Discerning Fantasy and Reality in Tolkiens The

Hobbit
26/04/2015

There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some
wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it
would be a merrier world.
-Thorin Oakenshield, The Hobbit (Tolkien, 1937)

CONTEXT
Teaching a unit oriented around the fantasy genre in a Christian school is one
often met with some criticism. Indeed, this is somewhat understandable on
the surface, as there are numerous biblical warnings that warn against
dabbling with the occult and endearing ourselves to such forces. The aim of
this article is not the dismissal of such warnings. Rather it is to meet these
with reason and to display clearly the value of engaging with the fantasy
genre. Teaching the Year Ten English unit Perceptions of Reality in Fantasy
Texts in the context of Christian schooling presents a clear and valuable
opportunity to promote engagement with literature, as well as to show that
innately Christian values can be displayed and promoted within worlds far
different to our own.
And why wouldnt we embrace the genre of fantasy in which these worlds
dwell? When such rich worlds exist in literature that clearly embrace and
promote biblical concepts such as redemption, self-sacrifice and love for
ones fellow man, why would we as Christian teachers ignore such a rich vein
of potential inspiration and influence? Authors such as C.S Lewis and J.R.R
Tolkien have left a legacy of work that not only contains an innately Christian
message but also engages students with an entertaining brand of storytelling that is accessible and imaginative, acting as genuine salt and light as
they progress through their respective narratives.
Our Colleges motto is Educating for Eternity. This author contends that the
morals, messages and idea contained in work of J.R.R Tolkien, The Hobbit in
particular; echoes this sentiment strongly and that his works will serve as a
witness of the Christian faith as long as they remain in print. After all what
greater influence could an individual have than for over 100 million souls to
appreciate and be subsequently influenced by what is a fundamentally
religious work (Brown, 2012) long after their worldly demise and into

eternity itself?

APPLICATION
My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer
-Psalm 45:1
It is often seen as curious that The Hobbit should be suggested as a text that
glorifies and magnifies the Christian worldview and the beliefs therein,
particularly as Middle Earth is a fundamentally non-religious world. There are
no churches, no prayers and certainly no mentioning of any particular belief
system to which its characters belong or any of the hallmarks that would
represent such belief (Ware, 2006). Indeed, the word God is not mentioned
in any of Tolkiens works. However, to presume that this lack of overt
religious representation means that God has no place in these books is to
apply a simplistic view of the source material, exactly the sort of approach
that we seek to encourage students to avoid when studying literature in the
senior years of their schooling.
Over the course of the unit of study, students are asked to engage deeper
with the text in order to access the messages and ideas that lay within and
beneath the actions of the characters. Student achieve this by looking at the
author themselves, the characters and their development and the use of
morals and ideals throughout the book.
Fantasy is often characterised by the creation of the otherworldly, the
detailed and imaginatively dreamed of worlds that serve as the primary
creative outlet for the fantasy writer. While most fantasy writers seek to
create worlds as metaphors or merely for their own sake, Tolkien takes a
different approach. He notes that the world he creates, Middle-Earth was
merely a reflection of that which he saw around him, a primary world that
he believed was spoken into existence by a benevolent God (Ware, 2006).
Rather than create an alternative to creation itself, Tolkien believed his work
was an extension of Gods creation. He ardently believed that his pen could
take no pride in what was on his page, for it was not a creation of his alone
but a reflection of what was already there.
Because Tolkien saw this world as an extension of the primary creation that
surrounded him, he maintained consistency in its morals and values with
what he saw as ideal and good. While God and his church are not literally
present within The Hobbit, its morality and ideals are clearly shown. No
more so is this seen than in the texts preoccupation with the vanquishing
(rather than the glorification) of evil.

The rising of evil in the form of trolls, stone giants, goblins and dragons are
resisted at every turn during the course of Tolkiens narrative. While this is
to be expected in the course of a work of high fantasy, it is the fight against
evils within the hearts of Tolkiens characters that reflect the gospel truths
implanted within the text. Much as we must pick up our cross daily and fight
the sins that might entangle (Luke 9:23); Bilbo Baggins (the protagonist of
the story) must struggle to realise his God-given potential and avoid the
ensnaring of selfish motivations, resentment and greed (Tolkien, 1937).
Likewise, the band of dwarves that accompany him, led by their ancestral
leader Thorin Oakenshield, must overturn their long established habits of
gluttony, infighting and pride in to accept that their formerly idolised glory is
never to return and that there is no real value in gold for golds sake.
No more is this internal threat seen however; than in the Ring of Power that
so tempts both Bilbo and the horrid Gollum throughout the book. An object
emblematic of all that exists within man capable of corruption and gloom,
the book constantly gravitates towards this resistance by Bilbo and the
struggle between acceding to our baser impulses and taking the higher road
of resistance. This clearly echoes Jesus and his own testing in the
wilderness, as told in Chapter Four of Matthews gospel. Just as Satan
attempts to lead Jesus down the road of indulgence and to succumb to the
powers of this world; Bilbo too must resist all that the Ring promises.
These truths are but a few that demonstrate clearly that the world Tolkien
creates is not the lawless wastes that so often mark works of fantasy, where
mere survival is an achievement in an amoral morass of temptation and
violence. Rather Middle-Earth is a world of moral absolutes; in which the
internal corruption of ones soul is far greater a threat than the fantastical
creatures that dwell within.
REFLECTION
While fantasy may be a difficult topic for some to navigate in a Christian
school, this author believes it presents one of the clearest opportunities to be
the hands and feet that we are called to be in Chapter Twelve of Pauls
epistle to the Corinthians.
Engaging with Tolkiens fantastic world shows the result of clear meditation
in and through Gods word on the part of the author. It clearly demonstrates
a deeper brand of spiritual engagement, leading us to realise that we need
not label something Christian in order to discern the spiritual truths within.
The Hobbit reflects the desire of our Lord to know his truths and find solace
in every circumstance and situation, whether we live in the mundanity of this
world or the high fantasy of Middle Earth.

Author: Aaron Sloper

References
Brown, D. (2012). The Christian World of The Hobbit. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
Tolkien, J. R. (1937). The Hobbit. London: Allen and Unwin.
Ware, J. (2006). Finding God in The Hobbit. Colorado Springs: Tyndale.