"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing
and saying things altogether unexpected..."
I have somewhat cherished the musings of Mr. Tolkien as I read his books growing up throughout high school. I remember fondly, of cracking open "The Lord of the Rings" without knowing exactly what I was getting into. The detail and ferocity of those books is uncanny and no author will ever match to the fervour Tolkien had made for Middle Earth. There is such detail in his descriptions and of how the middle earth came to be that you would swear you are reading a history book. There was always a sense of cynicism as well in his books, whenever there was complete darkness and fear, he always had a sense of hope in his characters and stories. "The Hobbit" is no different but it has a certain charm in which the trilogy does not encompass. It is actually what separates "The Hobbit" from it's eventual sequels and makes it so special and some might even say it makes it a good read for children.
The story is much simpler then the following trilogy. It is about a very content hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who loves living in his little hobbit hole. He also enjoys making tea and baking bread. The world Tolkien creates around him is so nice and peaceful, I wished that I could visit the shire one day, a place of complete peace and separation from the musings of the world, which just like in our world, in which are usually negative or saddening. The hobbits of the shire actually take pride in the fact they do not care about how the world is operating around them, but that world always seems to find them. It's almost as if Tolkien made himself a paradise that he wished he had, as he wrote these books in the middle of the great depression and eventually the rise of Hitler's third reich. A pack of dwarves seem to invite themselves over to Bilbo's little hole, barging in and eating his food, but of course Gandalf (the great wizard) did warn him. So this is where Bilbo's epic journey begins and really it's not even Bilbo's journey at all, the dwarves want to steal a hoard of gold back from an evil dragon named Smaug. They want Bilbo because he's small and because Gandalf mentioned he was a good burglar. The story in itself is almost a comedy. It's funny because the reason for the quest really isn't a good reason at all, but the dwarves long have wanted this gold, so the adventure begins.
They come upon trolls, elves, giant spiders, a man that turns into a bear, a creepy old forest filled with cheeky wood-elves, and of course a giant, selfish dragon named Smaug. This adventure has enough fantasy and awesome characters to fill the hopes of anyone who have read any great fantasy epic lately. What this book has in it that the rest of the trilogy really doesn't have all that much is comedy. The pages of "The Hobbit" are filled to the brim with laugh out loud comedy. Hearing the thoughts of Bilbo and is cheeky, almost sarcastic remarks are hilarious. It brings the dark and depressing situations up to a certain light that would not frighten kids as much. This also makes "The Hobbit" a gentle and easy read. There is only one major character to follow, also one major quest to worry about, there are no side quests or characters who are in different parts of the land here, we follow Bilbo and only Bilbo. The Trilogy can be hard to read because of the character jumping and such, but there is none of that in this prequel. But that does not mean the detail and description is any less here. This story takes place when the most of middle earth is cheerful and full of peace. Sauron has not tried to take over the world yet so there isn't a doom and gloom lingering around. This makes "The Hobbit" have a much lighter and pleasant mood and thus, makes the humour all the more effective.
Smaug is one of my favourite characters of this book. Tolkien gives a rather detailed and epic insight to the race of dragons and why they do what they do. It's very fascinating, the way he describes their ways and attitudes, one would think that he did an actually study on real dragons somewhere in the world. He could've written book just on Smaug and I would've loved it. Because of this, the moment when Bilbo talks to Smaug is my favourite part of the book, it's funny and amusing as they only speak in riddles. It really made me smile and it reminded me of why I love to read fantasy books.
Finally the ending really surprised me. It's so unpredictable, it's all pointing in one direction the whole story then, WHAM! there is a huge surprise turnaround at the end and it also carries the meat of what the book is really about. Tolkien is commenting on the greed of the land and what gold and treasure can do to people - especially dragons. It's a beautiful picture and commentary on the riches in our lives and the importance we put on stuff. I really loved the ending of the book, it's one of those moments that really shows Tolkien's romantic side.
Overall, "The Hobbit" is an amazing read. It's easy, light, pleasant and humorous. It also carries an epic journey that leads this pack of misfit races into uncertain situations. Also, Tolkien's middle earth really comes to life here and the historical aspects of the book are so fascinating and enjoyable. The detail he puts into this world is breathtaking, this book is pure art, and it has reminded me again of why I love reading. I definitely recommend taking the time to escape into middle earth with Bilbo, and after you do, past it down to your children.
No comments:
Post a Comment