Chapter after chapter, I couldn't help but notice that greed is the central them of The Hobbit. Nearly all of the key decisions made by the characters are done out of selfishness. One might suspect that this behavior would be eradicated near the end, signifying an underlying moral to the story, yet the characters rely on greed up until the last words of the novel. It makes me wonder if Tolkien created the characters this way as a reflection on his personal outlook on humanity.
At first, the selfish acts are mostly made due to hunger or thirst. During the beginning of their adventure, the dwarves often get themselves into trouble as a result of snooping around for food where they shouldn't, such as the first encounter with the goblins. This greed escalates to a point where the dwarves put each other's lives at risk in order to obtain treasure. ""You! You!" cried Thorin, turning upon him and grasping him with both hands. "You miserable hobbit! You undersized burglar!" he shouted at a loss for words, and he shook poor Bilbo like a rabbit. "By the beard of Durin! I wish I had Gandalf here! Curse him for his choice of you! May his beard wither! As for you I will throw you to the rocks!" he cried and lifted Bilbo in his arms" (Tolkien 254).After overcoming goblins and spider and dragons, the dwarves still feel no compassion when there is treasure in it for them.
Are we as a society much like the dwarves? Is material gain at the forefront of our minds, more important than the desires of others? In my opinion, this is the dogma of Tolkien. It may be a rash analysis, but the prominence of greed and selfish infatuation is too strong in The Hobbit to be ignored. A further examination of the life of Tolkien may provide evidence of why such a striking theme is presented throughout. The Hobbit was first published in 1937, meaning it was written during the years shortly before. Surely Tolkien would have been exposed to the consumerism and greed of the 1920s, so perhaps the societal greed is what inspired Tolkien to create such selfish characters.
Regardless of the history, The Hobbit is a story rooted in greed, with the dwarves lusting over treasure and Bilbo overcoming it.
-Dylan & Samuel, BFFs
hahah do i even need to say what i think? im pretty sure we all know what i would say about this post
ReplyDeleteshut up i worked hard!! why are you even red-raid-READING my blog HUH?! clearly you are just hear to b-be a je-be a jel-A JERK!! how bout you try writing a reading response!! its not very easy and it hurts my feelings when you and bilbo jsut make fun of me ok
ReplyDeletehey guys take a deep breath. We never meant to hurt your feelings. Tolkien and I just want to entirely reduce your writing credibility to such a small amount that even speaking will result in torment and pain :)
ReplyDeletesticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.
ReplyDeleteyou sure about that? *leans in closer*
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ReplyDeleteYour blog sucks.
ReplyDelete*sobs uncontrollably*
ReplyDeleteYou started strong and I was hopeful about the development of this reflection. Did you do any research on Tolkien to see how close you were in your assessment of his take on humanity?
ReplyDeleteYour second paragraph is merely identifying the evidence that there is greed in the novel.
Your third paragraph asks a few questions that had you answered fully would have indicated that you had actually thought deeply about the significance of the theme you identified in the opening. Alas, you didn't go there - not fully at least.