The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 

The book is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was originally published in 1937 by Allen and Unwin. It was first published in America in 1938 by Houghton Mifflin. I read the 2020 Harper Collins Hardcover edition with illustrations by Alan Lee. I read it in October of 2023 

The title refers to the main character Bilbo Baggins, who is a hobbit.  

This is a reread for me. I first read The Hobbit when the movies came out in 2001. I remember being at the theater and seeing a trailer for The Fellowship of the Ring. I thought it looked cool but I had no idea what it was.  

Then all the dads at my church started talking about the trailer and getting excited for a Lord of the Rings movie coming out. They told me they read the books when they were kids.  

I was a veracious reader as a kid and loved any series books. They told me to read the Hobbit first, so I did. I can’t remember if I first read a library copy or if someone bought it for me. It was a copy from a box set with LOTR that came in the 90s. Anyway, I read it and Lord of the Rings and loved it. I haven’t read it since.  

I rarely ever reread books but recently bought the 2020 UK hardcover set with LOTR. It usually sells for at least $100. I got it brand new for $35 from some foolish chola on Facebook marketplace.  

I haven’t read LOTR since the movies came out. It’s time for a reread, especially with this beautiful slipcase edition, with illustrations by Allen Lee. Plus, I had to get the bad taste of Red Rising out of my mouth.  

The Hobbit may be the perfect book. It’s so classical in its simplicity. Tolkien is writing about adventure and danger and bravery. He’s saying that it’s good for us to break our comfort zones and go on adventures sometimes. This is something I definitely need to hear.  

My life is very hobbitish. I hate surprises or anything unexpected. But I know it would do me good to put the books down and be adventurous.  

My main takeaway from The Hobbit is that challenging yourself is a way of learning about yourself. Wisdom, fortune, and glory are out there to be found. Your safety is not guaranteed.  

There was a high chance Bilbo would die but he went anyway. And he wasn’t forced. He chose to go. That’s important because this adventure isn’t thrust upon him, it’s not something that is happening to him. He’s not reacting to a crisis, he was asked, and he agreed.  

I tend to avoid voluntarily leaving my comfort zone because I always expect an uncomfortable crisis is right around the next corner. So I don’t have to go looking for adventure, they tend to barge in my front door.  

To some extent that is what happens with Bilbo when a wizard and 13 dwarves show up for an unexpected party.  

But he’s still given a choice. And so are we when chaos knocks down our front door. It doesn’t feel like it, but we do still have a choice. We can either roll over and let the problem get worse or confront it head on.  

I also love the character of Gollum. The moral tension when Bilbo inadvertently tricks Gollum is such good storytelling. Did Bilbo really cheat Gollum? Did he steal from him to save his life? Does that make it okay?  

Or does this show the inherent corruption that surrounds the ring. “It wants to be found.” Was this the ring working its own way out of the clutches of Gollum? These unanswered questions make it a perfect story.  

Unfortunately reading the book made me think about the movie in style and aesthetic but only slightly. The book is so different. It’s more down to earth and simple.  

The tone and tenor is more suspense and impactful rather than the CGI spectacle of the movie. The difference between a steak and McDonalds.  

I forgot how quickly the dragon was killed. And after that the problems were still not over.  

The dwarves names got confusing. I couldn’t always place all of them. They are just a backdrop for Bilbo’s story.  

The contrast between good and evil is clear. And yet there is still conflict in the characters, especially Thorin.  

Tolkien is a master at placing you in the setting and feeling of the environment at different points in the story. You can feel the homeliness of the Shire, the coldness of the rain, the darkness of Gollum’s cave, and the gold of Lonely Mountain. It all has a feeling. Tolkien takes his time with these settings.  

Heroes to emulate of course are Bilbo and Thorin. They’re very different characters. They have different arcs. Bilbo starts timid and afraid and grows more brave.  

Thorin starts very courageous and determined. But then falters in the paranoia and distrust that comes with legacy and responsibility. Though he’s redeemed in the end. 

Not sure if there are any real enemies, besides the goblins. Is Gollum a villain or a victim? It’s not certain. The elf king is kind of a prick. There are layers to everyone.  

I’d recommend this to all fathers to read to their children. I plan to. If you’ve read it in school it’s worth a reread. It might be the perfect book. Everyone should read it.  

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Notable Quotables 

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Even the good plans of wise wizards like Gandalf and of good friends like Elrond go astray sometimes when you are off on dangerous adventures over the Edge of the Wild, (p61) 

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There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something (or so Thorin said to the young dwarves). You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after. (p62) 

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Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath. (p158) 

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“Well, are you alive or are you dead?” asked Bilbo quite crossly. 

“Are you still in prison, or are you free? If you want food, and if you want to go on with this silly adventure it’s yours after all and not mine you had better slap your arms and rub your legs and try and help me get the others out while there is a chance!” (p194-196) 

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“Come, come!” he said. “While there’s life there’s hope!’ as my father used to say, and Third time pays for all.’ I am going down the tunnel once again. I have been that way twice, when I knew there was a dragon at the other end, so I will risk a third visit when I am no longer sure. Anyway the only way out is down. And I think this time you had better all come with me.” (p235-236) 

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In any case he felt that the adventure was, properly speaking, over with the death of the dragon in which he was much mistaken and he would have given most of his share of the profits for the peaceful winding up of these affairs. (p261)