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Sylvia Rensel

Aughenbaugh

English 12

23 November 2016

A True Fairytale

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. (Tolkien 1). JRR Tolkien wrote this simple

statement on the back of a students essay. After writing the lone sentence he thought, I suppose

I should find out what a hobbit is. (Tolkien) He had been slowly creating the idea for years at

the bedsides of his children with stories of great adventure and a simple character that came to be

the most well known hobbit of all time- Bilbo Baggins. Mr.Baggins is a quaint fellow with a

hidden desire for adventure. Adventure does ensue, though it is not quite what he was expecting.

Using this dynamic yet simple character, Tolkien is able to write an epic fairy tale to last the

generations. Though it is a fairy tale, Tolkien portrays important aspects of his life through his

writing with the use of mythological characters and settings.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892

to Mabel and Arthur Tolkien. Bloemfontein was an English colony where his father moved to

work for the Bank of Africa. Tolkien and his younger brother were both sickly children but were

adored by their mother and nurses. One nurse in particular would tell him of celtic myths and

folktales of her homeland, Ireland. Tolkien was fascinated with these stories and soon began

imagining his own. From an early age, Tolkien had a flair for languages, a talent that was fueled
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by his mothers shared passion for culture and language. He also inherited his mothers love of

nature and Christianity.

On the other side of parenting, his father was busy with his work and had little time for

much else. Unfortunately, Tolkien never did get much of a chance to bond with his father being

that Arthur Tolkien died when John was only three. After his fathers untimely death, Tolkiens

mother moved the family back to England where they lived in Sarehole. They lived well for a

few years before his mother became ill. Tolkien was left to care for his mother with the help of

his brother and a neighborly Catholic priest, Father Francis Morgan. His mother passed away,

leaving twelve year old Tolkien and his brother as orphans. The death of his mother affected him

greatly, but he was determined and pushed on in memory of her.

Francis Morgan took in the boys after their mother died. It was at his home where Tolkien

met his future wife, Edith. The two became close and would often go for walks in the gardens

and woods. Father Francis did not approve of the relationship, saying they were too young, and

urged Tolkien to focus on academics. Taking his mentors advice seriously, Tolkien attended

Exeter College. It was there that he formed close friendships with three fellow students. The four

of them created the Tea Club and Barrovian Society, a group that consisted of only them,

numerous books, and, of course, tea.

These were happy days for him but sadly they did not last due to World War . Tolkien

and his three friends were enlisted into the British Army forces and sent to France to fight in the

trenches. Tolkien became a lieutenant, though he has said a poor one. All three of his close
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friends were killed in The Battle of the Somme leaving Tolkien with only the legacy of them to

write about.

His friends deaths made him realize the uncertainty of life and so on his first return home

he proposed to Edith. Later that year they were married and eventually had four children

together; John Francis Reuel Tolkien, Michael Hilary Reuel Tolkien, Christopher John Reuel

Tolkien, and Priscilla Mary Anne Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien was a very devoted father and wrote

them stories with personal illustrations constantly.

After the war he worked at Oxford as a professor of Anglo-saxon Literature. C.S. Lewis

became part of the staff at Oxford in 1926 and it was not long before the two of them bonded.

They created The Inklings; a club where they would read, write, and have philosophical

discussions. Tolkien and Lewis both took inspiration from ancient literature, most profoundly,

Beowulf. On the first day of classes, Tolkien was known to stride into the room, late, while

dramatically reciting the first twenty lines of Beowulf.

It was in the Inkling meetings that Tolkien wrote what would become The Silmarillion

and pieces of The Lord of the Rings. Lewis was also the one who urged Tolkien to finish and

publish his work. With Lewiss support, Tolkien published his first book, The Hobbit, in 1937.

Throughout his time at Oxford and into his retirement, he wrote numerous letters to his children

about his thoughts and experiences to help them grow and learn, but also as a therapy to himself.

It was in one of these letters that Tolkien expressed how he wanted his written world to be

relatable to the reader.

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The story that first accomplished that desire and was the start to the rest of his writing

career was The Hobbit. As the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins captures the hearts and minds of

readers. His story begins simply, in a hole in the ground. That is until Gandalf arrives and

disrupts his peaceful life, sending him on an unexpected journey with a band of unruly dwarves,

Thorin and Company, on the mission to reclaim their home and gold from the treacherous dragon

Smaug. They travel through Rivendell, the Misty Mountains, Beorns house, the dungeons of the

Woodlen Elf King, and onto Laketown before finally reaching their destination, the Lonely

Mountain. Bilbo experiences many perils including being captured by goblins, wagering life or

death with the wicked Gollum, being attacked by Wargs, and the battering barrel ride to

Laketown.

When they disrupt Smaug in the mountain, he causes mass destruction of Laketown. The

people of Laketown, who offered help and supplies to the dwarves, come to the Lonely Mountain

to ask for help from the King Under the Mountain, Thorin. However, Thorin has been changed

by greed and refuses them. Bilbo is appalled but cannot change Thorins mind. So the people of

Laketown and the Woodland Elves declare war upon them. Dane, Thorins cousin, shows up to

aid in fighting the men and elves, but, before that war can occur the goblin and warg armies

ambush. Thorin, Fili, and Kili are killed in this final battle (of five armies) but Bilbo survives and

is escorted home by Gandalf. Balin comes to visit Bilbo years later and tells him the good

fortunes of the Lonely Mountain and Laketown. They have tea and reminisce on their past

adventure. The story ends as it began; in a hole in the ground.

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Throughout The Hobbit, Tolkien integrates experiences of his life (WW1, his parents

deaths, Christianity, friendship, his relationship with his wife) into Bilbos story, which portray

situations readers can relate to, despite the fact that the situations take place in a fantasy world.

These personal influences from Tolkiens life date back back to his early childhood. Like the

Shire where Bilbo lives, Tolkien was born into a close knit community. It was a village where

those who lived there worked together and were content with the quaint lifestyle they led. If

compared to these people, hobbits are found to be very similar. Hobbits love peace, quiet, good

tilled earth, and food. They dislike machines but are handy with tools. They are nimble but do

not hurry . They wear bright colors and very little do they wear shoes. They are also fond of

grand storytelling as Tolkiens nurse had been. In general, Hobbits are kindly folk who are very

appreciative of the simple pleasures in life. It was Tolkiens memories of Bloemfontein that

inspired the setting and atmosphere of The Shire.

While growing up, Tolkien was fascinated with legends and languages. At a very young

age, he began to create his own language and was encouraged by his mother who also had a

passion for languages. The speaking of languages and anything involving words came easily to

Tolkien. Riddles, stories, poetry, but especially ancient legends entranced him. Bilbo was much

the same in this aspect; he loved riddles and it was that love for them that got him out of a rather

sticky situation with Gollum. He used words as a weapon of sorts.

Another passion he inherited from his mother was the love of nature. He became an avid

hiker and wanderer of the woods. In all of his books, not The Hobbit alone, Tolkien regularly

describes detailed natural scenes that add to the plot. He explained how he used his climbing
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expedition in the Swiss Alps as the inspiration for The Misty Mountains. Another quality of his

writing that was affected by nature was that of Hnau; a concept that Tolkien introduced about

personifying natural things. An example of this is the Ents from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

They were protectors of the forests and were enraged when Saruman cut down a large section of

old growth trees. Tolkiens passion and sense of connection with nature can clearly be seen in his

writing.

Also in his youth, the death of both of his parents had a lasting impact. This deep

understanding of death can be found in The Hobbit. One quote in particular that shows Tolkiens

empathy with grief is, The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but

still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows

perhaps the greater. (Tolkien 235) Bilbo experiences this grief that accompanies a loved ones

death when Kili, Fili, and Thorin are killed. Many years later when Balin comes to visit Bilbo at

the Shire, they are able to look back and recall memories of the three deceased with fondness.

Tolkien is telling of how the pain fades with time, and how, though the memories are not

forgotten, they lose their bitter sting.

The next chapter of Tolkiens life is no less influential. When living with Father Francis

Tolkien meets Edith who becomes the love of his life. He wrote their love story into The

Silmarillion with the characters Beren, a mortal man, and Luthien Tinuviel, the immortal elven-

maid. Tolkien is often quoted saying, Shes my Luthien. (Tolkien.) The idea first came to him

after watching her dance in the forest while they were on a walk, inspiring a magical quality of

her in his mind. Further proof of this connection is that under Ediths name on her
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gravestone is another name: Luthien. Those who knew the couple would comment on the depth a

purity of their love and how they were unabashed to be affectionate towards each other. Tolkien

hints at this when he writes, And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and

cared not that they stood high upon the walls in sight of many. (Tolkien. The Silmarillion.)

Tolkien was not afraid to tell the world of his love for Edith.

The experience that seems to have the most profound effect on Tolkien was his time

fighting in the first World War. In a letter to his oldest son Tolkien writes, I took to escapism; or

really transforming experience into another form and symbol with Morgoth and Orcs and the

Edalie; and it has stood me in good stead in many hard years since and I still draw on the

conceptions then hammered out. (Letter 73. Letters of JRR Tolkien). To cope with the traumatic

memories, Tolkien wrote them into stories and had his fictional characters inflicted with similar

struggles . By doing this he could express the horrors of war without the intensity of telling his

real life account. In her article, Speaking of The Hobbit, Nancy Ott writes, What struck me

about the battles in Tolkiens books are how much parts of them sounded like accounts of

WW1. After describing the facts of Tolkiens war life Ott goes onto say, Tolkiens war

experiences are sublimated in his fiction. (Ott, Nancy Marie. JRR Tolkien and WW

greenbooks.theonering.net. Fans of the Lord of the Rings, 2000. WEB. 31 Oct 2016) WWwas

everything that Tolkien hated: destruction of nature, deadly technology, abuse and corruption of

authority, and triumph of industrialization. This hate parallels Bilbos disgust with the sick

Mirkwood, the potent power of The One Ring over Gollum, Thorins poisoned authority, and the
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deadly weapons of the goblin armies. More times than not, Bilbo wishes he were home in his

comfy armchair. He gained a new appreciation of home and comforts.

Tolkien also gained appreciation of lifes unsung heros during his soldier days. He found

highest regard of ordinary people, for friendship, and for finding beauty amidst the horror he

experienced. His respect for ordinary people was born from the British foot soldier. My Sam

Gamgee is indeed a reflection of the English soldier recognized as far superior to myself.

(Tolkien) Though he takes care to singley compare Sam Gamgee, Hobbits as a whole could be

paralleled to his fellow soldiers with their love of comfort, their hidden courage, and their

steadfast conservative outlook. Many times Bilbos level head saves the company from defeat or

capture where Thorins epic strength failed. This notion is the same as when a lowly soldier is

more of a hero than the honored generals.

The war also expanded his gratitude of friendships. His three closest friends from college

were killed in the trenches during the Battle of the Somme. Geoffrey Smith was one of his lost

friends; he wrote Tolkien from the hospital before he passed away. The letter read: May God

bless you, my dear JR, and may you say the things Ive tried to say long after I am not there to

say them, if such be my lot. (Ott, Nancy Marie. JRR Tolkien and WW) Tolkien obeyed his

friends last wish and wrote stories that express their intimate fellowship just as Bilbo kept

Thorins words in his heart. This unshakeable bond between soldiers can be compared to the

unswerving loyalty of the dwarves to one another.

Tolkien also focuses on being able to find beauty among devastation. In the vastly

treacherous forests of Mirkwood, the company becomes lost and nearly give up all hope under
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the dreary canopy. The water was poisonous and there was nothing to eat. It was a ruined land.

Bilbo suggests that he climb to the top branches of a tree to see if he can spy the edges of the

forest. When he is able to see out from the trees, what awaits him is a sight of magic and hope.

Butterflies surround him and the sun creates a gorgeous sky as it sets. The air is fresh and Bilbos

head clears for a short while, giving him hope. And even though the dwarves are hostile towards

Bilbo when he tells them he did not find the edge of the woods, that spark of hope allows him to

carry on. A soldier of WW1 recalls a similar experience in Night in the Trenches- A Subaltern on

the Somme.

The stars shine brilliantly and I gaze at the Plough dipping towards High Wood. What

joy it is to know that you in England and I out here at least can look upon the same

Beauty in the sky! They have become seers- images of divine stability- guardians of a

peace and order beyond the power of weak and petty madness they at least will outlast

the war and still be beautiful.

In regards to his hate of the destruction of good, Tolkien tells of the destruction of British

cities in the description of the demolished city of Dale. Fire ruin and death are shared between

the real and the fairytale. The dwarves treasure, home, and heritage are stolen from them just like

the victims of WW whose artifacts were either hoarded or destroyed. This likeness in setting

continues when Tolkien confirms, The Dead Marshes and the approaches to The Morannon owe

something to Northern France after the Battle of the Somme. (Tolkien.)

After Tolkien returned from war and married Edith, he took a professor position at

Oxford. C.S. Lewis joined the faculty at Oxford and the two quickly became friends. The strong
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foundation of their friendship was their faith based conversations. Tolkien helped Lewis with

Lewiss religious doubts when he explained his view of the story of Christ as a myth that had

actually happened, or a true myth. This doubt in the Bible is just like Bilbos great adventure

that no one at the Shire believed, yet it did indeed happen. Walks in the garden while having

philosophical discussions was a usual custom for the friends. Together, Lewis and Tolkien

created the Inklings; Lewis wrote the Narnia series and Screwtape Letters while Tolkien worked

on many drafts until a publisher showed interest in The Hobbit. They supported each other's

work even when they did not entirely agree on the style or opinion of the other. The dwarf

company mimics this complex relationship in the way that they hardly ever agree, especially

with Bilbo in the mix, yet they never lost their love or loyalty.

Equally influential on Tolkiens writing was Christianity. He introduces Christianity in a

way that is not obviously religious. In a criticism on The Hobbit, author Chris Armstrong writes,

Tolkien and Lewis shared the belief, that through myth and legend - for centuries that made

many cultures have used to communicate their deepest truths - a taste of the Christian gospels

True-myths could be smuggled past the barriers and biases of secularized readers (Armstrong,

Chris. JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: A Legendary Friendship : Christianity Today, 2008. WEB.

28 Oct 2016.) The stories of faith in the Norse mythology that they would read during The

Inklings meetings also inspired Tolkien and Lewis to explain important concepts about life in

their own writing - who they were, what the world was like, and about the realm of the divine. In

a letter Tolkien wrote, he admits his catholic faith was the most disguised but also the most
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significant influence on his writing. (Pearce, Joseph. JRR Tolkiens Sanctifying Myth.

isiBooks.org. August 2002. WEB. 2 Nov. 2016.)

Another critic that comments on similarity between the Catholic faith and Tolkiens

writing is Joseph Pearce. Pearce writes, Tolkiens development of the philosophy of myth

derives directly from his Christian faith. It was the only way that certain transcendent truths

could be expressed in intelligible form. (Pearce WEB) Concepts that Tolkien wanted

desperately to explain but was unsure of how to do so. He took to writing these concepts into

parables surrounding his characters to make it easier for readers to understand on a level that

they could relate to. Such as with Gandalfs Christ-like characterization. Gandalf has insight and

clairvoyance that makes him the natural leader of the company, but the most dramatic mimicry of

the Bible is when he dies for his cause and his friends yet resurrects wiser and more powerful,

just as in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Tolkiens Christianity was also the reason for writing in the fashion he did. In Tolkiens

book, Tolkien on Fairy Stories, he gives the why of writing a fairy tale. One aspect of the fairy

tale style that Tolkien favors is the creativity of it. He believed creativity is a mark of Gods

divine image of man (in his own image). Only God can create the basics, the something from

nothing, but man can sub-create by sculpting the material of creation into their own design.

Tolkien was always fascinated with the power of fairy tales and how both children and adults

could connect imagination with reality. I write things that might be classified as fairy-stories not

because I wish to specifically address children but because I wish to write this kind of story

and no other. (Tolkien on Fairy Stories).

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It is the quirky, humorous tone that helps to embody the fairy tale quality of The Hobbit

and draw out the magic in Tolkiens writing. Ruth S. Noel wrote on Tolkiens purpose of magic.

The purpose of magic is to exercise the sense of wonder and to fulfill wish. Magic is the process

which produces Eucatastrophe (Tolkiens word for the anti-catastrophic turn.) (Koster, Katie

de. JRR Tolkien. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc, 2000. Print.) Tolkien defends himself

against the critics on the unrealistic turn of events where Bilbo seems to always survive by

saying, It (speaking of magic) does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure.. It denies

universal, final defeat.. Giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world,

poignant as grief. (Tolkien). He believes, ... that the purpose of mythology is to glorify history

with supernatural events, to explain the unknown, and to Hallow tradition. (Koster, Katie de).

Inspiration for Tolkiens use of mythology was largely draught from Beowulf. The Likeness

between Beowulf and The Hobbit is easily seen. In both tales there is a heroic quest, a dragons

treasure hoard, the importance of named swords, elfish magic, birthright , and family lineage.

The difference being that Bilbo is not an epic hero. He is a simple hobbit with a big heart, a

clever mind, and a love for home much like the early 1900s British man that Tolkien was.

Thorins last words to Bilbo show that epic heroism might not be as important as the simple,

modest values of Bilbo. As Thorin lays dying in front of Bilbo he utters, 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 (Tolkien 272-273).

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Tolkiens life is an integral part of his writing, and, because of this, The Hobbit attracts

people from all walks of life with its relatable situations, clever wit, and the wonderfully

creative world in which Bilbo lives. From his childhood, to his friendships, to his time in the war,

to his love filled marriage, and onto his time at Oxford, pieces of Tolkiens life create a collage

of events, emotions, and wisdom that eventually become his best selling work, The Hobbit.

Tolkiens theme in life carries into Bilbos; Where there is life there is hope. (Tolkien 57)

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 Works Cited

Armstrong, Chris. JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: A Legendary Friendship. Christianitytoday,

2008. Web. 28 Oct, 2016.

Beagle, Peter. The Hobbit: JRR Tolkien 1937. Houghton Mifflin. Novels for Students. V8.

New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 94-113. Print.

Koster, Katie de. JRR Tolkien, San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000. Print

Medley, Mark. Tolkiens The Hobbit First Published. Globe and Mail [Toronto, Canada] 21

Sept., 2016. A2. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.

Ott, Nancy Marie. JRR Tolkien and World War 1. greenbooks.theonering.net. Fans of

Lord of the Rings, 2000. Web. 31 Oct, 2016.

Pearce, Joseph. JRR Tolkiens Sanctifying Myth. isiBooks.org. August, 2002. Web. 2 Nov.,

2016.

Contrasting Viewpoints: Themes from The Hobbit SparksNotes.com. SparkNotes

LLC, 2016. Web. 2 Nov, 2016.

Tolkien, JRR. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books, 1973. Print.

The Lord of the Rings: JRR Tolkien 1892-1973, Lantern 42.1 (1993): 68. MasterFILE Main

Edition. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.