A Working Thesis

As a university English and Literature professor, J.R.R. Tolkien was not a stranger to stories of fantasy. He is an example of good writer who was first a good reader. Tolkien used his life experiences, such as being in WWI, and what he studied in school, to create the world of Middle Earth. This then lead to the impact of his story today. Now audiences form all over the world can enjoy some of his books now as cinematic motion pictures. Many critics claim that Tolkien used ideas from his religion as allegories and symbols for his stories. But Tolkien never admitted to these claims. I think his intentions of this were because he didn’t want to limit his stories to be enjoyed just by those who shared the same religious views as his, but for anyone.

Behind the story that he wrote for his children, “The Hobbit” has messages of great value, not just for children, but for people of all ages.  The book hasn’t only gained a great amount of influences for the people who read the book when it was first published, but also for generations after Tolkien’s death. I’m 19, and I still aspire to be the beloved hobbit, and to find what he has that makes him who he is. His child-like heart is one that overcomes his fears in an unexpected journey to a lonely mountain. I remember sitting in the theater at “The Hobbit” midnight premiere along with MANY other hobbit fanatics and thinking, ”Dang, I’m not the only one.” People today (mainly my age) do want to hear messages that will help us have/live a better life.  

I once heard someone say, “Disney movies today are made for kids, but Disney’s movies made during his life time were made for the child inside all of us.”  Today my generation often confuses having the heart of a child with immaturity. We’re having trouble balancing growing up and staying true to ourselves. That’s why I believe people are so drawn to Tolkien’s story even 75 years after he published it. Bilbo faces his greatest fears, and still keeps his simple compassion towards life.

A Commentary on “10 reasons we still love that 'Hobbit'”

After reading an article published by USA Today and written by Deirdre Donahue. I found it very relatable to my interests and feelings about my passion, “The Hobbit”.  This source tells the top ten reasons why people still have a great fascination for this little half-ling (Bilbo), which are exactly the things I want to discover. I found Donahue’s article when I was looking up ‘Hobbit’ newspaper articles in my school’s library search system. I like this article because the author made some ready valid points about the story and I glad someone finally pointed them all out in this modern day society. For example: her sixth reason is called “friends with no benefits”. Here Donahue points out that, “For modern readers living in a sex-saturated society, The Hobbit is the asexual pause that refreshes.”  I can completely agree with that statement because “The Hobbit” is just a simple coming of age story without any means of relationship beyond friends. Today everyone’s attitude is that you must be romantically involved with someone (or something) or there’s something wrong with you. Yet, here is Bilbo Baggins, a lifetime bachelor who lives a full and complete single life in Tolkien’s stories.

In Donahue’s third reason she adds the morality side of the book. I like how she mentions that Tolkien doesn’t point fingers, but instead shows moral messages by example. She even gives an important quote from the book.  Thorin says to Bilbo, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." Bilbo has the heart of a child, which makes him a good example of what should really be cherished in this world and it’s at the end of his life that Thorin realizes this. The only thing I would say that I don’t like about this article is that at one point Donahue compared the story to J.K. Rolling’s Harry Potter. If it has anything in common with “The Hobbit” (which I don’t believe it does) it would have been ideas taken, or inspired, by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Besides that I think that this is a great article, and suggest that ‘Hobbit’ fans everywhere should read it.