandal f t he wi zar d and t hi r t een dwar ves ar r i ve at hi s door . Tr yi ng
t o act as t hough not hi ng i s out of t he or di nar y, Bi l bo i nvi t es t hemi n
f or t ea and cakes. Bi l bo' s pr edi cament i s amusi ng t o many r eader s, as he
r uns ar ound r ed- f aced and f l ust er ed, answer i ng t he door bel l and ser vi ng
hi s uni nvi t ed guest s.

Thi s ki nd of humor i s one aspect of Tol ki en' s st yl e t hat some r eader s
di sl i ke, f i ndi ng i t t oo chi l di sh and si mpl e. Ot her s consi der i t
del i ght f ul . I t ser ves an i mpor t ant pur pose, however . You may f i nd t he
exi st ence of dwar ves, wi zar ds, and hobbi t s har d t o accept . Tol ki en
ant i ci pat es t hat r eact i on and gent l y r i di cul es hi s char act er s, hopi ng t o
di sar myou. He doesn' t yet r equi r e you t o t ake t hemser i ousl y.

NOTE: THE ORI GI NS OF HOBBI TS The best i nf or mat i on on how Tol ki en
devel oped hi s hobbi t s comes f r omt he aut hor hi msel f : " The Hobbi t s ar e
j ust r ust i c Engl i sh peopl e, made smal l i n si ze because i t r ef l ect s t he
gener al l y smal l r each of t hei r i magi nat i on- - not t he smal l r each of t hei r
cour age or l at ent power . " He al so admi t t ed t o what may seema sur pr i si ng
l i t er ar y sour ce, t he novel Babbi t t by Si ncl ai r Lewi s, an unsympat het i c
por t r ayal of an Amer i can busi nessman. How does t he mai n char act er i n t hat
book r el at e t o Tol ki en' s hobbi t s? Accor di ng t o Tol ki en, " Babbi t t has t he
same bour geoi s smugness t hat hobbi t s do. Hi s wor l d i s t he same l i mi t ed
pl ace. "

Unl i ke Si ncl ai r Lewi s and Babbi t t , Tol ki en por t r ays hi s hobbi t s i n a
sympat het i c l i ght . Tol ki en of t en compar ed hi msel f t o hobbi t s and once
sai d, " [ They wer e] j ust what I coul d have l i ked t o have been, but never
was. " You may wonder why anyone woul d want t o be l i ke Bi l bo Baggi ns. You
wi l l have t o wai t t o see what i t i s t hat makes hobbi t s so speci al t o
Tol ki en and hobbi t f ans.

Thor i n, t he dwar ves' sel f - i mpor t ant l eader , i s t he gr andson of Thr ai n,
who once r ul ed a ki ngdomof dwar ves under t he Lonel y Mount ai n. One day a
dr agon named Smaug descended on t he mount ai n, ki l l i ng most of t he dwar ves
and st eal i ng t hei r t r easur e. Now Thor i n and t he ot her t wel ve dwar ves
i nt end t o r et ur n t o t he mount ai n, avenge t hei r ki n, and r ecover t he
t r easur e.

Gandal f has pi cked Bi l bo t o be t hei r bur gl ar , but t he dwar ves ar en' t t oo
happy wi t h t he wi zar d' s choi ce. Bi l bo cer t ai nl y doesn' t seemver y
qual i f i ed f or t he j ob. He' s a t i mi d l i t t l e f el l ow who f ai nt s at t he t al k
of danger . But Gandal f says t hat t her e' s mor e t o Bi l bo t han even Bi l bo
r eal i zes. Under Gandal f ' s f i er ce gaze, t he dwar ves r el ent . But have t hey
r eal l y accept ed t he hobbi t ?

Bi l bo doesn' t seemt o be t oo sur e t hat he want s t o be a bur gl ar . Par t of
hi ml ongs f or advent ur e, but anot her par t want s t o be l ef t al one t o enj oy
hi s comf or t abl e l i f e. What do you t hi nk makes hi mdeci de t o j oi n t he
dwar ves?

I n t he mor ni ng, Bi l bo and t he dwar ves get on t hei r way. Af t er a pl easant
st ar t , t hey f ace t he f i r st of many danger s on t hei r j our ney. As a col d,
r ai ny eveni ng set s i n, t hey di scover t hat Gandal f has l ef t t hem. Then
t hey see a l i ght among t he t r ees ahead, and Bi l bo i s sent t o i nvest i gat e,
supposedl y because he' s t he bur gl ar . Wi t h a hobbi t ' s knack f or wal ki ng
si l ent l y, he appr oaches t he f i r e wi t hout bei ng seen. Ther e he f i nds t hr ee
huge t r ol l s. I nst ead of goi ng back t o r epor t t o t he dwar ves, he at t empt s
t o pi ck t he pocket of one of t he t r ol l s and i s capt ur ed. Soon t he dwar ves
ar e capt ur ed as wel l .

The scene wi t h t he t r ol l s has some good exampl es of how Tol ki en l et s hi s
char act er s descr i be t hemsel ves t hr ough t hei r act i ons and t hei r speech, a
commendabl e el ement of good f i ct i on wr i t i ng. Bi l bo wal ks " pr i ml y" t hr ough
t he t r ees and sni f f s at t he dwar ves' noi si ness. What ki nd of per son does
t hat br i ng t o mi nd? And you get a good i dea of what t he t r ol l s ar e l i ke
by t he way t hey eat and speak.

What do you t hi nk of t he dwar ves so f ar ? They seemt o be t aki ng advant age
of Bi l bo when t hey send hi mahead, but t hey' r e al so qui ck t o come hel p
hi m. Thor i n i s al most her oi c when he val i ant l y t akes on al l t hr ee t r ol l s
t o save hi s f r i ends. But he t oo ends up t i ed i n a sack l i ke t he ot her s.
The dwar ves appar ent l y have bungl ed t he r escue as badl y as Bi l bo bungl ed
hi s pi ckpocket at t empt .

For t unat el y, Gandal f r et ur ns and r escues hi s f r i ends t hr ough a cl ever bi t
of vent r i l oqui sm. By i mi t at i ng t he voi ce of f i r st one t r ol l and t hen
anot her , he manages t o keep t hemar gui ng unt i l dawn, when t hey ar e t ur ned
t o st one. Bef or e goi ng on, Gandal f and Thor i n t ake swor ds f r omt he
t r ol l s' hoar d. Bi l bo pi cks up a dagger t hat sui t s hi mwel l as a swor d.

Gandal f l eads t he band t o Ri vendel l , wher e El r ond, chi ef of t he Hal f -
el ven, l i ves. I n t he anci ent t al es t hat Tol ki en st udi ed, el ves wer e a
r ace of beaut i f ul and magi cal peopl e. But si nce t hen, el ves have come t o
be t hought of as t i ny, mi schi evous cr eat ur es who l i ve i n f l ower buds and
r i de i n coaches dr awn by i nsect s. Tol ki en t r i ed t o r est or e el ves t o t hei r
or i gi nal st at ur e.

When Bi l bo and t he dwar ves ar r i ve i n Ri vendel l , t he el ves at f i r st appear
f ool i sh, si ngi ng si l l y songs and l aughi ng mer r i l y. But Tol ki en war ns you
t hat i t i s unwi se t o l et your sel f be decei ved by appear ances. Thr ough t he
wi se and nobl e char act er of El r ond, he r eveal s t he mor e her oi c aspect of
el ves. You l ear n t hat l ong ago t hey f ought besi de men i n a gr eat war
agai nst t he gobl i ns. The swor ds t hat Gandal f and Thor i n t ook f r omt he
t r ol l s' hoar d had been made by t he Hi gh El ves t o be used i n t hat war .

NOTE: THE NAMI NG OF SWORDS I n anci ent t al es, most her oes named t hei r
swor ds. Ki ng Ar t hur ' s swor d, f or exampl e, was cal l ed Excal i bur . By gi vi ng
names t o Thor i n and Gandal f ' s swor ds, Tol ki en pl aces t hose war r i or s i n
t he company of such gr eat her oes. Not i ce t hat Bi l bo' s swor d i sn' t
ment i oned, and i t r emai ns namel ess. Do you t hi nk t her e i s any
si gni f i cance i n t hi s?

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T: CHAPTERS 4- 6

The t r avel er s ar e capt ur ed by gobl i ns i n t he Mi st y Mount ai ns. I n t he
gobl i n t unnel s, Bi l bo f i nds a magi c r i ng and meet s i t s pr evi ous owner ,
Gol l um. Wi t h t he hel p of t he r i ng, Bi l bo escapes t he t unnel s and r ej oi ns
hi s f r i ends.

*

Days l at er , Thor i n and t he company cr oss t he Mi st y Mount ai ns and ar e
at t acked by gobl i ns. Al l but Gandal f ar e capt ur ed and car r i ed t hr ough a
maze of t unnel s i nt o t he hear t of t he mount ai n. Tol ki en t el l s you t hat
t he gobl i ns ar e " cr uel , wi cked, and bad- hear t ed, " and i n hi s descr i pt i on
of t hemyou can see t he begi nni ngs of hi s concept of evi l . Thei r hat r ed
of ot her s i s an i mpor t ant par t of evi l . They deny ot her s f r ee wi l l by
ensl avi ng t hem, and t hey cr eat e not hi ng of beaut y. Tol ki en al so makes an
associ at i on her e bet ween evi l and t echnol ogy, par t i cul ar l y t he t echnol ogy
of war - - " t he i ngeni ous devi ces f or ki l l i ng l ar ge number s of peopl e at
once. "

NOTE: TOLKI EN' S USE OF SONG One of t he pur poses of songs i n The Hobbi t
i s t o char act er i ze t he di f f er ent r aces. I n chapt er I , t he dwar ves' song
expr esses t hei r l ove f or t r easur e. The el ves' song i n chapt er 3 expr esses
t hei r gai et y. The song t hat t he gobl i ns si ng i s r emi ni scent of pi r at es
and r eveal s t hei r cr uel t y. The many one- syl l abl e wor ds and excl amat i on
poi nt s gi ve i t a savage r hyt hmt hat Tol ki en echoes i n t he nar r at i ve and
i n t he speech of t he Gr eat Gobl i n.

Once agai n, Gandal f comes t o t he r escue. He ki l l s t he Gr eat Gobl i n and
l eads Bi l bo and t he dwar ves down t he t unnel s. Not i ce how Tol ki en uses
per soni f i cat i on t o descr i be Gandal f ' s swor d. I t " bur ned wi t h a r age" at
t he pr esence of gobl i ns and now gl eams " br i ght as bl ue f l ame f or del i ght "
i n ki l l i ng t hei r l eader .

The angr y gobl i ns chase af t er t hei r escapi ng pr i soner s. I n t he conf usi on,
Bi l bo f al l s, bumps hi s head, and i s knocked unconsci ous.

When he wakes up, Bi l bo f i nds hi msel f al one i n t he dar k. Whi l e gr opi ng
ar ound bl i ndl y, he comes upon a r i ng and sl i ps i t i nt o hi s pocket .
Tol ki en t el l s you t hat t hi s i s a t ur ni ng poi nt i n Bi l bo' s car eer , but
doesn' t say why.

Bi l bo sear ches i n hi s pocket s f or mat ches t o l i ght hi s pi pe. He doesn' t
f i nd t hembut does come upon hi s swor d, whi ch he dr aws out . Thi s act i on
i s hi ghl y si gni f i cant , f or whi l e smoki ng a pi pe j ust t hen woul d have been
bot h st upi d and hobbi t l i ke, t he deci si on t o dr aw hi s swor d coul d be a
si gn of Bi l bo' s gr owi ng i ndependence. He set s of f down t he t unnel and at
an under gr ound l ake meet s Gol l um, one of Tol ki en' s most unf or get t abl e
cr eat i ons.

I t i s Gol l um' s speech t hat i s most r emar kabl e. He hi sses as he t al ks, and
cal l s hi msel f " we" and " my pr eci ous. " He never speaks di r ect l y t o Bi l bo;
he t al ks t o hi msel f and r ef er s t o Bi l bo as " i t . " Thi s way of speaki ng
shows t he sel f i shness of evi l : Gol l umt r eat s Bi l bo as an obj ect - - a
pot ent i al meal - - r at her t han as an i ndi vi dual wi t h f r ee wi l l . I n
accor dance wi t h Tol ki en' s t heme t hat not hi ng st ar t s out evi l , Gol l umwas
once a sun- l ovi ng cr eat ur e l i ke Bi l bo. For some r eason not yet di scl osed
t o t he r eader , Gol l umwas dr i ven f r omhi s home and event ual l y f ound hi s
way t o t he l ake i n t he mi ddl e of t he mount ai n. ( You wi l l l ear n mor e about
Gol l um' s l i f e, such as how he came t o t he under gr ound l ake, i n The Lor d
of t he Ri ngs. )

NOTE: RI DDLE GAMES Back i n t he t i mes when peopl e f i r st t ol d t he l egends
of Ki ng Ar t hur and Si egf r i ed t he dr agon- ki l l er , t hey di dn' t have as much
i n t he way of ent er t ai nment as we do t oday. I nst ead, t hey had t o
ent er t ai n t hemsel ves. One way t hey di d t hi s was by pl ayi ng r i ddl e games.
The f i r st per son who f ai l ed t o answer a r i ddl e l ost t he game. Ri ddl e
games wer e so popul ar t hat t hey became a common f eat ur e i n f ol kl or e and
l egend. I n t hese l egendar y games t he st akes wer e of t en hi gh: t he l oser
woul d f or f ei t a val uabl e magi cal t r easur e or even hi s l i f e. Tol ki en dr ew
di r ect l y on t hese st or i es when he devi sed t he r i ddl e game bet ween Gol l um
and Bi l bo. I n t hi s case, i f Bi l bo l oses, Gol l umwi l l eat hi m.
For t unat el y, Bi l bo manages t o st ump Gol l umwi t h an unor t hodox r i ddl e:
" What have I got i n my pocket ?" ( Thi s l eads some peopl e t o quest i on
whet her Bi l bo won t he game f ai r l y. ) The ot her r i ddl es t hat appear i n t hi s
scene ar e ol d st andar ds, not onl y i n Mi ddl e- ear t h but al so i n our own
wor l d. I n f act , many of t hese r i ddl es wer e f avor i t es of t he anci ent Nor se
and Angl o- Saxons, and can be f ound i n t hei r wr i t i ngs t hat have been
pr eser ved t hr ough t he cent ur i es.

The r i ng t hat Bi l bo di scover ed bel ongs t o Gol l um, who l ost i t hunt i ng
gobl i ns i n t he t unnel . Gol l umi s obsessed wi t h hi s r i ng, cal l i ng i t by
t he name he uses f or hi msel f : " my pr eci ous. " He l et s out a hor r i bl e
scr eech when he r eal i zes i t ' s gone and Bi l bo has i t . He r ushes t owar d
Bi l bo i n a mur der ous r age. Bi l bo f l ees, and t he r i ng somehow sl i ps ont o
hi s f i nger .

As he r uns down t he dar k t unnel , Bi l bo t r i ps and f al l s, but Gol l um
cont i nues past hi m. Real i zi ng t he r i ng has made hi mi nvi si bl e, Bi l bo uses
i t t o escape Gol l umand sl i p out t he gobl i ns' back door . Gol l umshr i eks
af t er Bi l bo: " Thi ef , t hi ef , t hi ef ! Baggi ns! We hat es i t , we hat es i t , we
hat es i t f or ever ! " I s Bi l bo a t hi ef ? Do you f eel any sympat hy f or
Gol l um? Why or why not ?

NOTE: RESPONSI BLE USE OF POWER The r i ng r epr esent s gr eat power . Gol l um
used i t t o sneak up on gobl i ns and ki l l t hem, and had pl anned t o use i t
i n t he same way t o ki l l Bi l bo. Bi l bo coul d al so have used t he r i ng
agai nst Gol l um, but i nst ead he j umps over Gol l um' s head and r uns away. He
does t hi s bot h out of sympat hy f or Gol l umand because of hi s sense of
f ai r pl ay. Do you t hi nk he' s f ool i sh t o t ake such a chance?

Bi l bo emer ges f r omt he gobl i n t unnel s and r eal i zes t hat he' s come t hr ough
al l t he way t o t he ot her si de of t he mount ai n. Al one, wi t h no i dea what
has happened t o hi s f r i ends, he deci des t o go back i nt o t he t unnel s t o
f i nd t hem. j ust t hen he hear s t he voi ces of hi s compani ons. Si nce he' s
wear i ng t he r i ng, t he ot her s can' t see hi m. As he appr oaches, t he dwar ves
ar e sayi ng t hat t hey don' t want t o go back t o f i nd Bi l bo, whi l e Gandal f
i s i nsi st i ng t hat t hey must . Bi l bo t akes of f hi s r i ng and suddenl y
appear s, sur pr i si ng t hemal l .

Her e Tol ki en shows you Bi l bo as mor al l y super i or t o t he dwar ves. He was
wi l l i ng t o go back i nt o t he t unnel s al one t o t r y t o f i nd t hem, but t hey
pr ef er t o l eave hi mt o t he gobl i ns r at her t han t o r i sk get t i ng caught
t hemsel ves. You may say t hat t he dwar ves ar e j ust bei ng r eal i st i c and
t hat Bi l bo i s nai vel y i deal i st i c. How does t hi s r el at e t o Tol ki en' s t heme
t hat you must do what i s r i ght , no mat t er what t he consequences?

Bi l bo t el l s about hi s encount er wi t h Gol l umbut doesn' t ment i on t he r i ng.
The dwar ves ar e gr eat l y i mpr essed. Gandal f gi ves Bi l bo a queer l ook, as
i f he suspect s Bi l bo hasn' t t ol d t he whol e t r ut h.

Knowi ng t he gobl i ns wi l l pur sue once ni ght f al l s, t he advent ur er s t r avel
wel l i nt o t he ni ght . They st op at l ast , but soon hear t he howl i ng of
wol ves. As t hey scr ambl e i nt o t r ees, a pack of wol ves r un i nt o t he
cl ear i ng.

These ar e no or di nar y wol ves. They ar e War gs, al l i es of t he gobl i ns, and
Bi l bo and hi s f r i ends ar e t r apped.

Far away, t he Lor d of t he Eagl es hear s t he commot i on and wi t h hi s
f ol l ower s deci des t o i nvest i gat e.

Meanwhi l e, t he gobl i ns ar r i ve i n t he cl ear i ng. Gandal f pr epar es t o j ump
down among t hemand ki l l as many as he can bef or e he di es. J ust t hen, t he
eagl es ar r i ve and car r y Bi l bo and t he ot her s of f t o t hei r home on t he
mount ai n peak. Ther e t he eagl es br i ng t hemf ood: ani mal s, whi ch t he
dwar ves pr epar e and cook. Tol ki en agai n emphasi zes how out of pl ace Bi l bo
i s wi t h t he dwar ves. He doesn' t know how t o ski n and cut up meat ; he' s
used t o havi ng i t del i ver ed by t he but cher !

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T: CHAPTERS 7- 9

Af t er enj oyi ng t he hospi t al i t y of Beor n, t he shape- changer , Bi l bo and t he
dwar ves t r avel t hr ough Mi r kwood For est . Bi l bo has an oppor t uni t y t o pr ove
hi msel f by t wi ce comi ng t o t he dwar ves' r escue.

*

The next mor ni ng, t he eagl es del i ver t he t r avel er s t o t he t op of a gr eat
r ock near t he house of someone named Beor n. Gandal f war ns t he company
t hat Beor n, a ver y gr eat man, i s easi l y anger ed; t hey must be ver y pol i t e
t o hi m.

Beor n, whomGandal f descr i bes as par t bear , par t man, gi ves t he gr oup
f ood and advi ce f or t hei r j our ney: They wi l l have t o t r avel t hr ough t he
t er r i bl e f or est of Mi r kwood, but shoul d st ay on t he pat h and not dr i nk or
bat he i n t he wat er of a cer t ai n st r eam. He al so gi ves t hemponi es but
asks t hat t hey be r et ur ned when t he t r avel er s r each t he edge of t he
woods.

NOTE: Beor n i s a t ypi cal her o of t he ol d l egends. He i s sel f - assur ed and
sel dompol i t e. He' s al so ext r emel y f i er ce, al most bl oodt hi r st y, as shown
by t he gobl i n head on t he post out si de hi s house. Unl i ke t he anci ent
her oes, however , Beor n seems t o bel ong mor e t o t he wor l d of ani mal s t han
t o t he wor l d of men. He speaks wi t h hi s ani mal s, who ar e f r i ends r at her
t han possessi ons. He associ at es wi t h bear s and can t ur n i nt o one hi msel f .
On t he ot her hand, he t r i es t o avoi d peopl e, never l i ki ng mor e t han one
vi si t or at a t i me. I n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs you' l l f i nd ot her char act er s
who, l i ke Beor n, ar e cl osel y associ at ed wi t h nat ur e.

The company r eaches Mi r kwood i n f our days. The dwar ves want t o keep t he
poni es, but Gandal f i nsi st s t hey be sent back. Then Gandal f says goodbye,
and Bi l bo and t he dwar ves ar e on t hei r own.

As t he band t r avel s t hr ough t he eer i e f or est of Mi r kwood, Bi l bo has an
oppor t uni t y t o convi nci ngl y pr ove hi s wor t h t o t he ot her s. At one poi nt ,
he becomes separ at ed f r omt he band. A gi ant spi der at t acks hi mand- - al one
and i n t he dar k- - he ki l l s i t wi t h hi s swor d. Thi s ser ves as an i ni t i at i on
f or Bi l bo, and, pr oud of hi s vi ct or y, he f i nal l y names hi s swor d; he
cal l s i t St i ng.

Feel i ng bol der , Bi l bo sear ches f or hi s f r i ends, onl y t o f i nd t hem
pr i soner s of t he spi der s. Usi ng hi s r i ng t o become i nvi si bl e, he si ngs
i nsul t i ng songs about t he spi der s and f r ees enough of t he band so t hey
can f i ght t hei r way t o saf et y. Thi s i s t he f i r st t i me Bi l bo has made up a
song, and i t ' s t he begi nni ng of hi s t r ansi t i on i nt o t he her oi c wor l d,
wher e t he use of songs and t he nami ng of swor ds ar e commonpl ace.

Bi l bo has won t he r espect of t he dwar ves. Even t hough he has had t o
r eveal t he secr et of t he r i ng, t hey admi r e hi s cour age and i ngenui t y i n
usi ng i t . They begi n t o l ook t o hi mf or hel p, j ust as t hey used t o l ook
t o Gandal f . Then suddenl y t hey r eal i ze Thor i n i s mi ssi ng. I t ' s t oo dar k
t o l ook f or hi m, so t hey go t o sl eep wi t h t hi s new t r oubl e on t hei r
mi nds.

We l ear n t hat Thor i n has been capt ur ed by Wood- el ves, who, t hough good,
ar e not f r i endl y t o dwar ves. Knowi ng t hei r ki ng i s gr eedy f or t r easur e,
Thor i n r ef uses t o answer hi s quest i ons and i s i mpr i soned.

As t hey wander i n t he f or est t he next eveni ng, t he r est of t he dwar ves
ar e capt ur ed by t he Wood- el ves. Bi l bo evades capt ur e by sl i ppi ng on hi s
r i ng. The capt i ves ar e t aken t o t he ki ng' s pal ace and i mpr i soned when
t hey r ef use t o answer quest i ons. Bi l bo, i nvi si bl e, wander s ar ound t he
pal ace. I r oni cal l y, he now l i ves up t o hi s r ol e as bur gl ar , sneaki ng
ar ound and st eal i ng f ood. He f i nds t he i mpr i soned dwar ves, who ar e qui t e
conf i dent t he hobbi t wi l l r escue t hem. Bi l bo i sn' t so hopef ul and wi shes
t hat Gandal f wer e ar ound. But wi t h gr owi ng mat ur i t y, he r eal i zes t hat i f
t he dwar ves ar e t o be r escued, he must do i t hi msel f . You can see t hat
Bi l bo has gr own f r oma hel pl ess, f ool i sh hobbi t i nt o someone who can t ake
r esponsi bi l i t y not onl y f or hi msel f , but f or t he l i ves of ot her s. And yet
Bi l bo i s al so dependent on t he dwar ves; he woul dn' t know wher e t o go or
what t o do wi t hout t hem.

Wi t h a gr eat deal of l uck and i ngenui t y, Bi l bo manages t o f r ee hi s
f r i ends, t hen packs t hemi nt o empt y bar r el s, whi ch t he el ves t hr ow i nt o a
st r eamt hat r uns under t he pal ace. They al l f l oat of f down t he st r eam,
wi t h Bi l bo cl i ngi ng t o an empt y bar r el .

NOTE: Much i s made of Bi l bo' s l uck i n t hi s chapt er . Yet i t was not mer el y
l uck t hat made hi msuccessf ul : Bi l bo was pr epar ed t o t ake advant age of
hi s l uck. Thr oughout The Hobbi t and The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, wat ch f or
ot her i nst ances wher e l uck ser ves t o hel p i ndi vi dual s who ar e al r eady
t r yi ng t o hel p t hemsel ves.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T: CHAPTERS 10- 13

Bi l bo and t he dwar ves ar e hel ped by t he peopl e of Lake- t own, whi ch l i es
i n t he shadow of t he Lonel y Mount ai n. The advent ur er s at l ast r each t he
mount ai n, and Bi l bo comes f ace t o f ace wi t h t he dr agon Smaug.

*

The bar r el s, al ong wi t h Bi l bo and t he dwar ves, have f l oat ed down t he
r i ver t o Lake- t own, i n t he shadow of t he Lonel y Mount ai n wher e Smaug t he
dr agon l i ves. The ar r i val of t he dwar ves, af t er Bi l bo f r ees t hemf r omt he
bar r el s, spar ks gr eat exci t ement . The t own had been ver y pr osper ous
bef or e t he comi ng of Smaug, and ol d songs pr edi ct t hat good t i mes woul d
r et ur n wi t h t he dwar ves. Peopl e begi n t o si ng t he ol d songs and say t hat
t he pr ophecy wi l l be f ul f i l l ed. Tr eat ed l i ke her oes, t he dwar ves ar e
gi ven a l ar ge house and good f ood, and ar e wi l dl y cheer ed i n publ i c.

The war mr ecept i on t he dwar ves r ecei ve may seemodd t o you. Af t er al l ,
t hey haven' t done anyt hi ng yet . But t r adi t i onal l y t her e i s a cer t ai n t ype
of her o who i s r ewar ded bef or e t he deed. Thi s i s t he per son who i s about
t o under t ake a gr eat t ask f or t he sake of hi s peopl e, and who i s as
l i kel y t o di es i n t he at t empt as t o r et ur n successf ul l y. The f i r st U. S.
ast r onaut s i n t he l at e 1950s wer e such her oes, r ecei vi ng gr eat f ame and
adul at i on bef or e t he f i r st mi ssi on was ever l aunched.

The dwar ves at l ast depar t f or t he Lonel y Mount ai n wi t h poni es and
suppl i es pr ovi ded by t he t own. They ar e gi ven a war msend- of f and
ever yone i s i n hi gh spi r i t s- - ever yone, t hat i s, except Bi l bo, who' s ver y
unhappy at t he t hought of appr oachi ng Smaug' s l ai r . Thi s i s r emi ni scent
of Gandal f , who i s wi se enough t o be awar e of danger s even when ever yone
el se f or get s t hem.

The l and ar ound t he Lonel y Mount ai n has been desol at ed by t he dr agon. The
dwar ves ar e gr i mand sad as t hey r emember how beaut i f ul i t once was. Yet ,
as t hei r spi r i t s dr oop, Bi l bo' s seemt o l i f t . He st udi es Thor i n' s map and
convi nces t he dwar ves t o sear ch f or t he secr et door . At l ast t hey f i nd
i t , f ar up t he mount ai n' s sl ope, but t hey l ose hope agai n when t hey f ai l
t o open t he door . They bl ame Bi l bo ( si nce he' s t he bur gl ar ) and consi der
sendi ng hi mt hr ough t he f r ont gat e of t he dr agon' s l ai r .

Once agai n i t ' s Bi l bo who t akes char ge and sol ves t hei r pr obl ems. He
r emember s t he secr et r unes ( myst er i ous wr i t i ng) t hat El r ond had
di scover ed on t he map, J ust as t he r unes sai d, t he l ast r ay of t he sun
r eveal s t he keyhol e t o t he secr et door , and at l ast t he way i s open.

You see how much t he dwar ves have come t o r el y on Bi l bo. He has i n ef f ect
become t hei r l eader . Yet does he get t he r espect due a l eader ? Why do you
t hi nk t he dwar ves t r eat hi mt he way t hey do?

I n chapt er 12, Bi l bo t wi ce vent ur es down t he secr et passage t o t he l ai r
of Smaug. The f i r st t i me, t he dwar ves send hi m, sayi ng t hat i t ' s t i me f or
hi mt o be t he bur gl ar . Thi s i s si mi l ar t o t he scene i n chapt er 2, wher e
t hey send hi mt o i nvest i gat e t he t r ol l s' f i r e. But t her e ar e sever al
i mpor t ant di f f er ences bet ween t he t wo epi sodes t hat cl ear l y show t he
changes i n Bi l bo. He i s now mor e asser t i ve wi t h t he dwar ves, poi nt i ng out
t hat he' s al r eady won hi s shar e of t he t r easur e by r escui ng t hemt wi ce.
But he says he' l l go anyway- - he' s begun t o t r ust hi s l uck mor e- - and dar es
any of t he dwar ves t o come wi t h hi m. Do you agr ee wi t h t he nar r at or ' s
def ense of t he dwar ves' r ef usal t o go wi t h hi m( except f or Bal i n, who
goes par t of t he way) t hat i t ' s Bi l bo' s j ob f or whi ch he' l l be pai d ver y
wel l ?

Bi l bo i s t er r i f i ed but det er mi ned t o see t hi ngs t hr ough. When he hear s
t he r umbl i ng of t he dr agon' s br eat h, he pauses f or a moment . Faci ng hi s
f ear and goi ng on despi t e i t i s t he br avest t hi ng he' s ever done. Thi s
sor t of cour age i s t he basi s of Tol ki en' s i dea of her oi sm, whi ch he sees
as somet hi ng i nt er nal , r at her t han as t he doi ng of gr eat deeds. Once
Bi l bo r eaches Smaug' s l ai r , he successf ul l y st eal s a cup f r omt he
dr agon' s hoar d and car r i es i t back wi t h hi m. ( Compar e t hi s t o hi s
bungl i ng i n t he scene wi t h t he t r ol l s. )

Smaug awakes t o di scover t he cup i s mi ssi ng. He goes on a r ampage,
sear chi ng t he mount ai nsi de f or t he t hi ef . Some of t he dwar ves r i sk t hei r
l i ves t o r escue t wo of t hei r company who had st ayed wi t h t he poni es
f ur t her down t he mount ai n. What do you t hi nk Tol ki en i s t r yi ng t o t el l
you t hr ough t hi s act of her oi smby t he dwar ves? I s t her e a l i mi t t o t he
dwar ves' ki nd of her oi sm?

Bi l bo goes down t o t he dr agon' s l ai r once agai n- - but t hi s t i me on hi s own
i ni t i at i ve. He has a conver sat i on wi t h t he wi l y Smaug and hol ds hi s own
admi r abl y. Smaug i s t he essence of pol i t eness, yet f ul l of vei l ed t hr eat .
Bi l bo i nt r i gues hi mwi t h r i ddl es by gi vi ng hi msel f many names t hat r ef er
t o hi s advent ur es. Bar r el - r i der , f or exampl e, r ef er s t o hi s escape f r om
t he Wood- el ves. ( Thi s ki nd of name- gi vi ng i s a common habi t among her oes
of l egend and f ol kl or e. ) Smaug t r i es t o pl ant suspi ci ons i n Bi l bo' s mi nd
agai nst t he dwar ves, but t he hobbi t r emai ns t r ue t o hi s f r i ends. I s al l
t hat Smaug says unt r ue? Bi l bo cl ever l y t r i cks Smaug i nt o r eveal i ng a bar e
spot i n hi s ar mor of gems. Wi t h a par t i ng t aunt Bi l bo l eaves, get t i ng hi s
hai r and heel s si nged f or hi s bol dness.

NOTE: DRAGONS I N LEGEND AND LI TERATURE Smaug has been compar ed most
of t en t o Faf ni r , a dr agon f r omt he Scandi navi an l egends, and t o t he
dr agon i n Beowul f . Bot h t hese f amous dr agons br ood over a t r easur e,
Faf ni r i n a cave, and t he ot her i n a cast l e. The her o Si gur d comes
seeki ng Faf ni r ' s t r easur e, and t he dr agon engages hi mf i r st i n
conver sat i on. A wi l y t al ker l i ke Smaug, Faf ni r manages t o r ai se
suspi ci ons i n Si gur d' s mi nd about t he t r ust wor t hi ness of hi s compani ons.
Faf ni r i s ki l l ed when Si gur d hi des i n a hol e and t hr ust s hi s swor d i nt o
t he dr agon' s sof t bel l y. The f i r e- br eat hi ng dr agon i n Beowul f r avages t he
count r ysi de i n a r age af t er a t hi ef st eal s a si ngl e cup f r omhi s gr eat
hoar d. Beowul f , as l eader of hi s peopl e, under t akes t he t ask of ki l l i ng
t hi s menace. He succeeds but i s mor t al l y wounded by t he dr agon.

Tol ki en dr ew on bot h t hese st or i es i n The Hobbi t . He al so dr ew on t he
common associ at i on of dr agons wi t h t he dest r uct i on of l andscapes ( t he
desol at i on by Smaug) , wi t h t he possessi on of one vul ner abl e spot , wi t h
t he i nsat i abl e desi r e f or mat er i al possessi ons, and wi t h evi l ( some
dr agons wer e t hought t o be t he Devi l hi msel f ) .

Bi l bo t el l s hi s t al e t o t he dwar ves, whi l e a t hr ush l i st ens near by.
Remember t hi s bi r d, because i t wi l l become an i mpor t ant par t of t he pl ot
i n chapt er 14. Bi l bo gr ows i ncr easi ngl y uneasy about t he dr agon, and at
hi s i nsi st ence t he company hi des i n t he secr et passage. They shut t he
door - - j ust i n t i me, f or Smaug at t acks t he door way. They' r e t r apped, but
at l east t hey' r e st i l l al i ve. Meanwhi l e Smaug, sat i sf i ed he' s t aken car e
of t he i nt r uder s, depar t s f or Lake- t own.

Af t er what seems days of wai t i ng, wi t h no hi nt of Smaug' s pr esence, t he
dwar ves f ol l ow Bi l bo down t he t unnel t o t he dr agon' s l ai r . Bi l bo vent ur es
i nt o t he dar k caver n al one and i n t he l i ght of a t or ch di scover s t he
Ar kenst one. Thor i n had spoken of t hi s gr eat j ewel t he ni ght bef or e. I t
had been mi ned f r omt he Lonel y Mount ai n and i s gr eat l y pr i zed by t he
dwar ves. Bi l bo hi des i t i n hi s pocket , not t el l i ng t he dwar ves of hi s
di scover y.

The dwar ves ar e exci t ed by t he si ght of so much t r easur e. They cl ad
t hemsel ves i n ar mor f r omt he hoar d and gi ve a sui t of mai l t o Bi l bo.
Bi l bo f eel s magni f i cent wear i ng i t , but suspect s he l ooks si l l y. Unl i ke
t he dwar ves, he' s not bewi t ched by t he t r easur e, r eal i zi ng t hat t hey' r e
not yet out of t r oubl e. You can see how Bi l bo r emai ns down- t o- ear t h, not
car r i ed away by t he si t uat i ons he f i nds hi msel f i n. Nei t her does he get
caught up i n vi si ons of hi msel f as a gr eat her o i n hi s ar mor . Thought s of
home hel p hi mkeep t hi ngs i n per spect i ve.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T: CHAPTERS 14- 17

Af t er Smaug i s ki l l ed by a man of Lake- t own, an ar my of men and el ves
set s out f or t he mount ai n t o r ecover Smaug' s hoar d. I nst ead t hey f i nd t he
dwar ves i n possessi on of t he t r easur e. The di sput e over t he weal t h i s
about t o er upt i nt o war when an ar my of gobl i ns and War gs at t acks.

*

Tol ki en t akes you back t o t he ni ght t hat Smaug dest r oyed t he secr et door ,
t r appi ng t he dwar ves i nsi de t he passage. Af t er doi ng so, Smaug descends
on Lake- t own, whi ch Tol ki en now cal l s by t he name Esgar ot h. ( Thi s sudden
swi t ch i n name i s unexpl ai ned. ) The t ownspeopl e r esi st at f i r st , but
f aced by Smaug' s wr at h, t hey soon f l ee. The Mast er of t he t own sneaks of f
i n hi s boat , t r yi ng t o save hi msel f . Onl y a smal l band of ar cher s hol d
t hei r gr ound, l ed by a man named Bar d. Bar d i s descended f r omt he l or d of
Dal e, who was ki l l ed when Smaug f i r st dr ove t he dwar ves f r omt he Lonel y
Mount ai n and dest r oyed t he t own of Dal e. Bar d r ef uses t o qui t what seems
a hopel ess bat t l e, even t hough hi s compani ons ar e r eady t o l eave hi m.
Suddenl y a t hr ush- - t he same bi r d who l i st ened t o Bi l bo t el l t he dwar ves
about hi s conver sat i on wi t h t he dr agon- - per ches on Bar d' s shoul der and
r eveal s t he vul ner abl e spot t hat Bi l bo had di scover ed i n Smaug' s ar mor .
Bar d f i t s hi s l ast ar r ow t o hi s bow and ki l l s t he dr agon. Smaug pl unges
i nt o t he l ake, dest r oyi ng t he t own.

The t ownspeopl e now t ur n on t he Mast er f or abandoni ng t he t own. They t al k
of maki ng Bar d t hei r ki ng. But t he Mast er cl ever l y di ver t s t hemby
t ur ni ng t hei r anger t owar d t he dwar ves, sayi ng t hat t hey ar oused Smaug i n
t he f i r st pl ace. He al so decl ar es t hat i f Bar d i s t o be ki ng he shoul d
r ebui l d t he r ui ns of Dal e and r ul e t her e, not i n Lake- t own. For now, Bar d
t akes t he l ead i n maki ng sur e t he peopl e of Lake- t own have shel t er and
f ood. He sends a messenger t o t he ki ng of t he Wood- el ves aski ng f or hel p.

NOTE: THE I DEAL LEADER I n compar i ng Bar d t o t he Mast er of Lake- t own,
Tol ki en pr esent s hi s i deas about an i deal l eader . Bar d becomes a l eader
by pr ovi ng hi msel f as a war r i or ; t he Mast er l eads by vi r t ue of hi s
busi ness acumen. Bar d, a t r ue l eader , i s wi l l i ng t o r i sk hi s l i f e t o save
t he t own; t he Mast er pl aces hi s own i nt er est s and saf et y above t hose of
hi s peopl e. Tol ki en i s maki ng a poi nt t hat a l eader shoul d ser ve hi s
peopl e r at her t han use hi s posi t i on t o f ur t her hi s own ends. Bar d speaks
openl y, even sayi ng t hi ngs t hat ot her s don' t want t o hear , as when he
war ns t hemt hat deat h, r at her t han weal t h, may r esul t f r omt he dwar ves'
expedi t i on t o t he mount ai n. The Mast er , on t he ot her hand, t el l s hi s
peopl e what t hey want t o hear and mani pul at es t hemby appeal i ng t o baser
emot i ons such as gr eed and desi r e f or r evenge. What ar e t he
char act er i st i cs of ot her l eader s t hat appear i n The Hobbi t ? I n what ways
ar e t hey l i ke Bar d or l i ke t he Mast er ? Keep t he i mage of a gr i mwar r i or -
l eader i n mi nd, f or i t wi l l r eappear i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs i n t he
char act er of Ar agor n.

The El venki ng has al r eady r ecei ved news of Smaug' s deat h f r omt he bi r ds
and i s j our neyi ng wi t h a l ar ge host t owar d t he Lonel y Mount ai n t o sei ze
t he dr agon' s hoar d of t r easur e. But he t ur ns asi de t o hel p t he l ake
peopl e. What does t hi s t el l you about t he Wood- el ves? Do you f i nd your
at t i t ude t owar d t hemchangi ng? The bui l di ng of a new t own i s begun under
t he Mast er ' s di r ect i on. The el ves, accompani ed by Bar d and hi s men, set
out f or t he Lonel y Mount ai n.

The dwar ves ar e not caught unawar e, f or t hey ar e t ol d of Smaug' s deat h
and t he appr oachi ng ar my by r avens, who have l ong been f r i ends wi t h t he
r ace of dwar ves. Al t hough t he anci ent chi ef of t he r avens advi ses t hemt o
make peace, t he dwar ves begi n t o f or t i f y t he appr oach t o t he mount ai n.
Messages ar e sent t o Thor i n' s r el at i ves aski ng f or hel p.

When t he Lake- men and t he el ves f i nal l y ar r i ve, Bar d cl ai ms t he shar e of
t he t r easur e t hat was st ol en f r omt he t own of Dal e. Thor i n r ef uses, and
so t he ar my of men and el ves besi eges t he mount ai n.

I n chapt er 15, Tol ki en hi nt s at t he t r agedy of war . The dwar ves hear
musi c f r omt he camp and wi sh t hey coul d have wel comed t hese enemi es as
f r i ends. Bi l bo l ongs t o be among t he el ves, f east i ng and l aughi ng. Why
t hen do t he dwar ves r ef use t o par l ey? I s i t onl y t hei r gr eed f or
t r easur e, as t he nar r at or seems t o i mpl y, or do you t hi nk t hat some of
Thor i n' s ar gument s ar e val i d?

Not at al l happy wi t h t he pr ospect of war , Bi l bo comes up wi t h a pl an t o
t r y t o pr event i t . Put t i ng on hi s r i ng and car r yi ng t he Ar kenst one, he
sl i ps away f r omt he dwar ves. He br i ngs t he st one t o Bar d, hopi ng i t can
be used t o bar gai n wi t h Thor i n. Bar d, t he El venki ng, and Gandal f , who
r eappear s i n t he el ves' camp, pr ai se t he hobbi t f or hi s act i on. Then
Bi l bo r et ur ns t o t he dwar ves' camp.

I t may seemst r ange t o you t hat Bi l bo shoul d r et ur n t o t he dwar ves, who
wi l l cer t ai nl y be angr y wi t h what he' s done. But Bi l bo wi l l not deser t
hi s f r i ends. To under st and t hi s i s t o under st and much of Tol ki en' s i dea
of t he gr eat ness of t he common peopl e. Bi l bo has ver y si mpl e val ues and
st ands by t hem. One t hi ng he val ues hi ghl y i s f r i ends. Anot her t hi ng he
val ues hi ghl y i s t he comf or t abl e l i f e he l ed i n Bag End. Thr oughout t he
advent ur e Bi l bo keeps t hi nki ng of hi s home, enabl i ng hi mt o keep t hi ngs
i n per spect i ve, somet hi ng t he dwar ves have f ai l ed t o do. He r eal i zes t hat
t he dwar ves' gol d i sn' t much good wi t hout f ood or wi t hout t he f r i endshi p
of t hei r nei ghbor s. He j ust want s t o see t he whol e t hi ng come t o an end,
and t hi s i s what pr ompt s hi mt o gi ve up t he Ar kenst one.

Bar d r eveal s t o Thor i n t hat he has t he Ar kenst one. I n hi s anger Thor i n
al most t hr ows Bi l bo over t he wal l . Thor i n r el uct ant l y agr ees t o gi ve up
one- f our t eent h of t he t r easur e- - Bi l bo' s shar e- - i n r et ur n f or t he
Ar kenst one. Whi l e Bi l bo goes down t o j oi n Gandal f , Thor i n i s al r eady
t hi nki ng of a way t o go back on hi s wor d. Dai n, hi s cousi n, i s now
appr oachi ng wi t h an ar my of dwar ves. Thor i n wonder s i f he can r ecapt ur e
t he Ar kenst one wi t h Dai n' s hel p and avoi d payi ng Bi l bo' s shar e of t he
t r easur e. I n chapt er 14, Tol ki en had sai d t hat t he dwar ves wer e af f ect ed
by t he bewi t chment of t he t r easur e. Now he says somet hi ng si mi l ar when he
at t r i but es Thor i n' s act i ons t o t he bewi l der ment of t he t r easur e. What do
you t hi nk Tol ki en i s i mpl yi ng?

When Dai n ar r i ves, he f i nds hi s way bar r ed by t he ot her ar my, and he
at t acks. But a new ar my suddenl y appear s, made up of gobl i ns and War gs.
Thei r quar r el s f or got t en, Dai n' s ar my j oi ns wi t h t he men and el ves t o
meet t hi s new f oe. Despi t e val i ant r esi st ance on t he par t of t he combi ned
f or ces, t he gobl i ns seemassur ed of vi ct or y. Bi l bo cont empl at es t he i dea
of def eat . I n ol d songs and l egends i t i s sai d t hat def eat i s gl or i ous,
but Bi l bo f i nds i t ver y di st r essi ng. Tol ki en at t hi s poi nt speaks f r om
hi s own exper i ence i n t he Bat t l e of t he Somme.

The at t ack of t he gobl i ns i s i n some ways benef i ci al , f or i t pr event s a
t r agi c war bet ween r aces who shoul d be al l i es. Squabbl es over gol d ar e
shown t o be pet t y. The f or ces of good uni t e agai nst a common evi l , i n a
desper at e f i ght f or sur vi val . I n t hi s f i ght , even Thor i n and hi s
compani ons ar e abl e t o r edeemt hemsel ves.

As a si gn of t he change i n t he dwar ves, f r ompet t y gr eed t o nobl e
cour age, Tol ki en uses her oi c l anguage t o descr i be t hem. " Hood and cl oak
wer e gone; t hey wer e i n shi ni ng ar mour , and r ed l i ght l eapt f r omt hei r
eyes. I n t he gl oomt he gr eat dwar f gl eamed l i ke gol d i n a dyi ng f i r e. "
The second sent ence even has t he r hyt hms of t he Ol d Engl i sh poet r y t hat
Tol ki en admi r ed. Not i ce t oo, t he many wor ds begi nni ng wi t h " g" i n t hat
sent ence. Thi s i s an exampl e of al l i t er at i on. Ol d Engl i sh poet r y, whi ch
doesn' t use r hymes at t he end of l i nes, r el i es on such t echni ques as
al l i t er at i on and met er ( or r hyt hm) t o gi ve t he poemi t s char act er i st i c
sound. Sent ences such as t hi s r eveal Tol ki en' s pai nst aki ng cr af t smanshi p,
whi ch may go unnot i ced on f i r st r eadi ng.

NOTE: DWARVES I N LORE AND LI TERATURE I n t he begi nni ng of The Hobbi t ,
Tol ki en' s dwar ves seemt o have come r i ght out of t he f ai r y t al e Snow
Whi t e and t he Seven Dwar f s. But l i ke el ves, t he dwar ves of f ai r y t al es
have degener at ed gr eat l y f r omt hei r or i gi ns i n myt h and l egends. I n The
Hobbi t , Tol ki en r ever ses t hat cour se, el evat i ng hi s dwar ves f r omcomi c
char act er s t o her oi c f i gur es.

The names of Tol ki en' s dwar ves, as wel l as t he wi zar d' s name ( Gandal f ) ,
come f r oma l i st of dwar ves i n an anci ent book of Nor se myt hol ogy, The
Pr ose Edda, by Snor r i St ur l son. Thi s book was an at t empt t o pr eser ve t he
pagan bel i ef s and l or e t hat wer e r api dl y di sappear i ng i n t he f ace of
Chr i st i ani t y' s gr owi ng power i n Eur ope. The dwar ves of The Pr ose Edda,
t ypi cal of t r adi t i onal dwar ves, wer e mi ner s and exper t cr af t smen who
l i ved i n caves and mount ai ns. Ther e ar e many st or i es of dwar ves who
cr eat ed mar vel ous and magi cal t hi ngs, and i n t hese st or i es t he dwar ves
ar e of t en cheat ed of t hei r pay. Thi s may have been t he i nspi r at i on f or
t he di sput e over t r easur e and pay bet ween dwar ves and el ves i n The
Hobbi t . Dwar ves have al so been t r adi t i onal l y associ at ed wi t h t he f i er ce
l ove of t r easur e t hat char act er i zes Tol ki en' s dwar ves.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T: CHAPTERS 18- 19

The war i s over , and Bi l bo f i nds t hat he' s a her o. Af t er many f ond
f ar ewel l s, he heads home.

*

Bi l bo, who has been knocked unconsci ous, comes t o and f i nds hi msel f
al one. The war i s over . He r et ur ns t o camp t o f i nd Thor i n dyi ng. Want i ng
t o make amends wi t h Bi l bo, t he dwar f says, " I f mor e of us val ued f ood and
cheer and song above hoar ded gol d, i t woul d be a mer r i er wor l d. "

NOTE: REDEMPTI ON THROUGH COURAGE A r ecur r ent t heme of epi cs i s
r edempt i on t hr ough cour age. I n t he Fr ench epi c poemLe Chanson de Rol and
( " The Song of Rol and" ) , t he her o i s Rol and, whose desi r e f or pr est i ge
l eads hi mt o t ake unnecessar y r i sks wi t h hi s men i n bat t l e, r at her t han
cal l f or hel p. Rol and' s pr i de ( a common f l aw of epi c her oes) l eads t o
di sast er f or hi msel f and hi s men. Rol and r edeems hi msel f t hr ough her oi sm
i n bat t l e, wher e he cont i nues f i ght i ng even when t her e i s no hope f or
vi ct or y, and di es of hi s wounds. Li kewi se, Thor i n, who i s gui l t y of
gr eed, has r edeemed hi msel f by ent er i ng t he seemi ngl y hopel ess bat t l e,
r i ski ng hi s l i f e and exhi bi t i ng gr eat cour age.

Bi l bo set s out f or home wi t h t wo chest s of gol d and si l ver , and t he
f r i endshi p of dwar ves and el ves. When Bi l bo and t he dwar ves say good- bye,
you can see how t hey have come t o r econci l e t hei r di f f er ences. Even
t hough Bal i n' s f ar ewel l i s st i f f and f or mal and Bi l bo' s i s comi cal l y
casual and mor e moder n, t he message i s t he same: st op by and vi si t .
Thr ough t hi s, Tol ki en poi nt s out t hat , despi t e sur f ace di f f er ences, t her e
ar e under l yi ng si mi l ar i t i es uni t i ng t hem. Agai nst a common enemy, al l
di sagr eement s over weal t h and al l past gr udges about per cei ved wr ongs
seempet t y i n compar i son. Fr i endshi p emer ges as somet hi ng of gr eat val ue.

The war has had i t s posi t i ve aspect s. Tol ki en t el l s you t hat , i n t he
year s f ol l owi ng, t he f ew sur vi vi ng gobl i ns hi de i n f ear and t he War gs
vani sh compl et el y. The f or ces of good ar e f r ee t o set t l e t he l and
unmol est ed.

Bi l bo begi ns hi s j our ney home, accompani ed by Gandal f , and st ops i n
Ri vendel l on t he way. The songs of t he el ves r epeat Tol ki en' s ant i war
t heme: moonl i ght and st ar l i ght and a f i r e i n t he hear t h ar e mor e
i mpor t ant t han gol d and si l ver . But t hey al so add a new t wi st : t he el ves,
who ar e st r ongl y al l i ed wi t h nat ur e, si ng about nat ur e' s per manence.
Ki ngdoms r i se and f al l , yet i n t he val l ey of Ri vendel l t he gr ass i s st i l l
gr owi ng and t he el ves ar e st i l l si ngi ng.

Gandal f and El r ond r eveal t hei r awar eness t hat t hi s war has not
vanqui shed evi l ; evi l has been dest r oyed bef or e, onl y t o appear agai n i n
anot her pl ace. Thi s t heme may seemt o be an i nt ent i onal f or eshadowi ng of
t he event s l at er t ol d i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, but i t i s not . Tol ki en at
t hi s poi nt had no i nt ent i on of t aki ng t he st or y of Bi l bo and Mi ddl e- ear t h
any f ur t her .

St i l l i n possessi on of t he magi c r i ng, Bi l bo r et ur ns home t o f i nd t hat he
i s pr esumed dead and t hat hi s ef f ect s ar e bei ng auct i oned of f . Hi s
advent ur es have pr epar ed hi mt o cope wi t h t hi s pr obl em, however , and he
soon r egai ns possessi on of Bag End.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I , CHAPTERS 1- 6

Fr odo Baggi ns i nher i t s Bi l bo' s magi c r i ng. Fr odo l ear ns t hat t he r i ng
bel ongs t o t he evi l power , Saur on, and f l ees t he Shi r e wi t h i t . He and
hi s f r i ends become l ost i n t he myst er i ous Ol d For est , wher e t hey meet Tom
Bombadi l .

*

Si xt y year s have passed si nce Bi l bo r et ur ned f r omt he advent ur e t ol d i n
The Hobbi t . He i s now pr epar i ng f or an ext ended j our ney, i nt endi ng never
t o r et ur n t o t he Shi r e. He pl ans t o gi ve hi s house and t he magi c r i ng t o
hi s young cousi n and hei r , Fr odo Baggi ns. Bi l bo f i nds i t di f f i cul t ,
however , t o par t wi t h t he r i ng.

I n The Hobbi t , Bi l bo' s r i ng seemed qui t e i nnocent , al most a t oy. But
al r eady i t ' s begi nni ng t o t ake on a si ni st er aspect . When Gandal f pr esses
Bi l bo t o l eave t he r i ng behi nd, t he hobbi t becomes unchar act er i st i cal l y
suspi ci ous and angr y. He even cal l s t he r i ng by Gol l um' s name f or i t : " My
pr eci ous. " Ther e seemt o be t wo si des t o hi s per sonal i t y- - hi s ol d sel f
who honest l y means t o l eave t he r i ng behi nd, and anot her sel f who
cont r i ves t o keep i t . Thi s ot her sel f coul d be i nt er pr et ed as Bi l bo' s
subconsci ous, act i ng out hi s secr et wi sh t o keep t he r i ng. But t her e' s
anot her possi bi l i t y- - t hat t he r i ng has somehow gai ned a hol d i n hi s mi nd
and i s cont r ol l i ng hi s act i ons. Gandal f , at any r at e, f i nds t he change i n
Bi l bo al ar mi ng, and at l ast convi nces hi mt o l eave t he r i ng behi nd. Do
you t hi nk Gandal f was r i ght t o be concer ned? Di d he f or ce Bi l bo t o l eave
t he r i ng, or di d Bi l bo l eave i t of hi s own f r ee wi l l ?

The st or y t hen j umps ahead al most t went y year s. Gandal f vi si t s Fr odo wi t h
di st ur bi ng news. At t he end of The Hobbi t , Gandal f had ment i oned t hat t he
Necr omancer had been dr i ven out of Mi r kwood. Gandal f now t el l s Fr odo t hat
t hi s Necr omancer i s none ot her t han Saur on, an evi l power bel i eved t o
have been ki l l ed l ong ago. He has r et ur ned t o hi s anci ent st r onghol d i n
Mor dor and i s gat her i ng st r engt h t o conquer Mi ddl e- ear t h.

NOTE: Thr oughout t he t r i l ogy, Tol ki en uses shadow as a met aphor f or t he
evi l power of Saur on, gi vi ng an i mpr essi on of evi l as bei ng somehow
i nsubst ant i al . Yet i t s pr esence i s ver y r eal . Be al er t f or r ef er ences t o
shadow as you r ead, and i n each case t r y t o det er mi ne how i t may r el at e
t o evi l .

Saur on once had a r i ng of power t hat was t aken f r omhi mat t he end of t he
l ast war and subsequent l y l ost . I t was f ound agai n by a smal l hobbi t l i ke
cr eat ur e named Deagol . He was mur der ed by hi s f r i end Smeagol , who used
t he Ri ng t o st eal and t o spy on hi s peopl e. Gi ven t he name Gol l um,
because of t he gur gl i ng sounds he made i n hi s t hr oat , Smeagol became so
wi cked t hat he was exi l ed f r omhi s home. Event ual l y he f ound hi s way t o
t he Mi st y Mount ai ns and made hi s home i n a subt er r anean l ake deep i n t he
mount ai n' s hear t . I t was t her e t hat Bi l bo met Gol l umand gai ned owner shi p
of t he Ri ng.

NOTE: THE RI NG: A DOUBLE- EDGED WEAPON Fr omt hi s poi nt , Tol ki en r ef er s t o
Fr odo' s r i ng as " t he Ri ng" because of i t s gr eat i mpor t ance. The Ri ng
emer ges t hr ough t he cour se of t he st or y as a symbol of t he power t o
cont r ol ot her s. The Ri ng i s a danger ous weapon, however ; whi l e i t gi ves
i t s wear er t he power t o domi nat e ot her s, i t al so has t he power t o
domi nat e t hose who possess i t . Remember Bi l bo' s unwi l l i ngness t o gi ve i t
up?

Some r eader s see t he Ri ng as a symbol f or t he at omi c bomb. Li ke t he Ri ng,
t he bomb i s a weapon of gr eat power , but i t ' s al so danger ous t o t he
count r y t hat possesses i t . Tol ki en, however , deni ed t hat anyt hi ng i n hi s
book st ands f or any one t hi ng i n t he r eal wor l d.

Gandal f says t hat Gol l um' s st or y i s a sad one t hat mi ght have happened t o
ot her s, i ncl udi ng some hobbi t s he has known. Do you t hi nk he' s r ef er r i ng
t o Bi l bo? Gandal f al so comment s t hat even Gol l umwasn' t whol l y cor r upt ed
by t he Ri ng: " Ther e was a l i t t l e cor ner of hi s mi nd t hat was st i l l hi s
own. . . " He seems t o be i mpl yi ng t hat Gol l umwasn' t evi l at f i r st . Gandal f
pi t i es Gol l umand wonder s al oud i f he coul d be cur ed, speaki ng of evi l as
i f i t ' s a di sease. I n Gandal f ' s st or y about Gol l um, Tol ki en i nt r oduces
t hemes t hat wi l l be r epeat ed t hr oughout t he book: Not hi ng st ar t s out
evi l . Those who do f al l i nt o evi l ar e hur t by i t , but i t ' s al ways
possi bl e f or t hemt o be r edeemed.

Saur on has l ear ned f r omGol l umt hat hi s Ri ng was f ound, and f or t he f i r st
t i me he hear s of hobbi t s and t he Shi r e. Saur on wi l l come l ooki ng f or t he
Ri ng, Gandal f t el l s Fr odo. When he made t he Ri ng, Saur on put most of hi s
power i nt o i t , and wi t hout i t hi s st r engt h i s l i mi t ed. I f he can r ecover
t he Ri ng, no one wi l l be abl e t o st op hi m. To keep Saur on f r omget t i ng
i t , t he Ri ng must be dest r oyed.

NOTE: The Ri ng must be dest r oyed because of i t s power t o cor r upt even t he
best of i ndi vi dual s. I n t hi s way i t i s si mi l ar t o a t r easur e appear i ng i n
anot her novel , J ohn St ei nbeck' s The Pear l . I n t hat book a pear l of gr eat
val ue i s f ound by a poor Mexi can I ndi an. He f i nds t hat i t ' s a cur se
r at her t han a bl essi ng, however . The pear l appeal s t o t he gr eed i n
ot her s, who r esor t t o apal l i ng act s of vi ol ence i n an at t empt t o possess
i t . I n t he end t he I ndi an cast s t he pear l back i nt o t he sea, wher e i t can
no l onger i nci t e men t o evi l . The pear l symbol i zes t he cor r upt i ng l ur e of
weal t h, whi l e t he Ri ng symbol i zes t he cor r upt i ng ef f ect of power .

Fr odo t r i es t o gi ve t he Ri ng t o Gandal f , who r ef uses t o t ake i t . The Ri ng
woul d cor r upt even hi m; he woul d not be abl e t o r esi st t he t empt at i on t o
use i t f or good. And Gandal f i s sur e t hat once he used i t , t he Ri ng woul d
gai n power over hi mand he' d become anot her Dar k Lor d, l i ke Saur on.

Al so, Gandal f says, Fr odo was meant t o have t he Ri ng. He has been chosen
by some hi gher wi l l t hat has power f or good i n t he wor l d. But Gandal f
emphasi zes t hat i t ' s Fr odo' s choi ce t o accept or r ej ect t hi s dest i ny.
Tol ki en i nt r oduces t wo mor e of hi s t hemes her e. One i s t hat t her e i s a
benevol ent f or ce at wor k t hat opposes t he power of evi l , and t hat
ever yone has a r ol e t o pl ay i n i t s gr and desi gn. The ot her i s t hat
i ndi vi dual s shoul d not be f or ced t o do anyt hi ng- - even t o f ol l ow t hei r
r ol es i n t he gr and scheme of t hi ngs. For good or bad, al l peopl e must be
f r ee t o make t hei r own choi ces.

Fr odo i s woef ul l y unpr epar ed f or t he chal l enge. At f i r st he t hi nks t he
Ri ng can be dest r oyed wi t h a hammer or by t hr owi ng i t i nt o t he f i r e. But
Gandal f t el l s hi mt hat i t can onl y be dest r oyed i n t he vol cano wher e i t
was made, i n t he Cr ack of Doomi n Mor dor . Thi s i nf or mat i on scar es Fr odo,
and he doubt s he' l l be abl e t o per f or msuch a deed. But f or now he
accept s t he r esponsi bi l i t y of guar di ng t he Ri ng and wi l l t ake i t t o
Ri vendel l , wher e i t wi l l be out of Saur on' s gr asp.

At t hi s poi nt , SamGamgee, t he gar dener , i s di scover ed eavesdr oppi ng. He
shows even l ess compr ehensi on of t he si t uat i on t han Fr odo does. When t ol d
he can accompany Fr odo, Sami s over j oyed: " Me go and see El ves and al l !
Hoor ay! "

When Fr odo at l ast l eaves t he Shi r e, he i s accompani ed by one of hi s
f r i ends, Per egr i ne Took ( Pi ppi n) , and by SamGamgee. Gandal f was t o go
wi t h t hembut hasn' t been hear d f r omi n sever al mont hs.

Thi s par t of t he st or y i s f i l l ed wi t h vi vi d descr i pt i ons of t he pl easur es
of t he r oad: cr ackl i ng f i r es, ami abl e conver sat i on, and, most of al l , t he
l andscape- - t r ees, f i el ds, and st ar s. The r i chness of det ai l , whi l e addi ng
l i t t l e t o t he pl ot , i s an i mpor t ant par t of Tol ki en' s st yl e. Many r eader s
f i nd t hat t hese descr i pt i ons make Mi ddl e- ear t h and i t s i nhabi t ant s come
al i ve.

The t r avel er s soon f i nd t hey ar e bei ng pur sued by myst er i ous Bl ack
Ri der s. Twi ce t hey ar e f or ced t o hi de i n t he woods as a Ri der appr oaches.
Bot h t i mes t hey ar e near l y di scover ed, and bot h t i mes Fr odo i s sei zed
wi t h an al most i r r esi st i bl e desi r e t o put on t he Ri ng. The f i r st t i me,
f or an i nexpl i cabl e r eason, t he Ri der t ur ns away. The second Ri der i s
dr i ven of f by t he voi ces of el ves, who t hen of f er t he hobbi t s pr ot ect i on
f or t he ni ght .

NOTE: The Bl ack Ri der s gi ve t he i mpr essi on of si l ent menace. They wear
bl ack cl oaks and hoods; not even t hei r f aces can be seen. They t r ack t he
hobbi t s t hr ough a sense of smel l , maki ng t hemseemani mal i st i c.

The el ven l eader war ns Fr odo t hat t he Ri der s ar e deadl y " ser vant s of t he
Enemy. "

I n t he mor ni ng t he t hr ee hobbi t s st ar t out , cl osel y pur sued by Bl ack
Ri der s. They saf el y r each t he house Fr odo had bought t o hi de t he f act he
was pl anni ng t o l eave t he Shi r e. Ther e Fr odo i s j oi ned by Mer i adoc
Br andybuck ( Mer r y) and Fat t y Bol ger . Fat t y wi l l st ay behi nd t o keep up
t he pr et ense t hat Fr odo i s l i vi ng t her e, but Mer r y and Pi ppi n i nsi st on
goi ng wi t h Fr odo, no mat t er how gr eat t he danger . Fr odo has been t ol d by
bot h Gandal f and t he el ves t hat he shoul d r el y on t he hel p of f r i ends.
Though he doesn' t want t o br i ng t hemi nt o danger , he' s happy t o know
t hey' l l come. Thr ough Mer r y, Pi ppi n, and Sam, Tol ki en i s expr essi ng t he
i mpor t ance of f r i endshi p.

The hobbi t s deci de not t o t ake t he r oad, whi ch i s l i kel y t o be wat ched by
Bl ack Ri der s. I nst ead t hey t r y t o cut t hr ough t he Ol d For est . I t ' s a
wei r d pl ace, and i t ' s sai d t hat t he t r ees can move, hemmi ng i n unwel come
st r anger s. The hobbi t s ar e soon l ost and f i nd t hemsel ves on t he bank of
t he Ri ver Wi t hywi ndl e, i n t he hear t of t he f or est .

They ar e si t t i ng i n t he shade of an ol d wi l l ow when suddenl y Mer r y and
Pi ppi n ar e swal l owed up by gr eat cr acks i n t he t r ee. Fr odo' s cr i es f or
hel p ar e answer ed by TomBombadi l , a st r ange ol d man wi t h a f eat her ed
hat . Tomsoon f or ces Ol d Man Wi l l ow t o r el ease hi s capt i ves; t hen he
i nvi t es t hemt o hi s home. Tomt el l s t he hobbi t s t hat t hey wer e l ucky he
came by, f or he di d not act ual l y hear t hei r cr i es: " J ust chance br ought
me. . . i f chance you cal l i t . " Many r eader s i nt er pr et t hi s as a hi nt of
some unseen power t hat gui ded Tomt o come al ong at t hat moment and save
t he hobbi t s.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I , CHAPTERS 7- 12

The hobbi t s ar e saf el y sent on t hei r way agai n by Tom. They ar e j oi ned by
a myst er i ous char act er named St r i der , who gui des t hemt o Ri vendel l .

*

The hobbi t s meet Tom' s beaut i f ul wi f e, Gol dber r y, t he daught er of t he
Ri ver Wi t hywi ndl e. Tomand Gol dber r y ar e cur i ous yet appeal i ng f i gur es.
Tomof t en speaks i n song; even when he i sn' t si ngi ng, hi s wor ds have a
si ngsong qual i t y. Hi s l ove f or Gol dber r y i s t ouchi ng, and when t he
hobbi t s f i r st meet hi m, he i s br i ngi ng l i l i es t o pl ace i n bowl s ar ound
her f eet . Ther e seems t o be good magi c i n Tomand Gol dber r y' s home, f or
Tomsays t hat no evi l can t ouch t he hobbi t s t her e. Not even t he Ri ng has
power over Tom. When he put s i t on, he r emai ns vi si bl e, and when Fr odo
put s i t on, Tomcan st i l l see hi m.

NOTE: TOM AND GOLDBERRY AS NATURE SPI RI TS Tomand Gol dber r y may be seen
as nat ur e spi r i t s, f i gur es who r epr esent t he f or ces of nat ur e- - f or
exampl e, Mot her Nat ur e. Anot her exampl e i s Pan, t he Gr eek god of t he
woodl ands, who was hal f man and hal f goat . Pan was bel i eved t o be
mi schi evous and f un- l ovi ng, but al so danger ous when angr y. He bel onged t o
t he wor l d of nat ur e and sel domconcer ned hi msel f wi t h human af f ai r s.
Tr aces of Pan can be seen i n TomBombadi l , wi t h hi s humor ous appear ance
( al t hough Tomi s f ul l y human) , hi s l i vel y per sonal i t y, and hi s power over
nat ur e.

Gol dber r y t el l s t he hobbi t s t hat Tomi s t he mast er of wood, wat er , and
hi l l . Tom' s songs, such as t he one he uses t o make Ol d Man Wi l l ow r el ease
Pi ppi n and Mer r y, seemt o gi ve hi mpower over nat ur e. Gol dber r y shar es i n
t hi s power , f or her song br i ngs r ai n. " Thi s i s Gol dber r y' s washi ng day, "
Tomt el l s t he hobbi t s.

Peopl e who t hi nk Tomi s a nat ur e spi r i t say t hat t hi s i s why t he Ri ng has
no i nf l uence on hi m. The Ri ng i s of t he wor l d of man, and Tomi s of t he
wor l d of nat ur e. He i s unt ouched by t he desi r e f or absol ut e power t hat
t he Ri ng r epr esent s.

The hobbi t s set of f acr oss t he bar r ow- downs, a st r et ch of l and t hat i s
f i l l ed wi t h bur i al mounds, or bar r ows. Fool i shl y l i nger i ng t her e unt i l
sundown, agai nst Tom' s advi ce, t hey become l ost i n f og and ar e capt ur ed
by a bar r ow- wi ght ( an evi l spi r i t who i nhabi t s t hese bur i al mounds and
l ur es t r avel er s t o t hei r deat h) . Fr odo si ngs t he r hymed cal l f or hel p
t hat TomBombadi l had t aught t hem, and soon Tomar r i ves t o r escue t hem.

Whi l e i n t he bar r ow, Fr odo has agai n been t empt ed t o put on t he Ri ng. You
can see how Tol ki en' s t r eat ment of t he Ri ng has changed f r omThe Hobbi t .
I n t hat book Bi l bo of t en used t he Ri ng t o save hi s f r i ends. Now t he Ri ng
ser ves onl y as a t empt at i on t o Fr odo t o t ake t he easy way out and abandon
hi s f r i ends. Thi s i s a moment of t r ut h f or Fr odo and r el at es t o Tol ki en' s
t heme of t he cor r upt i ng ef f ect of power . Fr odo must choose bet ween usi ng
t he Ri ng t o save hi msel f or f aci ng cer t ai n deat h but not compr omi si ng hi s
mor al s. Thi s hi nt s at anot her of Tol ki en' s t hemes- - r ef usal t o gi ve i n t o
despai r . Fr odo f i ght s, even wi t h no hope of wi nni ng, and f i nds a way t o
r escue hi s f r i ends. The i mpor t ance of f r i endshi p al so comes i nt o pl ay
her e, f or i t i s Fr odo' s f r i endshi p f or t he ot her s t hat keeps hi mf r om
put t i ng on t he Ri ng and f al l i ng i nt o evi l .

Tomgi ves each of t he hobbi t s a swor d f r omt he bar r ow. They f eel awkwar d
wear i ng t hem, f or t hey had never t hought of f i ght i ng. Thi s i s an i dea
t hey' l l have t o get used t o, however , i f t hey ar e t o sur vi ve. The swor ds
ar e a si gn t hat t he hobbi t s must st ar t l ear ni ng t o t ake r esponsi bi l i t y
f or t hemsel ves.

NOTE: THE POWER OF LANGUAGE TomBombadi l uses song t o dr i ve t he wi ght
f r omt he bar r ow, j ust as he used i t t o f or ce Ol d Man Wi l l ow t o r el ease
Mer r y and Pi ppi n. He al so gi ves names t o t he hobbi t s' poni es. Ther e i s an
anci ent bel i ef , hel d by many pr i mi t i ve peopl e, t hat ever yt hi ng has i t s
own name, i n a secr et l anguage. Knowi ng t he name gi ves you power over t he
t hi ng ( or per son) . I t seems t hat Tom' s mast er y over t hi ngs comes f r omt he
power t o name t hem. By gi vi ng Tomt hi s power , Tol ki en i nt r oduces a new
per spect i ve on l anguage. Thr oughout t he book you wi l l see t hat Tol ki en
dr aws at t ent i on t o l anguage i n di f f er ent ways.

The hobbi t s saf el y r each t hei r next dest i nat i on, t he t own of Br ee, and
st ay at an i nn, t he Pr anci ng Pony. Fr odo f ool i shl y al l ows t he Ri ng t o
sl i p ont o hi s f i nger . By di sappear i ng, he r eveal s hi s i dent i t y t o t he
wat chi ng spi es. He i s r ebuked by a myst er i ous char act er cal l ed St r i der ,
who knows Fr odo' s name and al so seems t o know about t he Ri ng. St r i der
of f er s t o j oi n t he hobbi t s as t hei r gui de. Af t er i ni t i al di st r ust , t hey
deci de t o accept . They' r e st ar t i ng t o be awar e t hat t hey' ve been t oo
car el ess, and someone wi t h St r i der ' s exper i ence wi l l be abl e t o hel p
t hem.

To st ay of f t he r oad, St r i der l eads t he hobbi t s al ong a t wi st i ng cour se
t hr ough t he f or est , ar r i vi ng one ni ght at a hi l l cal l ed Weat her t op. So
f ar t her e has been no si gn of t he Bl ack Ri der s, but t hat ni ght on
Weat her t op t he hobbi t s ar e at t acked.

St r i der has sai d t hat t he Ri der s cannot see t he wor l d of l i ght ; t hey see
best i n dar kness. Thi s i s appr opr i at e, f or l i ght symbol i zes good, and
dar kness evi l . When Fr odo put s on t he Ri ng, t he Ri der s seemsuddenl y t o
see hi m. And Fr odo f i nds t hat he can now see t hei r f aces and ar mor ,
wher eas bef or e t hey wer e onl y shadowy f i gur es. I t seems he has ent er ed
t he Ri der s' wor l d by put t i ng on t he Ri ng. Suddenl y, one of t he Ri der s
at t acks Fr odo and succeeds i n st abbi ng hi mbef or e bei ng dr i ven of f .

When Fr odo r egai ns consci ousness, he l ear ns f r omt he ot her s t hat t hey had
seen l i t t l e of hi s encount er wi t h t he Bl ack Ri der . Fr odo had seemed t o
vani sh, and t he Ri der appear ed onl y as a bl ack shadow r ushi ng past t hem.
St r i der now t ends Fr odo' s wound. The Bl ack Ri der ' s kni f e has deadl y magi c
i n i t , and al r eady a chi l l i s spr eadi ng f r omFr odo' s shoul der down hi s
ar mand si de. St r i der says t hat t he evi l of t hat kni f e i s beyond hi s
ski l l t o cur e, so t hey al l set out f or Ri vendel l , hopi ng t hat t her e Fr odo
can be heal ed.

On t he way t hey ar e j oi ned by an El f - l or d, Gl or f i ndel , who has been sent
f r omRi vendel l by El r ond t o f i nd t he t r avel er s and hel p t hem. Gl or f i ndel
gi ves Fr odo hi s own hor se, whi ch can out r un t he st eeds of t he Bl ack
Ri der s. When t he company r eaches a f or d i n t he r i ver , t he Bl ack Ri der s
suddenl y appear , and Gl or f i ndel sends hi s hor se, wi t h Fr odo on i t , over
t he f or d. Cal l i ng on Fr odo t o wai t , t he Bl ack Ri der s st ar t t o f ol l ow hi m.
He no l onger has t he st r engt h t o r ef use. St i l l , he r esi st s t hei r hol d t o
t he l ast , cal l i ng out def i ant l y. They onl y l augh and advance conf i dent l y
t o t ake hi m. Suddenl y t he r i ver f l oods, and on t he ot her shor e a shi ni ng
f i gur e, Gl or f i ndel , can be seen dr i vi ng t he Ri der s i nt o t he wat er . The
l ast t hi ng Fr odo sees i s t he Ri der s and t hei r bl ack hor ses bei ng car r i ed
away by t he r i ver .

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I I , CHAPTERS 1- 5

A f el l owshi p i s f or med t o accompany Fr odo sout h t owar d Mor dor . They pass
t hr ough t he mi nes of Mor i a, wher e Gandal f i s l ost i n bat t l e wi t h a
Bal r og.

*

Fr odo awakens i n Ri vendel l t o f i nd t he wi zar d si t t i ng by hi s bed. He
l ear ns f r omGandal f about t he Bl ack Ri der s and t he event s at t he f or d.
The Bl ack Ri der s, Gandal f t el l s Fr odo, ar e t he ni ne r i ngwr ai t hs, men who
have been ensl aved by Saur on t hr ough r i ngs of power . Fr odo had ver y
near l y f al l en i nt o t hei r power . I f he had not r eached Ri vendel l i n t i me,
t he power of t he Ri der ' s kni f e woul d have t ur ned hi mi nt o a wr ai t h, under
t he domi ni on of Saur on.

Chapt er 1 cont ai ns a gr eat deal of i nf or mat i on, r eveal ed most l y t hr ough
di al ogue. Fr odo l ear ns f r omGandal f about t he nat ur e of t he el ves. The
el ves had at one t i me l i ved i n t he Bl essed Real m, whi ch l i es beyond t he
west er n sea. They now l i ve i n bot h wor l ds and have power over bot h t he
seen and unseen. ( Lat er , Tol ki en sl i ps i n t he i nf or mat i on t hat t he el ves
ar e i mmor t al . ) Gandal f t el l s Fr odo t hat t her e i s gr eat power i n Ri vendel l
t o wi t hst and Saur on. He al so comment s t hat t her e i s power of anot her ki nd
i n t he Shi r e. Can you guess what t hat power i s? Thi s i s an i mpor t ant
quest i on t o keep i n mi nd as you r ead t he book.

NOTE: TOLKI EN' S CHRI STI ANI TY Tol ki en was a devout Chr i st i an, and some
peopl e r ead The Lor d of t he Ri ngs as a Chr i st i an al l egor y. I n chapt er 1
you can see why. Fr odo l ear ns t hat t he gl eami ng f i gur e he saw by t he f or d
was Gl or f i ndel , appear i ng i n t he f or mt hat he assumes " on t he ot her si de"
( pr esumabl y i n t he unseen wor l d, t hough per haps Gandal f i s r ef er r i ng t o
t he Bl essed Real m) . Gl or f i ndel sounds al most l i ke an angel , and i n f act ,
some r eader s bel i eve t hat t he el ves ar e angel s and t hat t he Bl essed Real m
i s heaven. Tol ki en, however , st r ongl y deni ed t hat hi s books ar e
al l egor i cal . An exampl e of a wor k i nt ended as Chr i st i an al l egor y i s
Pi l gr i m' s Pr ogr ess by J ohn Bunyan ( 1678) . I n t hat book t he char act er s
j our ney t hr ough an i magi nar y l andscape t owar d heaven. Thei r j our ney i s
t he j our ney of l i f e, or of f ai t h, and t hei r advent ur es r epr esent t he
pi t f al l s on t he way t o sal vat i on, such as despai r and gr eed. Tol ki en i s
quot ed as havi ng sai d t hat he never i nt ended t o have hi s book i nt er pr et ed
i n such a manner . However , he admi t t ed t hat whi l e r el i gi on i s never
ment i oned i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs ( i n f act , he del i ber at el y del et ed
r ef er ences t o r el i gi on) , t he pr i nci pl es of hi s f ai t h ar e deepl y i mbedded
i n t he st or y. Gandal f ' s st at ement t hat Fr odo was chosen t o bear t he Ri ng
hi nt s at t he wor ki ngs of di vi ne pr ovi dence. Fr odo i s t empt ed by evi l when
he f eel s compel l ed t o put on t he Ri ng. Be al er t t o t hese r el i gi ous
under t ones as you r ead t he book.

A gr eat f east i s hel d i n Fr odo' s honor . Ther e, Gandal f , El r ond, and
Gl or f i ndel appear as awe- i nspi r i ng f i gur es, a change f r omThe Hobbi t ,
wher e char act er s ar e of t en made f un of . Af t er t he f east , Fr odo f i nds
Bi l bo i n a l ar ge hal l wher e t he el ves now gat her t o si ng and t al k.

One smal l event cast s a pal l on t he eveni ng. When Bi l bo asks t o see t he
Ri ng and Fr odo shows i t t o hi m, i t i s as i f a shadow suddenl y f al l s
bet ween t he t wo hobbi t s. ( Not e agai n Tol ki en' s use of shadow as a symbol
f or evi l . ) Fr odo sees Bi l bo as a wr i nkl ed, gr aspi ng cr eat ur e and f eel s an
ur ge t o hi t hi m. Ar ound t hem, t he si ngi ng of t he el ves f al t er s, and t her e
i s sudden si l ence. Bi l bo r eal i zes t hat t he Ri ng has al r eady af f ect ed
Fr odo' s per sonal i t y.

St r i der i s al so r eveal ed as an awe- i nspi r i ng f i gur e, one of t he f ew
r emai ni ng descendant s of a gr eat and anci ent r ace of men, t he Numenor ea.
St r i der ' s t r ue name i s Ar agor n; t o show hi s new st at us i n t he book, he i s
cal l ed by t hat name, i nst ead of St r i der .

Not i ce t he st ar i mager y i n chapt er 1. I n El r ond' s eyes i s a l i ght l i ke
t he l i ght of st ar s. Bi l bo t wi ce r ef er s t o st ar s: f i r st i n hi s song about
Ear endi l , who i s t ur ned i nt o a st ar , and at t he end of t he chapt er , when
he says he wi l l go t o l ook at t he st ar s of El ber et h. ( El ber et h i s a bei ng
f r omt he Bl essed Real mwho i s bel i eved by t he el ves t o have cr eat ed t he
st ar s. ) Ar agor n appear s t o Fr odo as havi ng a st ar shi ni ng on hi s br east .
Wher eas shadow i s a symbol of evi l , st ar s emer ge i n Tol ki en' s book as a
symbol of a di st ant , yet endur i ng good.

A counci l i s hel d at Ri vendel l , and al l r aces- - dwar ves, el ves, men, and
hobbi t s- - ar e r epr esent ed. Ost ensi bl y t hey have come t o br i ng news and t o
seek advi ce. Yet El r ond says t hat t hey have been br ought her e by some
hi gher pur pose. The st or i es t hey have t o t el l al l r el at e i n some way t o
t he r i se of Saur on, as wel l as t o t he Ri ng, whi ch Fr odo now car r i es.

El r ond' s st or y of t he Ri ng encompasses a br oad sweep of hi st or y, f or he
has l i ved t hr ough t hr ee ages and seen evi l r i se and f al l many t i mes.
Next , Bor omi r , a man f r omt he count r y of Gondor t o t he sout h, t el l s of
Saur on' s r i se i n Mor dor . The f or ces of Gondor ar e t r yi ng t o hol d back t he
t i de of evi l , but t hey' r e t oo weak agai nst Saur on' s mi ght .

Ar agor n chooses t hi s moment t o r eveal t hat he' s t he hei r of El endi l , once
ki ng of Gondor , who had been sl ai n i n t he l ast bat t l e agai nst Saur on many
year s ago. He has El endi l ' s br oken swor d, and t he t i me has come f or t hat
swor d t o be r ef or ged and f or Ar agor n t o r et ur n t o Gondor as r i ght f ul
ki ng.

NOTE: ELEMENTS OF ELI TI SM I N THE LORD OF THE RI NGS The passage wher e
Ar agor n descr i bes hi s l i f e as a Ranger shows t he el i t i smt hat peopl e see
i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs. Ar agor n' s wor ds depi ct an el i t e f ew who spend
t hei r l i ves f aci ng danger and di scomf or t f or t he sake of t he many, who
ar e si mpl e and weak. The Ranger s ar e scor ned f or t hei r t r oubl e, whi l e t he
si mpl e f ol k r emai n bl i ssf ul l y i gnor ant of t he danger s t hey ar e bei ng
pr ot ect ed f r om. Ar agor n consi der s i t r i ght t hat t hi ngs shoul d be t hi s
way. Do you agr ee wi t h hi s t heor y? I s i t bet t er f or t he common peopl e t o
be kept unawar e of t he danger s i n t he wor l d? Do you know of gover nment s
and l eader s who seemt o f eel t hat way?

Gandal f has t he wor st news of al l . Hi s t al e i s of t he t r eacher y of
Sar uman t he Whi t e, a wi zar d l i ke Gandal f , and head of t he counci l t hat
dr ove Saur on f r omMi r kwood. Secr et l y Sar uman has f or some t i me desi r ed
t he Ri ng f or hi msel f , and when he suspect s t hat Gandal f knows wher e i t
i s, he summons hi munder t he pr et ext of of f er i ng hel p agai nst t he Bl ack
Ri der s and Saur on. But i nst ead he t el l s Gandal f t hat t hey must j oi n
f or ces and use t he power of t he Ri ng t o r ul e Mi ddl e- ear t h. Whi l e cer t ai n
evi l s woul d have t o be t ol er at ed and weaker al l i es cast asi de, Sar uman
cl ai ms i t woul d al l ser ve a hi gher good. When Gandal f r ef uses t o j oi n
hi m, Sar uman i mpr i sons hi mon t he t op of a mount ai n. Gandal f i s f i nal l y
r escued by Gwai hi r , t he eagl e.

The counci l must now deci de what i s t o be done wi t h t he Ri ng. Bor omi r
suggest s t hey use t he Ri ng' s power agai nst Saur on. El r ond expl ai ns t hat
whoever used t he Ri ng t o def eat Saur on, no mat t er how nobl e hi s pur pose,
woul d become j ust as evi l as Saur on, f or such i s t he nat ur e of t he Ri ng.
The ver y desi r e f or t he Ri ng cor r upt s t he hear t , as i t cor r upt ed Sar uman.

NOTE: NATURE OF GOOD AND EVI L I n t hi s scene you wi l l f i nd many of
Tol ki en' s i deas about good and evi l . Not hi ng ever st ar t s out evi l - even
Saur on was good once. El r ond' s exper i ence has shown hi mt hat evi l can
never be compl et el y vanqui shed, f or i t al ways r eappear s i n a new f or m.
And even t he t empor ar y vi ct or i es of good over evi l ar e won onl y at gr eat
cost . Yet despi t e i t s power , evi l has a weakness i n t hat i t cannot
i magi ne good- - f or exampl e, Saur on t hi nks t hat al l peopl e desi r e power as
he does, and so he does not expect t hemt o dest r oy t he Ri ng.

The power of good can be seen i n t he t hr ee r i ngs t hat t he el ves possess.
El r ond sai d t hat t he el ven r i ngs wer e not made t o obt ai n weal t h or
domi ni on over ot her s, but wer e made t o be used f or heal i ng,
under st andi ng, and cr eat i ng. Thi s mor e passi ve ki nd of power i s an
al t er nat i ve t o Saur on' s ( and Sar uman' s) desi r e t o cont r ol t he wor l d.
However , t he f at e of t he el ven r i ngs i s t i ed up wi t h t he f at e of t he
Rul i ng Ri ng. I f Saur on shoul d r egai n possessi on of hi s Ri ng, he wi l l be
abl e t o cont r ol t he el ven r i ngs. I f t he Ri ng i s dest r oyed, El r ond
bel i eves t hat t he power of t he el ven r i ngs wi l l end, and many good and
beaut i f ul t hi ngs wi l l pass f r omMi ddl e- ear t h. Thi s i s anot her exampl e of
Tol ki en' s t heme t hat t he f or ces of good achi eve vi ct or y onl y at gr eat
cost t o t hemsel ves. I t al so pr esent s anot her f acet of Tol ki en' s compl ex
t heme of t he r el at i onshi p bet ween good and evi l ; of t en evi l pur pose can
uni nt ent i onal l y br i ng about benef i ci al r esul t s. I n t hi s case, t he el ven
r i ngs wer e f or ged at Saur on' s di r ect i on, t o wi n cont r ol over el ves.
I nst ead t he r i ngs have br ought about much good and ar e i nval uabl e i n t he
st r uggl e agai nst hi m.

Not ever yone accept s t he f act t hat t he Ri ng must be dest r oyed. Some f eel
t hat t o br i ng t he Ri ng t o Mor dor woul d be an act of despai r or f ol l y. But
Gandal f says t hat i t ' s t he onl y possi bl e pat h. I t must be t aken even i f
i t seems doomed t o f ai l ur e. El r ond suggest s t hat t hi s quest may be
under t aken by t he weak as wel l as t he st r ong, f or nei t her st r engt h nor
wi sdomwi l l i nsur e success. Her e Tol ki en st r esses hi s t heme of t he power
of t he common man: " Yet such i s of t t he cour se of deeds t hat move t he
wheel s of t he wor l d: smal l hands do t hembecause t hey must , whi l e t he
eyes of t he gr eat ar e el sewher e. " Fr odo agr ees t o t ake on t he t ask of
dest r oyi ng t he Ri ng, somet hi ng t hat unt i l now he had hoped t o l eave t o
someone el se. El r ond says t hat he bel i eves Fr odo was chosen f or t hi s t ask
and t hat onl y he can succeed. Yet i t ' s i mpor t ant t hat he accept s t he t ask
of hi s own f r ee wi l l . Wi t h t hi s, Tol ki en br i ngs up t he l ast of hi s maj or
t hemes, t hat of f r ee wi l l . Whi l e dest i ny seems t o pl ay a hand i n t he
l i ves of Tol ki en' s char act er s, t hey ar e f r ee t o r ef use t hat dest i ny, j ust
as Fr odo i s f r ee t o r ef use t o be Ri ng- bear er .

El r ond chooses ei ght compani ons f or Fr odo: Gandal f , Ar agor n, Gi ml i t he
dwar f , Legol as t he el f , Bor omi r , Sam, Mer r y, and Pi ppi n.

Ar agor n' s br oken swor d i s r ef or ged, and he r enames i t Andur i l . I n pl ace
of Fr odo' s br oken swor d Bi l bo of f er s hi mhi s own swor d St i ng. I n t hi s
scene bet ween t he t wo hobbi t s, Tol ki en suggest s a compar i son wi t h
l egendar y her oes, such as Ki ng Ar t hur , who dr aw a swor d f r oma st one or
t r ee wher e i t has been i mbedded f or many year s. Her e, Bi l bo t hr ust s St i ng
i nt o a beamand Fr odo dr aws i t out . The Lor d of t he Ri ngs has many such
al l usi ons, whi ch, whi l e not cr uci al t o an under st andi ng of t he st or y, add
r i chness t o Tol ki en' s wor k.

The company pl ans t o cr oss t he Mi st y Mount ai ns t hr ough t he Redhor n Gat e,
but a sudden bl i zzar d f or ces t hemt o t ur n back. I t seems t o have been
di r ect ed agai nst t hemon pur pose, but Gandal f does not bel i eve t hat
Saur on was r esponsi bl e. Rat her , he f eel s t hat t he mount ai n i t sel f ,
host i l e t owar d t r avel er s, sought t o st op t hem. Thi s ser ves as a r emi nder ,
i n Tol ki en' s phi l osophy, t hat t her e ar e neut r al f or ces at wor k t hat ser ve
nei t her good nor evi l .

Gandal f l eads t he company t hr ough t he mi nes of Mor i a, once t he home of
dwar ves, but now i nhabi t ed by or cs ( Tol ki en cal l ed t hemgobl i ns i n The
Hobbi t ) and ot her evi l cr eat ur es. Pi ppi n i mpul si vel y t hr ows a pebbl e down
a wel l , anger i ng Gandal f , f or i t may al er t t he or cs t o t hei r pr esence i n
t he mi nes. Lat er t hey ar e at t acked by or cs and t r ol l s, and even Samand
Fr odo have a chance t o pr ove t hei r cour age. For t he most par t , however ,
t he f our hobbi t s must be pr ot ect ed and her ded about l i ke chi l dr en as t he
company f l ees t hr ough t he mi nes t owar d t he Gr eat Gat e. They r each t he
br i dge of Khazad- dum, whi ch ar ches over a deep chasm. Beyond t he br i dge
l i es t he Gr eat Gat e. At t hat moment a Bal r og ( a t er r i f yi ng cr eat ur e f r om
t he mi nes of Mor i a) appear s among t hei r pur suer s. Gandal f sends t he
ot her s f or war d, and on t he br i dge i t sel f he t ur ns t o meet t he Bal r og.

I n t he conf r ont at i on you can see how Tol ki en uses hi s i mager y of l i ght
and shadow, cont r ast i ng t he l i ght of Gandal f ' s swor d wi t h t he vast shadow
sur r oundi ng t he Bal r og. Bef or e t he Bal r og, Gandal f seems smal l and f r ai l ,
as good al ways does bef or e evi l i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs. But appear ances
can be decei vi ng, and Gandal f succeeds i n br eaki ng t he Bal r og' s swor d. As
he cast s t he Bal r og i nt o t he chasm, t he cr eat ur e' s whi p wr aps ar ound t he
wi zar d' s l eg. The ot her s wat ch i n hor r or as Gandal f al so pl unges i nt o t he
chasm. Then t hey qui ckl y f l ee t o t he Gr eat Gat e and out i nt o t he saf et y
of t he sunl i ght . Ther e t hey st op t o mour n t he l oss of Gandal f .

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I I , CHAPTERS 6- 10

The band enj oys an i nt er l ude i n t he beaut i f ul f or est of Lot hl or i en. They
t hen cont i nue sout h, wher e di sast er awai t s t hem.

*

The company ent er s t he f or est of Lot hl or i en, t he home of el ves. Bor omi r
has hear d r umor s t hat t hi s i s a per i l ous pl ace and doesn' t want t o ent er .
But Ar agor n and Legol as know of Lot hl or i en as a pl ace of power t hat
t hwar t s evi l . Li ke Ri vendel l , i t i s a r ef uge f r omt he dar kness i n t he
l and. At f i r st t he t r avel er s ar e met wi t h suspi ci on by t he el ves. I n such
danger ous t i mes t he el ves can t r ust no st r anger s.

I n Lot hl or i en ( al so cal l ed Lor i en) , Fr odo f eel s as t hough he has ent er ed
t he wor l d of t he El der days, wher e t he anci ent past i s st i l l al i ve.
Lot hl or i en seems t o hi mt o be a t i mel ess l and t hat wi l l nei t her f ade nor
change. I n t he wi nd he hear s t he sounds of waves and seabi r ds f r omt he
di st ant past .

The company meet s Gal adr i el and Cel ebor n, t he r ul er s of Lot hl or i en.
Gal adr i el descr i bes how she and her husband have st r uggl ed agai nst evi l
t hr ough t he ages. She speaks of t he st r uggl e as t he l ong def eat . She
t est s t he member s of t he f el l owshi p i n t ur n, si l ent l y of f er i ng t hemt he
choi ce of goi ng on i nt o danger or t ur ni ng asi de and havi ng t he one t hi ng
t hey most desi r e. As t hey t al k of i t l at er , Bor omi r hol ds t hat Gal adr i el
was t empt i ng t hemand war ns t hat she i s a danger . Of al l t he company, he
al one f ai l s t o r ecogni ze t he goodness i n Lor i en.

NOTE: TOLKI EN AND WOMEN Tol ki en has of t en been cr i t i ci zed f or gener al l y
i gnor i ng women i n hi s books. Ther e may be mer i t i n t hi s ar gument . Thi nk
back t o The Hobbi t : The onl y f emal e char act er was Lobel i a Sackvi l l e-
Baggi ns, a r i di cul ous and unpl easant hobbi t . I n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs
t hus f ar , you have met onl y Lobel i a, Gol dber r y, Ar wen ( El r ond' s
daught er ) , and now Gal adr i el . Gal adr i el i s a f i gur e of gr eat power . She
seems wi ser t han her husband, Cel ebor n, and wi ns over Gi ml i t he dwar f
wi t h her ki ndness. She i s t he one who f i r st cal l ed t oget her t he Whi t e
Counci l t hat or i gi nal l y dr ove Saur on f r omMi r kwood. She' s al so t he
possessor of one of t he t hr ee el ven r i ngs. Equal even t o Saur on' s power ,
she can r ead hi s t hought s, yet he can' t f i nd her .

Gal adr i el , however , r epr esent s an i deal i zed woman, as do Ar wen and
Gol dber r y. Lat er i n t he t r i l ogy, you wi l l meet a cont r ast i n t he
char act er of Eowyn.

I n Lot hl or i en you can cl ear l y see t he way Tol ki en equat es nat ur e wi t h
benef i cent power . Lot hl or i en i s a pl ace of gr eat nat ur al beaut y. The
el ves, who make t hei r houses i n t he t r ees, ar e i n cl ose cont act wi t h
nat ur e, l eadi ng a si mpl e l i f e- st yl e wi t hout t echnol ogy. Samsays t hat he
can' t t el l i f t he el ves made t he l and or t he l and made t hem, pr ovi ng t hat
he can be sur pr i si ngl y per cept i ve at t i mes. The magi c i n Lot hl or i en i s
wel l hi dden, yet i t i s per vasi ve and power f ul .

Gal adr i el of f er s Samand Fr odo a l ook i n her " mi r r or , " a basi n of wat er .
I n i t , Samsees vi si ons of hi mand Fr odo, t hen of t he Shi r e. He sees
t r ees bei ng cut down and ugl y bui l di ngs wi t h smoki ng chi mneys bei ng
bui l t . He want s t o r et ur n t o t he Shi r e at once, but Gal adr i el war ns t hat
t he mi r r or can be decept i ve.

Fr odo sees i n t he mi r r or t he gr eat r ed eye of Saur on, whi ch he f eel s i s
seeki ng hi m. Gal adr i el t el l s hi mnot t o f ear whi l e he' s i n Lot hl or i en,
f or Saur on' s eye cannot f i nd hi mt her e, al t hough she her sel f can r ead
Saur on' s t hought s. Thi s echoes what anot her el f had sai d i n a pr evi ous
chapt er : t hough t he l i ght pi er ces t he ver y hear t of dar kness, t he l i ght ' s
own secr et has not yet been di scover ed. Gal adr i el r eveal s t o Fr odo t hat
secr et : she possesses one of t he el ven r i ngs. I t appear s as a st ar upon
her hand. I f you have any doubt s about Gal adr i el ' s mot i ves, t hi s shoul d
answer t hem, f or st ar s, as you know by now, ar e Tol ki en' s symbol f or
good.

Gal adr i el ' s f at e, and t he f at e of Lot hl or i en, ar e i n Fr odo' s hands. I f
Fr odo shoul d f ai l , Lot hl or i en wi l l be l ai d bar e t o Saur on. I f Fr odo
succeeds and t he One Ri ng i s dest r oyed, Gal adr i el ' s power wi l l di mi ni sh
and Lor i en wi l l f ade. Ei t her way, i t seems t hat Lot hl or i en i s doomed.
Fr odo of f er s t he Ri ng t o Gal adr i el , but she r ef uses i t , sayi ng t hat i f
she used i t agai nst Saur on, she woul d become as t er r i bl e as hi m.
Gal adr i el seems t o swel l i n si ze, showi ng Fr odo what she woul d be l i ke i f
she possessed t he Ri ng. Then she agai n becomes a si mpl y cl ad el f - woman.
" I pass t he t est , " she t el l s hi m. " I wi l l di mi ni sh and go i nt o t he West
and r emai n Gal adr i el . "

The t r avel er s now must deci de whet her t hey wi l l t r avel al ong t he east
si de of t he r i ver t owar d Mor dor or t ake t he west er n bank and go f r om
t her e t o Mi nas Ti r i t h, Bor omi r ' s ci t y. Bor omi r r eveal s t hat he st i l l
bel i eves t hat t he Ri ng shoul d be used agai nst Saur on, and t hat i t ' s f ol l y
t o t ake i t i nt o Mor dor . The deci si on i s post poned when Cel ebor n of f er s t o
gi ve t hemboat s, so t hat t hey can t r avel down t he r i ver many mi l es bef or e
havi ng t o choose t hei r cour se. The el ves al so pr ovi de l embas- - t hi n,
nour i shi ng cakes- - and cl oaks t hat have t he power of i nvi si bi l i t y. Lembas
and t he wat er l i ke dr i nk of t he el ves t hat has appear ed t hr oughout t he
book ar e i nt er pr et ed as communi on waf er s and hol y wat er by some. But
behi nd t he speci f i cal l y Chr i st i an symbol i smof br ead and wat er i s a
r ecogni t i on of t he power i n such basi c necessi t i es of l i f e, a r ecogni t i on
shar ed by many ot her peopl e and r el i gi ons. Tol ki en hi msel f sai d t hat he
want ed t o pr esent t hi ngs i n a new l i ght , t o gi ve peopl e a sense of wonder
at t he or di nar y. Thi s may be t he i nspi r at i on behi nd l embas and t he
mi r acul ous dr i nk of t he el ves, r at her t han a del i ber at e al l usi on t o
Chr i st i ani t y.

NOTE: ELVES I N LORE AND LI TERATURE The wor d el f seems t o have or i gi nat ed
i n Nor se myt hol ogy and t o have been car r i ed over i nt o Engl i sh as anot her
name f or f ai r y. Many peopl e t hi nk of el ves as f ai r i es such as Ti nker bel l
i n Pet er Pan or t hose i n Shakespear e' s pl ay A Mi dsummer Ni ght ' s Dr eam.
Tol ki en of t en expr essed hi s di sl i ke f or t hese di mi nut i ve f ai r i es, who
r i de i nsect s and l i ve i n f l ower s. Hi s el ves pr esent a di f f er ent pi ct ur e.
Whi l e t hey ar e gi ven t o j oyous f east i ng, t hey ar e al so a r ace of st er n
war r i or s. Thi s change r epr esent s a st ep backwar d i n t i me, f r ommoder n- day
f ai r y t al es and t he l i t er ar y f anci es of Shakespear e' s day t o t he medi eval
r omances t hat Tol ki en' s wor ks ar e of t en compar ed t o. I n t hese r omances
f ai r i es ar e beaut i f ul and power f ul cr eat ur es who ar e equal i n si ze t o
humans, who can be host i l e t owar d mor t al s, and who engage i n hunt s and
war f ar e, as Tol ki en' s el ves do.

These f ai r i es, i n t ur n, r epr esent t he dwi ndl ed gods of pagan myt hol ogi es.
The I r i sh f ai r i es, t he Daoi ne Si dhe, ar e t he l ast of t he ol d gods, t he
Tuat ha Da Danaan, who l ef t I r el and f or t hei r homel and acr oss t he sea, Ti r
Nan Og or The Land of t he Young. I n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, t he most
power f ul el ves, such as Gal adr i el , t ake on t hi s godl i ke st at ur e. Li ke t he
Tuat ha Da Danaan, t he Tol ki en el ves ar e sl owl y l eavi ng Mi ddl e- ear t h,
passi ng over t he sea t o t hei r homel and i n t he Bl essed Real m.

Many char act er i st i cs of t he el ves i n The Lor d of t he Ri ngs ar e shar ed by
f ai r i es of l or e and l egend. Li ke Tol ki en' s el ves, f ai r i es ar e i mmor t al .
They' r e associ at ed wi t h weavi ng and wi t h t he best owi ng of gi f t s, such as
Gal adr i el gi ves t o t he company. But t he Tol ki en el ves di f f er i n one
i mpor t ant way.

Bel i ef i n f ai r i es had dwi ndl ed al ong wi t h pagani smas t he i nf l uence of
Chr i st i ani t y gr ew i n Eur ope. Fai r i es wer e of t en depi ct ed as amor al and
came t o r epr esent a way of l i f e opposi t e t o t he good l i f e of t he
Chr i st i an f ai t h. Tol ki en ennobl es hi s el ves by al l yi ng t hemwi t h t he good
and maki ng t hemt he most et hi cal of hi s r aces.

The company t r avel s down t he r i ver unt i l t hey r each t he poi nt at whi ch
t hey must choose bet ween Mi nas Ti r i t h and Mor dor . Fr odo, as Ri ng- bear er ,
must deci de hi s cour se, and t he ot her s wi l l f ol l ow hi mor not as t hey
choose. Fr odo goes of f al one t o t hi nk, and af t er a t i me Bor omi r j oi ns
hi m. Bor omi r , who has been act i ng st r angel y, t r i es t o convi nce Fr odo t o
gi ve hi mt he Ri ng, so t hat he can use i t s power agai nst t he enemy. When
Fr odo r ef uses, he t r i es t o t ake i t . Fr odo put s on t he Ri ng and
di sappear s. As he r uns away, he f eel s t he eye of Saur on sear chi ng f or
hi m.

I n t hi s scene Tol ki en shows t he r el at i onshi p bet ween dest i ny and f r ee
wi l l . Two voi ces st r uggl e wi t hi n Fr odo. One i s t hat of Saur on, cal l i ng
Fr odo t o hi m. The ot her t el l s Fr odo t o t ake of f t he Ri ng. Suddenl y
r eal i zi ng t hat he' s f r ee t o choose, he t akes of f t he Ri ng. Al r eady he' s
seen t he evi l power of t he Ri ng at wor k i n i t s t empt at i on of Bor omi r .
Ther ef or e, he deci des t o pur sue t he quest al one. He t r i es t o sl i p away by
boat but Samcat ches up wi t h hi m. Toget her , t he t wo hobbi t s head f or
Mor dor .

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I I I , CHAPTERS 1- 5

Ar agor n, Legol as, and Gi ml i set out t o r escue Mer r y and Pi ppi n, who have
been capt ur ed by or cs ( r ef er r ed t o as gobl i ns i n The Hobbi t ) .

*

Or cs at t ack whi l e t he r est of t he f el l owshi p i s st i l l scat t er ed,
sear chi ng f or Fr odo. Bor omi r i s mor t al l y wounded as he def ends Mer r y and
Pi ppi n, who ar e bound and car r i ed away by t he or cs. Bef or e he di es,
Bor omi r t el l s Ar agor n t hat he t r i ed t o t ake t he Ri ng f r omFr odo. But
i nst ead of cr i t i ci zi ng hi m, Ar agor n pr ai ses hi s br aver y i n def endi ng t he
hobbi t s. Bor omi r i s gi ven a her o' s f uner al by Ar agor n, Legol as, and
Gi ml i . Li ke Thor i n Oakenshi el d i n The Hobbi t , Bor omi r has made up f or hi s
evi l deeds t hr ough an act of gr eat val or .

Ar agor n f aces a di l emma: shoul d he f ol l ow Fr odo i nt o Mor dor , or t r y t o
save Mer r y and Pi ppi n? Have you ever had t o make a choi ce bet ween doi ng
what you t hought you shoul d do, and doi ng what you f el t you had t o do?
Thi s i s Ar agor n' s di l emma. He chooses t o f ol l ow hi s f eel i ngs and t r y t o
r escue hi s f r i ends. ( Al t hough Samand Fr odo ar e hi s f r i ends t oo, t hey
have chosen t o go on al one, and Ar agor n deci des t o r espect t hat choi ce. )
Do you t hi nk Ar agor n made t he r i ght choi ce? Why?

As Ar agor n, Legol as, and Gi ml i f ol l ow t he t r ai l of t he or cs, t hey ar e
hear t ened at t he di scover y of hobbi t pr i nt s and a f al l en cl asp f r om
Pi ppi n' s cl oak. They meet a t r oop of hor semen l ed by Eomer , a mar shal of
Rohan, and l ear n f r omhi mt hat t he or cs t hey wer e t r acki ng have al l been
ki l l ed by t he men of Rohan, but t hat t he hobbi t s wer en' t seen. Eomer
agr ees t o l end t he t hr ee compani ons some hor ses so t hat t hey mi ght
cont i nue t hei r seemi ngl y hopel ess quest .

The next t wo chapt er s r et ur n t o t he scene when Mer r y and Pi ppi n wer e
capt ur ed by t he or cs. The or cs ar e act ual l y f r omt hr ee di f f er ent pl aces
and const ant l y f i ght among t hemsel ves. I t i s char act er i st i c of Tol ki en' s
evi l cr eat ur es t hat t hey cannot cooper at e. The or cs f r omt he mi nes of
Mor i a i n t he Mi st y Mount ai ns ar e seeki ng vengeance. Saur on' s or cs want t o
t ake t he hobbi t s back t o Mor dor . The st r ongest band, Sar uman' s or cs, have
or der s t o t ake t he hobbi t s t o t hei r mast er i n I sengar d. For t unat el y, t he
or cs ar e i nt er cept ed by t he men of Rohan, and dur i ng t he ensui ng bat t l e
Mer r y and Pi ppi n manage t o sl i p away. They hi de i n t he f or est of Fangor n,
wher e t hey meet Tr eebear d, an Ent .

Ent s ar e anot her of Tol ki en' s cr eat i ons t hat have capt ur ed t he
i magi nat i on of r eader s. Li ke TomBombadi l , t hey ar e par t of t he nat ur al
wor l d and show t he power of nat ur e. They ar e shepher ds of t r ees and l ook
l i ke t r ees t hemsel ves. Thei r chi ef i s Tr eebear d. Some peopl e cal l hi m
Fangor n, whi ch i s al so t he name of t he f or est . He i s ver y anci ent , t he
ol dest l i vi ng t hi ng st i l l t o wal k t he ear t h. When Mer r y and Pi ppi n t el l
hi mt hei r st or y, Tr eebear d r eal i zes t hat Sar uman i s t r yi ng t o make
hi msel f i nt o a r i val power t o Saur on. Tr eebear d deci des t hat Sar uman must
be st opped, but not because of t he danger he poses t o t he peopl e of
Gondor and Rohan. ( Nor does Tr eebear d t ake si des i n t he bat t l e agai nst
Saur on. Thi s i s consi st ent wi t h t he i dea t hat nat ur e i s neut r al i n t he
st r uggl e bet ween good and evi l . ) He bases hi s deci si on on t he f act t hat
Sar uman' s or cs have been cut t i ng down t r ees on t he edge of Fangor n,
l eavi ng t he l and desol at e. ( Thi s want on dest r uct i on of nat ur e i s an
i mpor t ant si gn of evi l i n Tol ki en' s wor l d. )

The Ent s, l i ke t he f or ces of good, bel i eve i n t he i mpor t ance of f r ee
wi l l . They' r e ver y i ndependent and can' t be f or ced t o do somet hi ng t hey
don' t want t o do. Tr eebear d can onl y l ead by convi nci ng t hemhe i s r i ght .
Af t er a l engt hy counci l meet i ng, t hey deci de t o mar ch on I sengar d, t o
st op Sar uman.

The st or y at t hi s poi nt r et ur ns t o Ar agor n, Legol as, and Gi ml i . I n t he
f or est t hey meet Gandal f , who t el l s t hemt hat Mer r y and Pi ppi n ar e i n
saf e hands. They l ear n f r omt he wi zar d how he f ought wi t h t he Bal r og
af t er hi s f al l and at l ast over came hi m. Gandal f passed t hr ough f i r e and
deat h and emer ged r enewed. He i s no l onger Gandal f t he Gr ey, but Gandal f
t he Whi t e, t aki ng Sar uman' s pl ace.

Gandal f poi nt s out t hat t her e i s a pur pose at wor k i n t he wor l d. I f Mer r y
and Pi ppi n hadn' t come on t he quest , t hey woul d not have been t her e f or
Bor omi r t o pr ot ect . Thei r pr esence saved Bor omi r by gi vi ng hi man
oppor t uni t y f or r edempt i on t hr ough sacr i f i ci ng hi msel f f or t he sake of
ot her s. Gandal f al so poi nt s out how t he wor k of evi l can be t ur ned t o
good pur pose: The or cs' capt ur e of Mer r y and Pi ppi n r esul t ed i n t he
ar r i val of t he hobbi t s i n Fangor n For est j ust i n t i me t o ar ouse t he Ent s
agai nst Sar uman.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I I I , CHAPTERS 6- 11

Sat i sf i ed t hat Mer r y and Pi ppi n ar e saf e, Ar agor n, Legol as, and Gi ml i
j oi n t he men of Rohan i n bat t l e agai nst t he evi l wi zar d Sar uman.

*

Ar agor n, Legol as, and Gi ml i now r i de wi t h Gandal f t o Edor as, t he pal ace
of Theoden, ki ng of Rohan.

NOTE: Rohan i s al so cal l ed t he Mar k of Rohan and t he Ri dder mar k, and t he
Ri der s of Rohan ar e somet i mes r ef er r ed t o as t he Rohi r r i mand t he Ri der s
of t he Mar k. They ar e war r i or s, and Gandal f says of t hemt hat t hey ar e
unl ear ned but wi se. Many r eader s have comment ed on t hei r si mi l ar i t y t o
t he Angl o- Saxons, t he ancest or s of t he Engl i sh. The most i mpor t ant
di f f er ence bet ween t he men of Rohan and t he Angl o- Saxons i s t hat t he
Angl o- Saxons di dn' t have t he Rohi r r i ms' l ove f or hor ses. Ot her t han t hat ,
t he t wo cul t ur es ar e ver y si mi l ar . The l anguage of Rohan i s based on
Angl o- Saxon. The song of Rohan t hat Ar agor n si ngs i n chapt er 6 i s model ed
af t er a f amous Angl o- Saxon poem, The Wander er . Thi s poemt al ks about how
f l eet i ng l i f e i s and how wi t h t i me al l t r aces of a man' s l i f e ar e er ased.
The Angl o- Saxons r eact ed t o t hi s awar eness- - as di d t he anci ent Gr eeks i n
The I l i ad and The Odyssey- - by seeki ng gl or y so t hat t hei r names woul d be
r emember ed i n song. The men of Rohan al so show t hi s awar eness of deat h
and desi r e f or gl or y. And because t hey accept deat h as i nevi t abl e, t hey
al so accept t he i dea t hat i t ' s not whet her you wi n or l ose t hat mat t er s,
but whet her you act r i ght l y. Thus, i n t hei r vi ew, i t ' s bet t er t o choose a
nobl e deat h t han t o sur vi ve and compr omi se your sel f . The cour age of t he
Ri der s i s an i l l ust r at i on of Tol ki en' s t heme of her oi sm.

Gandal f and t he ot her s ar e at f i r st met wi t h suspi ci on i n Edor as. At one
poi nt an ar gument br eaks out when Ar agor n r ef uses t o l eave hi s swor d
out si de t he ki ng' s hal l . Gandal f gent l y r emi nds hi mt hat t hey' r e al l
f r i ends- - or at l east shoul d be; onl y Mor dor wi l l benef i t i f t hey quar r el .
Ar agor n r el uct ant l y l eaves hi s swor d. I n doi ng so, he' s l ear ned t hat
somet i mes he must swal l ow hi s pr i de i n t he i nt er est of peace.

Af t er Gandal f f r ees Theoden f r omt he i nf l uence of hi s evi l counci l or ,
Gr i ma t he Wor mt ongue, t he ki ng agr ees t o do bat t l e wi t h Sar uman. I n
Gr i ma, a spy f or Sar uman, you can see Tol ki en' s i deas about evi l . You ar e
t ol d t hat Gr i ma wasn' t al ways evi l but was cor r upt ed by Sar uman. Gi ven
t he oppor t uni t y t o r edeemhi msel f , he r ef uses, but even so i s t r eat ed
wi t h mer cy. To ki l l or i mpr i son hi mwoul d i t sel f be evi l , and so coul d
br i ng f or t h no good.

Not i ce t he st yl e of t he wr i t i ng. The sent ence st r uct ur e, or synt ax, i s
ver y f or mal , as i n " Never agai n shal l i t be sai d, Gandal f , t hat you come
onl y wi t h gr i ef . " Tol ki en al so uses ol d- f ashi oned wor ds, such as hear ken
and behol d, t o hel p est abl i sh t he mood and t o add t he f l avor of anci ent
epi cs.

For t he f i r st t i me Ar agor n meet s Eowyn, Theoden' s ni ece. She i s ver y
beaut i f ul , but al so appear s t o Ar agor n t o be col d, not yet come t o
womanhood. Eowyn sees i n hi ma man of gr eat power and seems t o be f al l i ng
i n l ove wi t h hi m. He r eact s by act i ng t r oubl ed. As t he ar my r i des out ,
Eowyn st ays behi nd t o wat ch over her peopl e. She wear s mai l and car r i es a
swor d l i ke a war r i or . Keep al l of t hi s i n mi nd, f or Eowyn wi l l l at er pl ay
an i mpor t ant r ol e i n t he st or y.

Theoden' s ar my appear s t o have r i dden t o cer t ai n def eat . They hol d t he
gr eat f or t r ess of Hel m' s Deep agai nst Sar uman' s f or ces, but can' t r esi st
t he f oes' onsl aught s much l onger . Rat her t han gi ve i n t o despai r , Theoden
and hi s men r i de out i n a l ast desper at e at t ack. But t he t i de of bat t l e
i s r ever sed when Gandal f ar r i ves wi t h r ei nf or cement s, and t he or cs ar e
dr i ven i nt o a myst er i ous and f r i ght eni ng f or est t hat has appear ed
over ni ght ar ound Hel m' s Deep. As t he vi ct or i ous f or ces set out f or
I sengar d, Sar uman' s st r onghol d, t hey l ear n f r omGandal f t hat t he ar my of
t r ees has been l ed her e by t he Ent s.

At I sengar d, t he ki ng and hi s company f i nd Mer r y and Pi ppi n r el axi ng i n
f r ont of t he shat t er ed gat es. The hobbi t s t el l how t he Ent s, l ed by
Tr eebear d, at t acked I sengar d and over t hr ew Sar uman.

Gandal f speaks wi t h Sar uman, who i s hol ed up i n t he t ower of Or t hanc wi t h
t he t r ai t or Gr i ma. Gandal f of f er s Sar uman an oppor t uni t y t o r epent and
j oi n t he si de of good, but Sar uman scor nf ul l y r ef uses. Gandal f t hen
br eaks Sar uman' s st af f , cast i ng hi mout of t he or der of wi zar ds and out
of t he Whi t e Counci l . Now a weak, pi t i abl e f i gur e, Sar uman i s sent enced
t o be kept pr i soner i n hi s t ower , guar ded by t he Ent s.

At t he same moment t hat Gandal f br eaks Sar uman' s st af f , Gr i ma angr i l y
t hr ows a heavy r ound st one at Gandal f but mi sses hi m. I t i s a pal ant i r , a
st one of seei ng, per haps t he gr eat est t r easur e t hat Sar uman had. Once
agai n, evi l i nt ent has a good ef f ect , f or t he st one i s ver y val uabl e.

Pi ppi n i s dr awn t o t he st one and sneaks a l ook i nt o i t l at er t hat ni ght .
Saur on appear s i n a vi si on and quest i ons hi m, bel i evi ng t hat Pi ppi n i s
Sar uman' s pr i soner . Saur on cal l s Pi ppi n " i t " and speaks of hi mas a
dai nt y mor sel , an obj ect r at her t han an i ndi vi dual . I t was amusi ng i n The
Hobbi t when Gol l umcal l ed Bi l bo " i t . " But now t hi s pecul i ar i t y of speech
t akes on evi l si gni f i cance. I t shows Saur on' s possessi veness and hi s
deni al of t he i ndi vi dual i t y and f r ee wi l l of ot her s.

Gal f and pr esent s t he pal ant i r t o Ar agor n, t o whomi t bel ongs as r i ght f ul
hei r t o t he t hr one of Gondor . As t hey speak, a Nazgul , one of t he
r i ngwr ai t hs, passes over head on hi s wi nged st eed. I t i s a si gn t hat war
wi l l come soon. Taki ng Pi ppi n wi t h hi m, Gandal f r i des at once f or Gondor ,
whi ch wi l l be t he f i r st count r y t o be at t acked.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I V, CHAPTERS 1- 5

Fr odo and Sambegi n t he t or t uous j our ney t o Mor dor , gui ded by Gol l um.
They meet Far ami r , a capt ai n of Gondor ' s ar my, who i s st at i oned j ust
out si de Mor dor .

*

On t hei r j our ney t o Mor dor , Fr odo and Samcapt ur e Gol l um, who has been
f ol l owi ng t hemsi nce t he company passed t hr ough t he mi nes of Mor i a. Fr odo
r emember s hi s conver sat i on wi t h Gandal f l ong ago, when he t ol d t he wi zar d
t hat Bi l bo shoul d have ki l l ed Gol l um. But now t hat Fr odo has t he
oppor t uni t y, he doesn' t ki l l Gol l umei t her . Why not ?

Ther e' s a change i n Gol l um' s voi ce and l anguage when he seems t o r el i ve
f or a moment t he t or ment he endur ed i n Mor dor , and l ament s t he l oss of
hi s pr eci ous Ri ng. Thi s i s t he f i r st gl i mpse Tol ki en gi ves you of anot her
si de of Gol l um' s per sonal i t y. He r eveal s a soul i n t or ment , st r uggl i ng
wi t h i t sel f . But t he evi l sel f i s st i l l st r onger , and Gol l umr ever t s t o
hi s usual manner of speaki ng.

Fr odo makes Gol l umswear t o obey hi mand t o l ead t hemi nt o Mor dor . As i f
i n a vi si on, Samsees a physi cal change i n Fr odo, who appear s f or a
moment l i ke a mi ght y l or d, wi t h Gol l uma whi ni ng dog at hi s f eet . Af t er
swear i ng t o obey Fr odo, Gol l umnow st ar t s speaki ng nor mal l y agai n, and
cal l s hi msel f Smeagol , t he name he had bef or e he f ound t he Ri ng. Al t hough
he act s f ear f ul , he' s al so pi t i f ul l y eager t o pl ease and appear s i nsanel y
happy whenever Fr odo i s ki nd t o hi m. What do you t hi nk has caused t hi s
change i n hi m? I f you pay cl ose at t ent i on t o Gol l um' s speech i n t he next
f ew chapt er s, you wi l l f i nd t hat i t gi ves cl ues t o t he st r uggl e goi ng on
i nsi de hi m.

Gol l umgui des t he hobbi t s t hr ough t he Dead Mar shes. They t r avel i n
dar kness, and al l ar ound t hemt hey see what seemt o be candl es bur ni ng.
The mar sh i s t he scene of an anci ent bat t l e, and i n t he wat er t he hobbi t s
gl i mpse t he f aces of t he l ong dead, bot h good f ol ks and evi l . The l i ght s
ar e act ual l y based on f act ; t hey ar e caused by gasses t hat escape t he
r ot t i ng muck of t he mar sh f l oor and spont aneousl y i gni t e. I n f ol kt al es
t hey ar e cal l ed candl es of t he dead or wi l l - o' - t he- wi sps and ar e bel i eved
t o l ead t r avel er s ast r ay. Tol ki en uses t hi s f ol k bel i ef t o cr eat e a
ni ght mar i sh l andscape.

They next pass t hr ough anot her ni ght mar i sh l andscape, wor se t han t he
mar shes. The l and ar ound Mor dor i s desol at e. Sar uman' s cr i me of cut t i ng
down t r ees pal es next t o what Saur on has done. Tol ki en' s descr i pt i ons ar e
power f ul : " The gaspi ng pool s wer e choked wi t h ash and cr awl i ng muds,
si ckl y whi t e and gr ey, as i f t he mount ai ns had vomi t ed t he f i l t h of t hei r
ent r ai l s upon t he l ands. " Not hi ng l i ves t her e, " not even t he l epr ous
gr owt hs t hat f eed on r ot t enness. " Thi s i s a l and t hat has been def i l ed
beyond heal i ng, and i t shows not onl y t he dept h of Saur on' s power but
al so t he dept h of hi s evi l .

Tol ki en' s descr i pt i on of t he desol at i on out si de Mor dor i s r emi ni scent of
moder n wast el ands caused by i ndust r i es and st r i p mi ni ng: i t i s f i l l ed
wi t h mounds of poi son- st ai ned ear t h, gapi ng pi t s, and noxi ous f umes. Many
r eader s bel i eve t hat Tol ki en i s i nt ent i onal l y maki ng a comment on t he
dest r uct i on of nat ur e by t echnol ogy. Remember t hat The Lor d of t he Ri ngs
was wr i t t en mor e t han t hi r t y year s ago. Seei ng al l t he at t ent i on t hat t he
har mf ul ef f ect s of i ndust r y and pol l ut i on ar e now get t i ng, we can
acknowl edge t hat Tol ki en was ahead of hi s t i me.

NOTE: WASTELANDS I N LI TERATURE Wast el ands ar e of t en used i n l i t er at ur e
as a symbol of spi r i t ual bar r enness. Two good exampl es of t hi s occur i n
F. Scot t Fi t zger al d' s The Gr eat Gat sby ( 1925) and T. S. El i ot ' s f amous
poem, The Wast e Land ( 1997) . I n The Gr eat Gat sby, Ni ck, t he nar r at or ,
passes t hr ough a wast el and of ashes on hi s way i nt o New Yor k Ci t y. I n T.
S. El i ot ' s poemt her e i s no wast el and except i n t he t i t l e, whi ch ser ves
as a met aphor f or t he l i ves descr i bed i n t he poem. I n bot h, t he wast el and
i s i nt er pr et ed as a symbol f or t he st er i l i t y of moder n l i f e: t he ugl i ness
of t he ci t y, t he l ack of car i ng r el at i onshi ps, and t he l ack of any sense
of pur pose. I t ' s l i kel y t hat Tol ki en was awar e of t hi s t r adi t i on and
ei t her consci ousl y or unconsci ousl y dr ew on i t when he descr i bed t he
wast es ar ound Mor dor . How does t he wast el and as a symbol of i nner
bar r enness r el at e t o Tol ki en' s concept of evi l ?

Meanwhi l e, t he st r uggl e bet ween t he t wo si des of Gol l um' s per sonal i t y
cont i nues. One day, whi l e Sami s pr et endi ng t o sl eep, he over hear s Gol l um
debat i ng wi t h hi msel f . As Smeagol , he want s t o keep hi s pr omi se t o Fr odo;
as Gol l um, he want s t o t ake t he Ri ng f or hi msel f . The Gol l umsi de deci des
t o wai t f or t he ai d of a myst er i ous " She. " Thi s i dea t er r i f i es t he
Smeagol per sonal i t y.

Fr odo had or i gi nal l y i nt ended t o t r y t o f i nd a way i n t hr ough t he Bl ack
Gat e of Mor dor . I t seems t o be an i mpossi bl e f eat . But he r esol ves t o
at t empt i t , because hi s t ask i s t o go i nt o Mor dor and he knows of no
ot her way. ( I f you l ook at t he map i n t he book, you wi l l see t hat Mor dor
i s sur r ounded by mount ai ns on al l but t he east er n bor der , whi ch i s
f ur t hest f r omt he Bl ack Gat e. ) Sami s di smayed, but l oyal l y r esol ves t o
f ol l ow hi s mast er anywher e.

Gol l umi s wi l d wi t h f ear . He' s al l t oo f ami l i ar wi t h Saur on' s power and
what i t woul d mean f or Saur on t o r egai n possessi on of t he Ri ng. " He' l l
eat us al l , i f He get s i t , eat al l t he wor l d. " Thi s i s consi st ent wi t h
t he possessi veness of evi l ; Saur on devour s ever yt hi ng, maki ng i t no
l onger somet hi ng f r ee and i ndependent , but a par t of hi msel f .

Or i gi nal l y Gol l umwas onl y goi ng t o gui de Samand Fr odo t o t he edge of
Mor dor and t hen be set f r ee. But now he of f er s t o t ake t he hobbi t s i nt o
Mor dor , t hr ough a secr et passage he di scover ed when he escaped f r om
Saur on. Fr odo deci des t o t r ust hi monce agai n.

Gol l uml eads t he hobbi t s i nt o I t hi l i en, whi ch l i es al ong t he mount ai ns
t hat f or mt he west er n bor der of Mor dor . I t hi l i en i s a beaut i f ul l and,
f ul l of f or est s and st r eams. Not t oo l ong ago i t was par t of Gondor ,
whi ch l i es j ust acr oss t he r i ver . But now I t hi l i en i s hel d by Saur on' s
f or ces, and t hei r pr esence i s r eveal ed by f el l ed t r ees, pi t s of st i nki ng
r ef use, and t he eye of Saur on car ved i nt o st ones and t r ees.

NOTE: FRODO AS A SAI NT Fr odo' s quest can be i nt er pr et ed as spi r i t ual .
Whi l e he j our neys t owar d Mor dor , t he st r onghol d of evi l , he must st r uggl e
wi t h t he evi l wi t hi n hi msel f , as symbol i zed by t he Ri ng and t he
t empt at i on t o use i t . By t aki ng on t he quest t o dest r oy t he Ri ng, Fr odo
i s sacr i f i ci ng hi s own desi r es t o save t he r est of t he wor l d. And t hr ough
hi s suf f er i ngs, he' s t r ansf or med. Samnot i ces t hi s change i n Fr odo. Whi l e
Fr odo i s sl eepi ng, Samsees a l i ght shi ni ng wi t hi n hi m. Fr odo' s f ace
l ooks peacef ul , ver y anci ent , but al so beaut i f ul . Thi s ser eni t y and i nner
l i ght i s of t en used t o char act er i ze sai nt s.

The hobbi t s f i nd t hemsel ves i n t he mi dst of a bat t l e bet ween some men of
Gondor and an ar my of Sout hr ons, men f r omt he sout h who have come t o j oi n
f or ces wi t h t he evi l Saur on. Tol ki en t akes t hi s oppor t uni t y t o make a
poi nt about t he t r agedy of war . One of t he Sout hr ons f al l s dead near Sam.
I n a sudden moment of i nsi ght , Samwonder s about t he man' s name and
whet her he f ought onl y because he had been decei ved or t hr eat ened by hi s
l eader s. Maybe, Samr ef l ect s, he woul d have pr ef er r ed t o st ay home and
l i ve i n peace. I s Tol ki en hi nt i ng t hat t he common men i n t he enemy' s
ar mi es r eal l y ar en' t al l t hat di f f er ent f r omt hose who f i ght on t he si de
of good?

When t he bat t l e ends, t he hobbi t s meet Far ami r , who i s capt ai n of t he
Gondor ar my and al so Bor omi r ' s br ot her . Compar e t hi s meet i ng wi t h t he one
bet ween Ar agor n, Legol as, and Gi ml i , and Eomer , capt ai n of a gr oup of
Ri der s of Rohan. Eomer was under or der s t o det ai n al l st r anger s; Far ami r
i s or der ed t o ki l l t hem. But l i ke Eomer , Far ami r t emper s or der s wi t h hi s
own j udgment . Nei t her of t hemi s l i kel y t o gi ve t he excuse t hat he was
onl y f ol l owi ng or der s i f he shoul d ever do somet hi ng wr ong, j ust as so
many Nazi s pl eaded af t er Wor l d War I I . Her e, Tol ki en i nt r oduces anot her
aspect of f r ee wi l l : you must be wi l l i ng t o accept r esponsi bi l i t y f or
your own act i ons and not bl i ndl y f ol l ow anot her ' s or der s i f you t hi nk
t hey' r e wr ong.

Far ami r al so ser ves as a cont r ast t o hi s br ot her . Unl i ke Bor omi r , Far ami r
does not l ove war ; hi s onl y pur pose i n f i ght i ng i s t o pr ot ect t he home he
l oves. Al so, unl i ke t he pr oud Bor omi r , Far ami r i s not t empt ed t o t ake t he
Ri ng. He' s wi se enough t o know t hat Saur on' s evi l power can' t be used t o
br i ng about good.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK I V, CHAPTERS 6- 10

Wi t h mi sgi vi ngs, Far ami r al l ows t he hobbi t s t o cont i nue t hei r quest .
Gol l umgui des Fr odo and Sami nt o Mor dor , bet r ayi ng t hemt her e.

*

Gol l umi s capt ur ed by t he men of Gondor and woul d have been ki l l ed,
except f or Fr odo' s i nt er vent i on. Fr odo at t hi s poi nt has come a l ong way
f r omBag End. He now accept s r esponsi bi l i t y f or ot her s, t aki ng Gol l um
under hi s pr ot ect i on t o save hi s l i f e. He al so speaks wi t h Far ami r - - as
wi t h an equal , showi ng hi s r i se i n st at us. Tol ki en even compar es Fr odo t o
Ar agor n: When Gol l umbal ks at bei ng bl i ndf ol ded, Fr odo says t hat al l
t hr ee of t hemwi l l be bl i ndf ol ded, j ust as Ar agor n i nsi st ed i n Lor i en
when Gi ml i t he dwar f was unf ai r l y si ngl ed out f or si mi l ar t r eat ment .

Agai nst Far ami r ' s advi ce, t he hobbi t s f ol l ow Gol l umpast Mi nas Mor gul ,
once a st r onghol d of good, but now hel d by Saur on. Fr omt her e t hey cl i mb
a l ong ser i es of st ai r s t hat l eads t o a secr et passage over t he mount ai ns
and i nt o Mor dor .

An i mpor t ant i nci dent occur s bef or e t hey ent er t he secr et t unnel . Gol l um
r et ur ns f r omhi s wander i ngs t o f i nd Fr odo and Samsl eepi ng peacef ul l y. He
i s debat i ng wi t h hi msel f , and Smeagol , hi s good si de, seems t o be
wi nni ng. He gi ves Fr odo a t ouch t hat i s al most a car ess; f or a moment , he
hi msel f l ooks l i ke an ol d wear y hobbi t - - " st ar ved, pi t i abl e. " But when Sam
awakens and accuses hi mof sneaki ng, t he moment i s past and Gol l um
r ever t s t o hi s evi l sel f . Her e you see why some peopl e consi der Gol l um
such a t r agi c char act er : when i t seems possi bl e he mi ght be r ef or med by
t he goodness of ot her s, a moment of mi sunder st andi ng r ui ns ever yt hi ng.

Gol l umnow l eads t he hobbi t s i nt o a t r ap. The t unnel t hey must t ake i s
t he l ai r of Shel ob, a monst r ous spi der l i ke cr eat ur e, t he mot her of t he
spi der s t hat at t acked Bi l bo and t he dwar ves i n The Hobbi t . As Shel ob
advances on her pr ey, Samhas a sudden vi si on of Gal adr i el and t he phi al
of st ar l i ght she gave Fr odo. Fr odo hol ds out t he phi al , and as hi s hope
i ncr eases so does t he l i ght , unt i l i t seems t o be a br i l l i ant f l ame i n
hi s hand. Fr odo cal l s out some el vi sh wor ds, but i t ' s as i f anot her voi ce
i s speaki ng t hr ough hi m. Some r eader s i nt er pr et t hese t hi ngs- - Sam' s
vi si on, t he l i ght of t he phi al , and Fr odo' s wor ds of power - - as t he
emer gence of some i nner r esour ce t hat t he hobbi t s had pr evi ousl y been
unawar e of . Ot her s see i t as a si gn t hat Samand Fr odo ar e not al one, but
ar e bei ng ai ded by some power t hat wor ks t hr ough t hem. Bef or e t he bl aze
of t he phi al and t he t hr eat of Fr odo' s swor d, Shel ob backs away, and t he
hobbi t s f l ee out t he ot her end of t he t unnel , i nt o Mor dor .

NOTE: SHELOB, THE PERSONI FI CATI ON OF GREED When Gol l umsai d t hat Saur on
woul d eat t he whol e wor l d, he was speaki ng f i gur at i vel y. Shel ob, on t he
ot her hand, desi r es l i t er al l y t o eat al l l i vi ng t hi ngs. She per soni f i es
gr eed, showi ng i n a hor r i f yi ng way i t s dest r uct i veness. Saur on' s ambi t i on
i s t o make al l ot her wi l l s i nt o an ext ensi on of hi s own. Shel ob' s
ambi t i on i s t o dest r oy not onl y wi l l , but l i f e, so t hat i n al l t he wor l d
she' s t he onl y cr eat ur e l ef t al i ve.

Samand Fr odo haven' t escaped Shel ob yet . She emer ges f r omher t unnel and
at t acks Fr odo. Wi t h gr eat cour age and t he hel p of Gal adr i el ' s phi al , Sam
manages t o dr i ve Shel ob back i nt o her t unnel . But when he r et ur ns t o hi s
mast er , he f i nds Fr odo l yi ng pal e and l i f el ess f r omShel ob' s st i ng.
Bel i evi ng t hat Fr odo i s dead, Samt akes t he Ri ng and l eaves, i nt endi ng t o
car r y on t he quest - - t he dest r uct i on of t he Ri ng- - hi msel f . The Ri ng i s a
physi cal bur den, bowi ng Sam' s head down t o t he gr ound. Remember t hat
Tol ki en of t en mani pul at es t he physi cal char act er i st i cs of t hi ngs t o
si gni f y somet hi ng di f f er ent about t hem- - f or exampl e, Gol l um' s moment ar y
change i nt o an ol d, t i r ed hobbi t t o si gni f y t hat hi s gent l er per sonal i t y,
Smeagol , was i n cont r ol . What do you t hi nk i s t he si gni f i cance of t he
wei ght of t he Ri ng and Sam' s abi l i t y t o bear i t ?

J ust t hen, Samhear s t he voi ces of or cs and f ol l ows t hem. The or cs
di scover Fr odo' s body and car r y i t back t o t hei r t ower . Samr eal i zes t hat
hi s l ove f or Fr odo i s gr eat er t han any sense of dut y, and he r uns af t er
t he or cs t o di e def endi ng hi s mast er . How woul d you char act er i ze Sam' s
act ? I s i t nobl e or f ool i sh? How do hi s act i ons r el at e t o Tol ki en' s t heme
of t he i mpor t ance of f r i endshi p?

As Samf ol l ows t he or cs, he over hear s t hei r t wo l eader s t al ki ng and
l ear ns t hat Fr odo i sn' t dead, but onl y par al yzed. He cal l s hi msel f a
f ool ; he knew i n hi s hear t t hat Fr odo was al i ve, but di dn' t l i st en.
Br andi shi ng St i ng, he chases af t er t he or cs. But t he gr eat gat es of t he
f or t r ess cl ang shut behi nd t he or cs, l ocki ng Samout .

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK V, CHAPTERS 1- 5

Saur on' s ar my begi ns i t s si ege of Mi nas Ti r i t h, t he capi t al of Gondor .

*

Gandal f and Pi ppi n ar r i ve i n Mi nas Ti r i t h ami d pr epar at i ons f or war . They
meet wi t h Denet hor , Bor omi r ' s f at her , t he st ewar d of Gondor . Pi ppi n
of f er s hi s al l egi ance t o Denet hor , and t he st ewar d accept s. What moves
Pi ppi n t o do t hi s?

NOTE: Mi nas Ti r i t h i s t he capi t al of Gondor , one of t he anci ent ki ngdoms
of t he Numenor eans, a nobl e and l ong- l i ved r ace of men. The l ast ki ng of
Gondor di sappear ed i n a pr evi ous encount er wi t h evi l , and si nce t hen a
ser i es of st ewar ds have r ul ed, saf eguar di ng t he t hr one unt i l a ki ng
shoul d appear . Thi s i s t he t hr one t hat Ar agor n i s hei r t o.

J ust as some r eader s compar e t he men of Rohan t o t he Angl o- Saxons, t hey
compar e Gondor t o such anci ent ki ngdoms as Rome or Gr eece. Li ke a Roman
ci t y, Mi nas Ti r i t h i s i mmense and beaut i f ul . The hal l of t he ki ng i s
i mposi ng, and t he st ewar d i s a subt l e and l ear ned man, wi se i n t he ways
of pol i t i cs. Next t o hi m, Ki ng Theoden seems l i ke j ust a ki ndl y ol d man.
But t her e i s al so a sense of bar r enness her e: t he dead t r ee i n t he
cour t yar d, t he col d gr ani t e of t he gr eat hal l , and t he st ewar d hi msel f ,
who shows no t r ace of human war mt h. Compar e t hi s t o t he descr i pt i on of
Theoden' s hal l , Medusel d, wi t h i t s hangi ng t apest r i es and many- col or ed,
r i chl y car ved pi l l ar s. Look f or f ur t her cont r ast bet ween Gondor and
Rohan, and t r y t o det er mi ne what Tol ki en i s sayi ng about t he t wo
cul t ur es.

The st or y now r et ur ns t o t he poi nt when Gandal f and Pi ppi n l ef t t he
ot her s, a day' s j our ney out of I sengar d. Ar agor n, Mer r y, Legol as, and
Gi ml i r emai n wi t h t he ki ng and hi s company. As t hey make r eady t o depar t ,
a company of r i der s appear . They ar e Ranger s f r omt he nor t h, l i ke
Ar agor n, and have come t o hel p hi m. That ni ght , Mer r y swear s f eal t y t o
Ki ng Theoden. How does t hi s di f f er f r omt he scene wher e Pi ppi n swear s
f eal t y t o Denet hor ?

Ar agor n now t akes a f at ef ul st ep, f or t he f i r st t i me goi ng agai nst
Gandal f ' s advi ce. At t he end of Book I I I , Gandal f had war ned hi magai nst
usi ng t he pal ant i r , sayi ng t hat i t was not yet t i me t o r eveal t hemsel ves
t o Saur on. Ar agor n now j udges f or hi msel f t hat t he t i me has come and t hat
he has t he st r engt h t o f ace Saur on. He wr est s t he st one f r omSaur on and
r eveal s hi msel f as t he hei r t o Gondor ' s t hr one. Thi s st r i kes f ear i nt o
Saur on' s hear t . Ar agor n hopes al so t hat i t wi l l move Saur on t o a hast y
at t ack, whi ch wi l l be i l l - t i med and unpr epar ed. The pal ant i r shows
Ar agor n an unf or eseen danger appr oachi ng Gondor f r omt he sout h, whi ch
onl y Ar agor n can act t o aver t . Wi t h new r esol ve, Ar agor n deci des t o t ake
t he Pat hs of t he Dead, caver ns t hat l ead r i ght t hr ough t he mount ai ns, and
t hat ar e haunt ed by spi r i t s of t he dead.

Thi s i s an i mpor t ant poi nt i n Ar agor n' s l i f e. He st eps out f r omunder
Gandal f ' s wi ng, maki ng t wo cr uci al deci si ons wi t hout consul t i ng ot her s:
he uses t he pal ant i r , and he accept s hi s dest i ny t hat he must t r avel t he
Pat hs of t he Dead. Bot h ar e supr eme t est s of hi s power . He has passed
one, and i t r emai ns t o be seen i f he' l l pass t he ot her . I f he f ai l s, he
st ands t o l ose ever yt hi ng, i ncl udi ng t he t hr one of Gondor and hi s l ove,
Ar wen.

The way t o t he Pat hs of t he Dead passes t hr ough Dunhar r ow, a pl ace of
saf et y wher e Theoden' s peopl e, l ed by Eowyn, have t aken r ef uge. When
Eowyn l ear ns of Ar agor n' s pl an, she i s f ear f ul and t r i es t o t al k hi mout
of i t . When she sees he won' t be swayed, she asks t o go wi t h hi m, but
Ar agor n r ef uses. I f you r ead t hei r conver sat i on cl osel y, you wi l l see
t hat t her e i s a l ot bei ng sai d bet ween t he l i nes. When Ar agor n t el l s
Eowyn t hat hi s hear t dwel l s i n Ri vendel l , he' s r ef er r i ng t o hi s l ove f or
Ar wen. Do you t hi nk Eowyn under st ands t hat he l oves anot her ? When she
says t hat t he Ranger s f ol l ow hi mt hr ough t he Pat hs of t he Dead onl y
because t hey l ove hi mand won' t be par t ed f r omhi m, she' s decl ar i ng her
l ove f or Ar agor n- - she doesn' t want t o be par t ed f r omhi mei t her .

Not i ce t he f or mal speech used her e. Eowyn cal l s Ar agor n " t hee" and
Ar agor n cal l s her " l ady. " The f or mal wor ds under scor e t he f act t hat t hey
ar e speaki ng wi t h gr eat r est r ai nt . By i t s shar p cont r ast wi t h what t he
t wo ar e f eel i ng, t he f or mal speech al so hei ght ens t he sense of suppr essed
emot i on boi l i ng beneat h t he sur f ace.

NOTE: As ment i oned ear l i er , some r eader s cr i t i ci ze Tol ki en f or i gnor i ng
women i n hi s wor k, or f or onl y i deal i zi ng t hemi n such beaut i f ul but
unr eachabl e char act er s as Ar wen and Gal adr i el . But i n Eowyn, Tol ki en
pr esent s a woman who i s al l t oo human, someone whomf emal e r eader s of hi s
book can i dent i f y wi t h. She suf f er s f r omunr equi t ed l ove f or Ar agor n. She
al so suf f er s f r omt he r est r i ct ed r ol e women have t o pl ay. Eowyn says she
f ear s not hi ng but bei ng caged: " To st ay behi nd bar s, unt i l use and ol d
age accept t hem, and al l chance of doi ng gr eat deeds i s gone beyond
r ecal l or desi r e. " Thr ough hi s sympat het i c por t r ayal of Eowyn, Tol ki en
her e expr esses hi s awar eness of t he needs and desi r es of women, even
t hough he may negl ect t hemt hr ough most of t he book.

Legol as and Gi ml i t r avel wi t h Ar agor n and t he Ranger s t hr ough t he Pat hs
of t he Dead. Thi s ar ea i s haunt ed by t he spi r i t s of men who had br oken
t hei r oat h t o f i ght agai nst Saur on i n t he l ast war . Ar agor n cal l s on t he
dead t o f ul f i l l t hei r oat h now and wi n peace f or t hemsel ves. I n hi s
abi l i t y t o command t he dead, Ar agor n pr oves hi s power and hi s cl ai mt o
t he t hr one, f or onl y I si l dur ' s hei r coul d hol d t he dead t o t hei r oat h.
I r oni cal l y, her e he becomes a ki ng of sor t s: t he t ownspeopl e f l ee bef or e
hi mand hi s company, cal l i ng hi mt he Ki ng of t he Dead.

Ki ng Theoden ar r i ves i n Dunhar r ow soon af t er Ar agor n' s depar t ur e. He
i mmedi at el y pr epar es t o r i de wi t h hi s ar my t o Mi nas Ti r i t h, t o hel p
def end t hat ci t y agai nst Saur on. Mer r y i s dej ect ed t o l ear n he' l l be l ef t
behi nd. But a young Ri der named Der nhel mhel ps t he hobbi t . Ear l i er i n t he
day Mer r y had not i ced t he war r i or l ooki ng at hi m. The hobbi t had seen i n
Der nhel m' s f ace t he hopel essness of someone who year ns sol el y f or deat h.
Now Der nhel mwhi sper s i n hi s ear , " Wher e wi l l want s not , a way opens" - - a
r ephr asi ng of t he ol d pr over b " Wher e t her e' s a wi l l , t her e' s a way. "
Mer r y r i des t o war hi dden under Der nhel m' s cl oak. Remember Der nhel m' s
wor ds and desi r e f or deat h, because t hey wi l l have gr eat er si gni f i cance
l at er .

Meanwhi l e, i n Mi nas Ti r i t h, Far ami r has ar r i ved f r omI t hi l i en and t el l s
hi s f at her , Denet hor , of t he meet i ng wi t h Fr odo. For t he f i r st t i me
Denet hor l ear ns of t he quest t o dest r oy t he Ri ng. He t hi nks t he quest i s
doomed t o f ai l ur e and i s angr y wi t h Far ami r f or not br i ngi ng hi mt he
Ri ng. Hi s ot her son, Bor omi r , he says, woul d have done so. Wi t h angr y
wor ds, Denet hor sends hi s son t o t he bat t l ef r ont , wi shi ng Far ami r had
di ed i nst ead of Bor omi r .

Lat er , when Far ami r i s ser i ousl y wounded by t he capt ai n of t he
r i ngwr ai t hs, Denet hor r emor sef ul l y r eal i zes t hat he al so l oves Far ami r .
The ol d man f al l s i nt o despai r ; wi t h Far ami r ' s deat h t he l i ne of st ewar ds
wi l l end. Bel i evi ng t hat Saur on wi l l t r i umph, Denet hor sees no r eason t o
go on f i ght i ng. He r esol ves t o commi t sui ci de by bur ni ng Far ami r and
hi msel f on a f uner al pyr e.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK V, CHAPTERS 6- 10

The ar r i val of t he Ri der s of Rohan t ur ns t he t i de of bat t l e. Af t er Mi nas
Ti r i t h i s saved, Ar agor n l eads t he ar mi es t o t he ver y gat es of Mor dor ,
wher e t hey ar e sur r ounded by Saur on' s f or ces.

*

At t hat moment , when al l seems l ost , t he men of Rohan ar r i ve and j oi n t he
bat t l e. The capt ai n of t he r i ngwr ai t hs, mount ed on hi s wi nged st eed,
f l i es over t he bat t l ef i el d, st r i ki ng despai r i nt o t he hear t s of men. But
unl i ke Denet hor , Theoden r ef uses t o succumb t o despai r . He cal l s t o hi s
men, " Fear no dar kness! " Per haps havi ng al r eady over come t he despai r
i nduced by Gr i ma t he Wor mt ongue, Theoden i s now i mmune t o i t .

Theoden' s hor se i s st r uck by a dar t f r omt he capt ai n of t he r i ngwr ai t hs
and f al l s on i t s mast er . As t he wr ai t h swoops down f or t he ki l l , he i s
chal l enged by Der nhel m, now r eveal ed as Eowyn. Wi t h Mer r y' s hel p, she
ki l l s t he r i ngwr ai t h. I n t hi s way anot her pr ophecy i s f ul f i l l ed, t hat t he
r i ngwr ai t h woul d not di e at t he hand of any man.

Mer r y' s swor d pr oves t o car r y unt hought - of si gni f i cance. I t was made l ong
ago t o be used agai nst t he Wi t ch- l or d of Angmar , t he l eader of t he
r i ngwr ai t hs. The man who made t he swor d went t o def eat and deat h. But hi s
ef f or t s wer e not ent i r el y f r ui t l ess, because Mer r y f ound t he swor d i n t he
bar r ow and car r i ed i t al l t he way t o Mi nas Ti r i t h. Onl y t hi s swor d coul d
have har med t he r i ngwr ai t h. Thr ough det ai l s such as t hi s, Tol ki en shows
t he wor ki ngs of a gr eat er pur pose, one t hat men cannot f ol l ow, because i t
wor ks t oo sl owl y, t aki ng unknown year s t o bear f r ui t . Tol ki en' s message
seems t o be t hat even t hough somet hi ng you have done may appear f ut i l e at
t he t i me, i n year s t o come i t may pr ove t o be of gr eat i mpor t ance.

Whi l e Eowyn f aces t he r i ngwr ai t h, Gandal f i s i nsi de t he ci t y, savi ng
Far ami r f r omhi s f at her ' s madness. But Denet hor , i n hi s pr i de and
despai r , cannot be st opped f r omki l l i ng hi msel f . Denet hor gi ves sever al
r easons f or want i ng t o di e. He bel i eves t hat Saur on wi l l wi n t he war . But
he al so knows t hat Ar agor n i s comi ng t o cl ai mhi s t hr one, and Denet hor
wi l l have t o r el i nqui sh hi s power . Si nce he cannot have t hi ngs as he
want s t hem, t he st ewar d woul d r at her di e t han ser ve anot her . Compar e
Denet hor ' s deat h wi t h Theoden' s. One gi ves i n t o despai r , t he ot her di es
r esi st i ng i t .

Li ke Sar uman, Denet hor had a pal ant i r , whi ch he used t o wat ch t he gr owi ng
st r engt h of Saur on. Denet hor bel i eved t hat he cont r ol l ed t he pal ant i r ,
but Saur on act ual l y cont r ol l ed i t and pr esent ed a di st or t ed pi ct ur e t o
t he st ewar d, one i nt ended t o i nduce despai r .

NOTE: DESPAI R AS THE WEAPON OF EVI L When Denet hor f al l s i nt o despai r , he
br i ngs about t he deat hs of ot her s as wel l as hi msel f . I f not f or
Denet hor , Gandal f woul d have been i n t he bat t l ef i el d and possi bl y coul d
have pr event ed Theoden' s deat h and t he woundi ng of Eowyn and Mer r y.
Gandal f says t hat t hi s i s t he wor ki ng of Saur on. The r i ngwr ai t hs al so use
despai r as a weapon. Few men can r esi st t he power of t hei r cr i es, whi ch
make men cower i n despai r and st op f i ght i ng. Despai r , t hen, causes peopl e
t o abandon t hei r r ol es i n t he gr and desi gn, and t o f ai l t o do t hei r
al l ot t ed t asks. I n t hi s way evi l pr evai l s.

For now, t he bat t l e i s over , but Far ami r , Eowyn, and Mer r y al l l i e i n t he
Houses of Heal i ng. Seemi ngl y not hi ng can cur e t hem, unt i l Ar agor n ar r i ves
and cal l s t hemback f r omt hei r dr eami ng. Ther e i s a sayi ng i n Gondor t hat
t he hands of a ki ng ar e t he hands of t he heal er , and now i t i s whi sper ed
t hat a ki ng has come. But Ar agor n sl i ps away wi t hout cl ai mi ng hi s t hr one.
Remember when Ar agor n r ef used t o l eave hi s swor d out si de Ki ng Theoden' s
hal l ? You can see now how he has changed. Then he pl aced hi s pr i de above
peace, unt i l Gandal f r ebuked hi m. Now, he humbl es hi msel f r at her t han
st i r up cont r over sy by hi s cl ai mt o ki ngshi p. For t he moment i t ' s mor e
i mpor t ant t o have a uni t ed f r ont agai nst Mor dor .

Meanwhi l e, Gandal f counsel s t he ar mi es t o mar ch t o Mor dor i t sel f , not
wi t h hope of vi ct or y, but onl y t o dr aw Saur on' s at t ent i on, so t hat Fr odo,
t he Ri ngbear er , may pass t hr ough t he enemy l ands unnot i ced. I f Fr odo
f ai l s, t hey shal l al l di e or be ensl aved. Even i f Fr odo succeeds, t hey
may st i l l di e. The i mpor t ance of Fr odo' s t ask al so pl aces t he her oi c
deeds of t he war r i or s i n t r ue per spect i ve. For al l t hei r cour age and
l osses, t hei r bat t l es have been onl y a di st r act i on. The r eal bat t l e l i es
wi t h t he t wo hobbi t s, Fr odo and Sam, who st r uggl e al one t hr ough Mor dor .
Wi t h t hemal one l i es vi ct or y or def eat . I t ' s t he mor al bat t l e, not t he
physi cal one, t hat det er mi nes t he f at e of t he wor l d.

Ar agor n agai n shows hi s wi sdomas a l eader . As t he ar mi es appr oach
Mor dor , t her e ar e many who cannot f ace t he hor r or of t hat l and. I nst ead
of cal l i ng t hemcowar ds, Ar agor n gi ves t heman oppor t uni t y t o f i ght wi t h
honor , sendi ng t hemi nst ead t o r et ake t he f or t r ess of Cai r Andr os.
Al t hough di f f i cul t , t hi s i s a t ask t hey can f ace, even i f t hey shoul d
di e, and so he saves t hemf r omgi vi ng i n t o despai r .

At t he Bl ack Gat e of Mor dor t he her al ds cal l on Saur on t o sur r ender . I n
answer , an envoy cal l ed t he Mout h of Saur on emer ges f r omt he gat es. I n
t hi s char act er you can see Tol ki en' s t heme t hat evi l dest r oys f r ee wi l l
and i dent i t y. The Mout h of Saur on has f or got t en hi s name and now exi st s
onl y t o ser ve hi s mast er ' s wi l l . He hol ds out Sam' s swor d, an el ven
cl oak, and Fr odo' s coat of mai l . He of f er s a bar gai n: Fr odo wi l l be
r el eased i f t hey swear peace wi t h Saur on. Gandal f r ej ect s t hose t er ms.
Why? And why shoul d Saur on even bot her t o bar gai n when t he odds ar e
over whel mi ngl y i n hi s f avor ? Why i s i t i mpor t ant t o hi mt hat t hey submi t ?

Seemi ngl y, al l hope i s gone. As t he Bl ack Gat e swi ngs open, Saur on' s
mi ght y ar my descends on t he smal l f or ce. The ar r i val of t he eagl es as
Book V ends may be a si gn of hope, but wi l l t hey al one be abl e t o t ur n
t he t i de of bat t l e?

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK VI , CHAPTERS 1- 5

The st or y r et ur ns t o Samand Fr odo, who at l ast succeed i n dest r oyi ng t he
Ri ng. Saur on i s def eat ed, and ami dst gr eat r ej oi ci ng, Ar agor n i s cr owned
ki ng of Gondor .

*

As Samst ands out si de t he t ower of Ci r i t h Ungol , wonder i ng how he wi l l
r escue Fr odo, he i s t empt ed by power of t he Ri ng. But hi s l ove f or Fr odo
and hi s si mpl e hobbi t - sense save hi m. He has no desi r e t o r ul e t he wor l d,
but want s onl y t o t end hi s own pat ch of l and. Sampasses t he t est , and
l i ke Gal adr i el , he di mi ni shes f r omt he power f ul f i gur e t hat t he Ri ng
makes hi mseem, and becomes onl y hi msel f , a smal l f r i ght ened hobbi t .

Samhear s t he sounds of f i ght i ng i n t he t ower . Thi s f i ght i ng r eveal s t he
weakness of evi l ; t he or cs cannot cooper at e and ar e ki l l i ng each ot her i n
pet t y ar gument s. Fi nal l y, onl y t wo or cs ar e l ef t al i ve. Dr i vi ng t hemof f ,
Samr escues Fr odo, and t he t wo have a t ender r euni on. But a t er r i bl e
change comes over Fr odo when Samhands hi mback t he Ri ng. Gr abbi ng t he
Ri ng, Fr odo cal l s Sama t hi ef . Bef or e hi s eyes, Samseems t o have
suddenl y t ur ned i nt o a gr eedy or c. But t he negat i ve ef f ect on Fr odo of
t he Ri ng' s evi l power qui ckl y passes.

Dr essed i n or c uni f or ms, Samand Fr odo l eave t he f or t r ess t o begi n t he
l ast st age of t hei r j our ney. The l and of Mor dor i s a dar k, desol at e
pl ace, wi t h no l i vi ng t hi ngs but some t wi st ed br ambl es. Even her e,
however , a st ar i s vi si bl e i n t he sky. The symbol i smof st ar and shadow
i s car r i ed t o i t s l ogi cal concl usi on. A shadow may obscur e t he st ar s f or
a whi l e, but t he st ar s wi l l al ways be shi ni ng f ar above, out of t he r each
of dar kness. I s Tol ki en sayi ng t hat good can never be over come by evi l ,
but wi l l al ways t r i umph i n t he end?

Caught bet ween t he pul l of t he Ri ng and t he pr essur e of Saur on' s wi l l ,
Fr odo i s so wear y he can har dl y wal k. He and Samdi scar d ever yt hi ng t hey
don' t need. Symbol i cal l y, t hey seemt o be st r i ppi ng t hemsel ves t o t he
cor e of t hei r humani t y: t he i ndomi t abl e wi l l t o car r y on t o t he end. Sam
i s t he l eader at t hi s poi nt . He car es f or Fr odo, l eadi ng hi monwar d and
even car r yi ng hi mwhen Fr odo' s st r engt h f ai l s. I t i s Sam' s memor y of t he
Shi r e t hat gi ves hi mt he wi l l t o go on i n t he f ace of t he hor r or of
Mor dor .

As t hey cr eep up t he sl opes of Mount Doom, t hey ar e at t acked by Gol l um.
Samdeal s wi t h Gol l umwhi l e Fr odo st r uggl es on al one. Sami s t empt ed t o
ki l l t he mi ser abl e cr eat ur e, but spar es hi m, as Bi l bo and Fr odo di d
bef or e hi m. Havi ng bor ne t he Ri ng even a l i t t l e whi l e, he under st ands and
pi t i es Gol l um' s agony.

Samf ol l ows af t er Fr odo and f i nds hi mst andi ng bef or e t he Cr ack of Doom.
Ther e, Fr odo' s wi l l f ai l s, and he cl ai ms t he Ri ng f or hi msel f . But Gol l um
st r uggl es wi t h hi m, bi t i ng of f t he f i nger wi t h t he Ri ng and, st i l l
gl oat i ng, acci dent al l y f al l s i nt o t he f i er y abyss. Wi t h t he dest r uct i on
of t he Ri ng, Saur on i s vanqui shed f or ever : hi s ar mi es ar e scat t er ed or
dest r oyed, and hi s t ower s cr umbl e. Samand Fr odo ar e r escued f r omt he
dest r uct i on by t he eagl es, and t he t wo hobbi t s ar e wel comed wi t h gr eat
pr ai se by t he vi ct or i ous ar my. Thi s i s t he cl i max of t he book, wher e t he
t wo hal ves of t he st or y, t he war and t he quest , meet i n vi ct or y. The r est
of t he book ser ves as a gr adual wi ndi ng down f r omt hi s cl i max, as Tol ki en
t i es up l oose ends.

The dest r uct i on of Saur on coi nci des wi t h t he begi nni ng of spr i ng, whi ch
has l ong symbol i zed spi r i t ual r enewal . Tol ki en makes many r ef er ences t o
r enewal and t o t he end of bar r enness. Fr odo hi msel f , now f r ee of t he
Ri ng, seems t o have r ecover ed hi s ol d sense of gai et y. An eagl e announces
Saur on' s f al l t o t he peopl e of Mi nas Ti r i t h wi t h a song t hat sounds
al most l i ke a Chr i st i an psal mr ef er r i ng t o t he r esur r ect i on of Chr i st .
Eowyn exper i ences a r ebi r t h of sor t s, when she f al l s i n l ove wi t h
Far ami r . She no l onger desi r es deat h or gl or y i n bat t l e. I nst ead she
want s t o be a heal er " and l ove al l t hi ngs t hat gr ow and ar e not bar r en. "
As a f i nal symbol of t he end of bar r enness, Ar agor n f i nds a sapl i ng t o
r epl ace t he whi t e t r ee of Gondor t hat had st ood wi t her ed i n t he cour t yar d
f or so l ong.

Thi s i s a t i me of t r i umph f or Ar agor n. He i s cr owned ki ng of Gondor and
mar r i es Ar wen, El r ond' s daught er . But t her e i s an el ement of t r agedy
mi xed i n wi t h hi s j oy. To mar r y hi m, Ar wen has had t o gi ve up
i mmor t al i t y. She i s now doomed t o di e and so i s f or ever separ at ed f r om
her f at her and her br ot her s, who wi l l pass over t o t he Bl essed Real mand
l i ve t her e. Besi des t hi s per sonal l oss, Ar agor n al so f eel s t he l oss of
many beaut i f ul t hi ngs, such as Lor i en, whi ch wi l l pass wi t h t he
dest r uct i on of t he Ri ng. Thi s mi xt ur e of t r agedy wi t h j oy i s
char act er i st i c of Tol ki en.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: BOOK VI , CHAPTERS 6- 9

The hobbi t s r et ur n t o t he Shi r e, wher e t hey f i nd t hat evi l has been at
wor k i n t hei r absence. The Shi r e i s saved, but Fr odo never r ecover s f r om
hi s many wounds.

*

The f our hobbi t s, accompani ed by Gandal f , now depar t f or home. Af t er
st oppi ng i n Ri vendel l t o vi si t Bi l bo, t hey ar r i ve i n Br ee, wher e t her e
has been t r oubl e wi t h r uf f i ans f r omt he sout h. The t r avel er s l ear n t hat
t hi ngs ar e not wel l i n t he Shi r e ei t her . Gandal f seems t o know mor e about
t he t r oubl e t han he l et s on. The hobbi t s assume he wi l l set t hi ngs r i ght ,
but Gandal f t el l s t hemhe i sn' t goi ng t o t he Shi r e. Hi s t i me of hel pi ng
out i s over , and t hey' r e qui t e capabl e of doi ng i t t hemsel ves. I n f act ,
he t el l s t hem, t hi s i s what t hey wer e t r ai ned f or . What do you t hi nk he
means by t hat r emar k?

The hobbi t s cont i nue on t o t he Shi r e and f i nd t hat Sar uman and hi s men
have t aken over and ar e t ear i ng down bui l di ngs and cut t i ng t r ees. Now you
can see most cl ear l y how t hei r j our neys have changed t he f our f r i ends.
They ar e not i nt i mi dat ed, but set out wi t h det er mi nat i on t o r ouse t he
i nhabi t ant s of t he Shi r e t o t hr ow out Sar uman' s r uf f i ans. Fr odo, however ,
r ef uses t o f i ght . He has l ear ned t hat no one has t he r i ght t o t ake t he
l i f e of anot her , no mat t er how j ust t hat deat h may seem. He ext ends hi s
sympat hy t o al l - - t he good, t he evi l , and t he mi sgui ded- - because he knows
t hat no one st ar t ed out evi l and t hat t hose who do f al l i nt o evi l suf f er
t he most of al l . Sar uman hi msel f appear s as a pi t i abl e f i gur e, and even
hi s at t empt t o ki l l Fr odo doesn' t change Fr odo' s r esol ve t o l et hi mgo
f r ee.

Gr i ma t he Wor mt ongue i s st i l l wi t h Sar uman. Li ke Gol l um, he has been
def or med by evi l and now cr awl s af t er Sar uman l i ke a dog. Fr odo of f er s
hi ma chance t o t ur n away f r omSar uman. Gr i ma seems t o f eel a t ouch of
hope, but Sar uman dest r oys i t by t el l i ng t he ot her s about Gr i ma' s evi l
deeds. Gr i ma t ur ns on hi s mast er and ki l l s hi m, onl y t o be ki l l ed hi msel f
by t he over zeal ous hobbi t s.

Samuses Gal adr i el ' s gi f t , a box of soi l f r omLor i en, t o r est or e t he
beaut y of t he Shi r e. He f i nds t hat he' s become a her o l i ke Mer r y and
Pi ppi n. I r oni cal l y enough, Fr odo' s deeds ar e over l ooked. The f ol ks of t he
Shi r e ar e mor e concer ned wi t h t he event s i n t hei r own smal l count r y t han
wi t h f ar - of f happeni ngs i n pl aces t hey' ve never seen. They don' t seemt o
under st and t he danger t hat woul d have f aced t hemi f Fr odo' s quest had
f ai l ed.

Fr odo has not emer ged f r omhi s t r i al s unscat hed, ei t her physi cal l y or
spi r i t ual l y. The memor y and t he ef f ect of t he Ri ng st ay wi t h hi m. " I t i s
gone f or ever , " he says, " and now al l i s dar k and empt y. " Li ke Gol l um, he
f eel s l ost and empt y wi t hout t he Ri ng. Al t hough Fr odo has won peace f or
t he l and, he hi msel f cannot enj oy i t . He t r avel s wi t h Bi l bo, Gandal f ,
El r ond, and Gal adr i el over t he sea t o t he ser enel y beaut i f ul Bl essed
Real m, l eavi ng Samt o r et ur n home t o hi s wi f e and chi l d i n t he Shi r e.

Some r eader s see t hi s as a happy endi ng. Ot her s f eel sad t hat Fr odo' s
sel f l ess quest has ended unhappi l y f or hi m. Whi ch vi ew do you agr ee wi t h?
I s t hi s a pessi mi st i c or an opt i mi st i c endi ng? Why do you f eel t hat way?


^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: THOUGHTS ON FRODO

Today' s r eader of moder n nar r at i ve, however medi eval i t s spi r i t , may be
r el uct ant t o accept a t r ul y medi eval monst er - - a dr agon or f i end- - but he
i s accust omed t o accept i ng i nt er nal conf l i ct . Fr odo t he monst er - quel l er
mi ght not be cr edi bl e. But Fr odo t or t ur ed by gr owi ng evi l i n hi s own
nat ur e. . . i s bel i evabl e and compel l i ng. . . . I n t he f i nal moment , st andi ng
at t he Cr acks of Doom, Fr odo succumbs t o t he dar kness wi t hi n hi m. He put s
t he Ri ng on hi s f i nger , cl ai med by i t even as he cl ai ms i t . . . . For man
al ways l oses t o t he monst er at l ast . Fr odo i s def eat ed as sur el y as
Beowul f i s. . . .

Al t hough Fr odo r ecover s f r omt he bat t l e, he can no l onger be what he
was. . . . The f ai r y- t al e her o, i nconspi cuous and unassumi ng, has been made
t o suf f er t he bi t t er ness and l oss of t he medi eval epi c her o. Li ke
Beowul f , l i ke Ar t hur , he l oses t he l ast bat t l e and pays a heavy pr i ce f or
hi s st r uggl e. Such an endi ng i s dr eadf ul l y i nappr opr i at e. . . .

And t hat , of cour se, i s j ust Tol ki en' s poi nt . I t i s not meant t o be f ai r .
We ar e beyond epi c now, beyond r omance and beyond t he f ai r y- t al e endi ng.
I n t he r eal wor l d t hi ngs sel domt ur n out as we woul d l i ke t hemt o, and
t he l i t t l e man i s as subj ect t o t r agedy as t he gr eat one.

- Ver l yn Fl i eger , " Fr odo and Ar agor n: The Concept of Her o i n ' The Lor d of
t he Ri ngs, ' " i n I saacs and Zi mbar do, eds. , Tol ki en: New Cr i t i cal
Per spect i ves, 1981

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: ON TOLKI EN' S CHRI STI ANI TY

The Lor d of t he Ri ngs, t hen, al t hough i t pr esent s no " God, " no " Chr i st , "
and no " Chr i st i ans, " embodi es much of Tol ki en' s " r eal r el i gi on" and i s a
pr of oundl y Chr i st i an wor k. No " God" i s r equi r ed i n t hi s st or y. . . . Gandal f
and Ar agor n need not t ur n our t hought s t o. . . Chr i st . . . but t hey per suade
us t hat i f we ar e t o have hope i n our l i ves and i n our hi st or y i t must be
hope f or t he ki nd of power and aut hor i t y r eveal ed i n Ar agor n t he ki ng and
on t he basi s of t he ki nd of power r eveal ed i n Gandal f ' s " mi r acl es" and i n
hi s r i si ng f r omt he dead. What Fr odo does and under goes speaks t o us of
what a man' s r esponsi bi l i t y, accor di ng t o t he Chr i st i an f ai t h, must
al ways be: t o r enounce t he ki nd of power whi ch woul d ensl ave ot her s and
our sel ves and t o submi t t o t hat power whi ch f r ees us al l .

- Gunnar Ur ang, " Tol ki en' s Fant asy: The Phenomenol ogy of Hope, " i n Mar k R.
Hi l l egas, ed. , Shadows of t he I magi nat i on, 1969

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: ON HOBBI TS

Hi s Hobbi t i s bot h a br i dge and a bei ng mor e l i ke Man t han ar e t he
her oi c, f ami l i ar , mock- human count er par t s t hat appear i n advent ur e
st or i es. Mor eover , t he hobbi t i s. . . mor e of a human t han i f he wer e one,
as pet i t - bour geoi s as i f he caught t he 8: 15 commut er t r ai n. . . .

The r at her j ol l y vi r t ues of t he Hobbi t s ar e r ai sed t o sol emn magni f i cence
when i t i s r eal i zed t hat t hese vi r t ues endow t hei r possessor s wi t h t he
power t o f ace and subdue t he t er r i bl e and soul - dest r oyi ng opposi t i on of
Evi l t hat beset s t hem. I t i s t he r el uct ant choi ce t o f ace or not t o f ace
Evi l . . . t hat r ai sed Bi l bo and mor e so hi s hei r Fr odo, above even gr eat
Beowul f .

- Wi l l i amReady, The Tol ki en Rel at i on, 1968

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBI T & THE LORD OF THE RI NGS: A DETRACTOR' S VI EW

What we get i s a si mpl e conf r ont at i on- - i n mor e or l ess t he t r adi t i onal
t er ms of Br i t i sh mel odr ama- - of t he For ces of Evi l wi t h t he For ces of
Good, t he r emot e and al i en vi l l ai n wi t h t he pl ucky l i t t l e homegr own
her o. . . . For t he most par t such char act er i zat i ons as Dr . Tol ki en has been
abl e t o cont r i ve ar e per f ect l y st er eot yped: Fr odo t he good l i t t l e
Engl i shman, Samwi se, hi s dogl i ke ser vant , who t al ks l ower cl ass and
r espect f ul , and who never deser t s hi s mast er . These char act er s. . . ar e
i nvol ved i n i nt er mi nabl e advent ur es t he pover t y of i nvent i on di spl ayed i n
whi ch i s. . . al most pat het i c.

- Edmund Wi l son, " Oo, Those Awf ul Or cs! " i n The Nat i on, Apr i l 14, 1956

THE END