Chapter
One: An Unexpected Party
In
Chapter one, Tolkien introduces us to Hobbits, and in particular, our
protagonist, Bilbo Baggins. Now Bilbo, who “looked and behaved exactly like a
second edition of his solid and comfortable father, got something a bit queer
in his make-up from the Took side, something that only waited for a chance to
come out.” Chance – otherwise known as the Wizard Gandalf – did indeed show up
at Bilbo’s door one morning, and changed his life forever. Soon after Gandalf made his appearance, a
company of Dwarves came to visit -- under the impression that Bilbo was a
burglar and available to assist them on their quest to retrieve their treasure,
stolen by the evil and deadly dragon, Smaug.
Music
and song is an important part of The
Hobbit, and it is introduced in the very first chapter. When the Dwarf Thorin
played his golden harp, Bilbo “forgot everything else, and was swept away into
dark lands under strange moons, far over The Water and very far from his
hobbit-hole under The Hill”. Of course,
as Bilbo is transported by the music, the reader is transported by the story –
far away from our own little corners of the world.
From
the beginning, the reader learns that there are two sides to Bilbo: his
respectable Hobbit self, and his “Tookish side”. As the dwarves fell into song, Bilbo suddenly
wished to go on an adventure, to see the great mountains and waterfalls, and to
exchange his walking-stick for a sword. Soon after, when Thorin described the
dangerous adventure and warned that they “may never return”, Bilbo shrieked in
fear and had to go lie down to calm himself.
And yet, when he overheard the Dwarves doubting his courage and scoffing
at him as a burglar, “the Took side won” and Bilbo volunteered for the job.
Did
this surprise you? If you were Bilbo, would
you have run off with the Dwarves on this dangerous adventure?
What
did you think of the company of fourteen?
Would you trust Gandalf and the Dwarves if you were Bilbo? Do you think they were all being honest with
each other?
Chapter
Two: Road Mutton
Bilbo’s
“Tookishness” wore off at the end of Chapter One, so when he woke up and
discovered that he was alone, he was quite relieved at first. And then . . . he felt a bit
disappointed. Of course – he had not
been left behind. Gandalf showed him a note – which was more like a contract
for his services as a burglar – and Bilbo hurried off without even time to grab
his hat or walking-stick!
The
journey started “very merrily”, and Bilbo began to feel “that adventures were
not so bad after all.” But as they traveled, the weather turned cold and
dreary. One evening, after they crossed
a swollen river, they noticed that Gandalf was missing. It was too damp to light a fire (and they had
no wizard to help them!) so when they saw a light shining in the distance they
sent the burglar to investigate. Off
Bilbo went, and discovered three trolls sitting around a fire, eating. Instead
of going back to warn the Dwarves, Bilbo’s “Tookish” side won again, and he
decided to pick the trolls pockets, as any good burglar would. Bilbo, who “had read of a good many things he
had never seen or done”, did not know that Troll’s purses “are the mischief”
and this one squeaked out: “’Ere, ‘oo are you?”
As
the Trolls fought about what to do with Bilbo, the Dwarves came to see what
happened to him, and they were all caught, while Bilbo – who the Trolls had forgotten
about -- hid in a bush. As the Trolls argued about how to best kill the
Dwarves, Gandalf returned and hid behind a tree, where he imitated a Troll’s
voice to keep the Trolls arguing until the sun rose, and they all were turned
to stone. They discovered the Troll’s cave,
and found food, gold coins and swords. Gandalf and Thorin each took a sword
with jeweled hilts in beautiful scabbards, and Bilbo took a knife.
Where
do you think Gandalf disappeared to when the dwarves were captured by the
trolls? Do you think his explanation
about going up ahead to spy out the road was true?
Chapter
Three: A Short Rest
The
Troll food ran out, and the party began “to feel that danger was not far away
on either side.” At last they came to
the great Misty Mountains, stretching across the horizon. Gandalf lead them to the “Last Homely House”
before they crossed into the Wild – Elrond’s house in the secret valley of
Rivendell – where they met the elves. They stayed fourteen days, and their
stomachs and bags were filled and their plans improved. Elrond told them about the two old swords, which
were made by the High Elves of the West.
He also made a startling discovery -- there were moon letters on the map
of Smaug’s lair! Moon letters are rune
letters that can only be seen when the moon shines behind them – but “it must
be a moon of the same shape and season as the day when they were written.” The
moon letters described the location of the key hole. They left the next day on a beautiful
midsummer’s morning, “with their hearts ready for more adventure . . .”
The
narrator states: “Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have
and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to;
while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a
good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”
What do you think about that?
The
Dwarves think the elves are foolish. What do you think? Do you think these
Dwarves still think that elves are foolish?
Chapter
Four: Over Hill and Under Hill
Adventure
they soon found . . . and not at all the type they were looking for. As a wild
thunderstorm – a “thunder-battle”-- erupted over the mountain, the party
retreated to a seemingly empty cave, and soon they all drifted off to
sleep. Luckily, Bilbo was plagued with
disturbing dreams of a crack in the cave wall – which ended up being true! He
awoke with a start just in time to see their ponies and gear disappear, and
screamed. Out jumped lots of big, ugly goblins, but fortunately his yell woke
Gandalf – and then there was a flash like lightening – and several goblins fell
dead and the crack closed.
Unfortunately, Gandalf was on the other side of the crack, and Bilbo and
the Dwarves were taken prisoner, chained together and brought before the Great
Goblin. When he saw Thorin’s sword –
aptly named Orcrist – the Goblin-cleaver -- he howled in rage, for the sword
had killed hundreds of Goblins, and ordered the prisoners to be beaten, bitten,
slashed, gnashed and finally taken to a hole full of snakes.
Just
then a tower of blue smoke erupted, and a sword flashed and killed the Great
Goblin. It was Gandalf! His sword,
Glamdring (which the Goblins hated even more than Orcrist) cut through the
chains that bound Bilbo and the Dwarves, and they hurried along the dark
passages. But the goblins chased after
them, and since Bilbo could not go half as fast as a Dwarf – they took turns
carrying him. When Dori – who was in the
back carrying Bilbo -- was grabbed, Bilbo rolled off his shoulder into the
darkness, hit his head, and was knocked out.
As
in other parts of the story, the narrator tells the reader what’s about to
happen in this chapter, warning “And that was the last time that they used the
ponies, packages, baggages, tools and paraphernalia . . .” before it
happens. Do you think this lessens, or
increases the suspense?
In
this chapter the Goblins sing a song. Now the reader has heard songs from the
Dwarves, Elves and Goblins. What do we
learn about the different races from their music?
The
narrator tells the reader that goblins are “cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted”,
and further states they may have created “some of the machines that have since
troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers
of people at once . . . but in those days and those wild parts they had not
advanced (as it is called) so far.”
Knowing The Hobbit was first published in 1937, what machines do you
think he is referring to? What do you
think Tolkien’s view was about war?
P. J. Hoover
Erin Cashman
The idea that goblins used to be human, and that they used to be children, has always stuck with me. I'm pretty sure that I first absorbed this piece of goblin lore from George MacDonald's