The Hobbit Essay, Research Paper

The Hobbit

Title: The Hobbit

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Setting: The setting of the story takes place in the lands of Wilderland. It

is through Wilderland that the hobbit and the dwarves travel to retrieve their

lost treasure. As they move on through Wilderland, they encounter different

people and different problems, making it more of an adventure.

Characters:

protagonists:

Bilbo Baggins- he is the main character of story. The tiny hobbit is convinced

by the great wizard Gandalf to undertake a long journey with thirteen dwarves to

help them retrieve their lost treasure. Bilbo, at first, seems to be of no use

to the dwarfs, almost getting them killed by the giant trolls. Eventually he

shows his value to dwarves by saving them numerous times from death and

imprisonment. Thorin- He is the most important dwarf. His father was the king

under the mountain of Lonely Mountain. After the fall of his kingdom, the

treasure that belonged to his father was lost to the evil dragon Smaug. He

leads the other twelve dwarfs in hopes of regaining the treasure and his kingdom.

Gandalf- He is the great wizard who helped organize the adventure. At first he

travels with the dwarves and the hobbit but leaves them because he has other

business to attend to. Beorn- is a large man who can change shapes into other

animals. He lives by himself in large house with animals who he can speak to.

He helps the dwarves and the hobbit after they have escaped from the goblins.

He later joins them in the Battle of the Five Armies to help defeat the goblins

and and the wargs. Bard- He is the man who slays Smaug and becomes the new

master of the town where the men dwell on Long Lake.

antagonists:

the trolls (Bert, Tom, Bill)- they capture the dwarves and Bilbo with the

intention of eating them. They are saved when Gandalf creates confusion between

them (the trolls) allowing the adventurers to escape. Goblins- they also capture

the adventurers but not before Thorin could kill the Great Goblin and then

escape. This caused them to pursue the group and their anger towards them led

to the cause the Battle of the Five Armies. Smaug- He is the evil dragon who

takes over Lonely Mountain and all its gold within it. He is stirred from his

sleep by Bilbo and while trying to destroy the town on the river, he is killed

by Bard.

Exposition: The general situation is revealed by the narrator who tells the

story in the third person. The narrator makes direct comments usually

explaining parts of the story that won’t be made clear until later in the novel.

Maps show the lands in which the group of adventurers is traveling.

Type of Conflict: there is a person vs. person conflict between the dwarves and

Bilbo at the beginning of the story. It is gradually resolved after Bilbo

proves his usefulness to them. There is also a person vs. person struggle

between the adventurers and just about everyone else they encounter in their

travels (trolls, goblins, spiders, and Smaug), including some who would later

become their allies (wood elves, and the men).

Inciting Incident: This occurs after Gandalf introduces the thirteen dwarves to

Bilbo. He convinces Bilbo to undertake a journey with them knowing that Bilbo

will be of much use to them later on in their travels.

Turning Point: After Bilbo escaped from Gollum and the Goblins, the dwarves had

new found respect in Bilbo. They began to listen to his suggestions and follow

his actions. Their respect in him helped Bilbo find worth in himself.

Climax: The climax of the novel comes at the Battle of the Five Armies. Here

the dwarves, wood elves,and men join in fighting against the goblins and their

allies. Resolution:occurs after Thorin dies and and his cousin Dain is crowned

king. All the goblins of the land have mostly vanished and each of the separate

groups live in peace and unity.

Plot Summary: After the inciting incident, the group comes upon three trolls

who capture them but are later turned to stone when Gandalf confuses them,

causing them to stay outside when the sun comes up, turning them into stone.

After seeking refuge in a cave, they are captured by the goblins but escape

after some of the goblins are killed including the Great Goblin. While fleeing

the goblin tunnels, Bilbo is left behind and he meets up with Gollum. This is

where he finds the magic ring and uses it to escape the Goblin tunnels and

Gollum himself. That incident resulted in the turning point of the novel. The

goblins quickly tracked down the travelers and almost killed them but the eagles

had came to their rescue carrying them far from the goblins. They sought refuge

in the house of Beorn where they rested and then replenished their supplies.

While traveling the group was captured by the giant spiders. Bilbo used his

ring to help his friends escape but not before Thorin was captured by the wood

elves. Later the rest of the group (except for Bilbo) was also captured by the

wood elves. He once again used his magic ring to free all the dwarves and

devised a plan to help them escape. Each of the travelers were fitted into a

barrel (except for Bilbo) a floated down the river. There the group was nursed

back to health by the lake men and began the trip to Lonely Mountain to reclaim

the kingdom and the treasure. After they reached there they encountered Smaug.

He would be later slain by Bard when he tried to destroy the town. News of the

treasure reached far and wide and the wood elves and the men went to try to

claim it. This led to a conflict which almost led to battle. Before the

dwarves and the wood elves and men could fight though, the goblins, wargs, and

wolves attacked them. The next incident is the climax which is followed by the

resolution. Bilbo returns home to his hobbit hole after more than a year of

traveling and adventure.

Reaction: I thought that the novel was one of the best novels I’ve ever read.

It was suspenseful yet entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book to

others. The combination of magic, personal triumph, and adventure made it great

to read.