The Hobbit Book Report

By Shaeydyh

Setting:

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien is in an arrangement of a world of imagination of the hobbits, elves, dwarves, men and dragons, however the world is very similar to ours which it has many differences. It takes place in fantastic the imaginary means ground of the world in one moment "a long time ago" where the use of the swords, the axes, and the amour still in an extravagant way of fighting and is still heard of.

Characters:

Characters in the story are the well developed and develop more and more as the story reveals itself. Bilbo Baggins, has the quiet, food-affectionate hobbit smokes soundly out of his pipe when Gandalf the wizard, subtly invites the hobbit to go on an adventure and Bilbo shoos it in addition to saying to him to come for the tea tomorrow (hoping it would not show up). This is where it all starts; an unexpected part of thirteen dwarves and Gandalf, Bilbo is overwhelmed by the end of the day and oversleeps for an appointment he never knew about at the bywater. But when he arrives there he finds them all laid out to leave and ready to take with them!

So that was the beginning of the adventure of Bilbo Baggins. All the time Bilbo wished that he was eating bacon with a singing kettle in the background of his content and cozy hobbit-hole. The remainder of the lot, the dwarves, who were to become irritated of the sound of the hobbit complaining about lack of food and they said things like "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar.” Their thoughts changes mightily after a certain incident where he escapes from an inhabited mine by orcs under a mountain and a magic ring he finds (not that he told them).

But, Thorin, son of Thror, son of Thrain never respected the hobbit much since he was never put to good used, at least until he transformed into a magnificent thief and got the party out of a dew terrible dilemmas one involving giant spiders and the other wood-elves. And then by sneaking into the dragon Smaug’s tunnels and stealing one of his possessions and then talking to the dragon with his magic ring on trying to out-clever him.

Summary:

Bilbo is taken on an unexpected adventure with thirteen dwarves to conquer a dragon named Smaug and take the treasure that’s in the very mountain Smaug lives in. The hobbit is found in a predicament where his company is being held in sacks by trolls who are going to devour them. Fortunately, Gandalf the wizard who had ridden ahead looked behind and saw the trouble his friends were in and outsmarted the troll who turned them into stone when the sun arose. They all then continued onto their way to Rivendell, the divine elf city of Elrond. There they stay and rested up, sing and eat, and soon after they left with stores, ponies and other things they need to continue on the journey.

Further traveling brought them to the misty mountains, of where orcs dwelled in the

Mountains, where they all unknowingly rested on their front porch. In the middle of the night

They are seized by them and taken inside the mines. Bilbo gets separated from them and wanders astray down the tunnels and finds a ring- and then stumbles to a subterranean lake that made the home of Gollum or had been previously known is Sméagol. Gollum challenged Bilbo to a game of riddles and if Bilbo won he would show him the way out of the mines. After tossing around some riddles Bilbo wins and Gollum goes back to get something where he finds out that his ring is missing. Eventually Bilbo finds a way out and loses some buttons. After walking for a bit he is reunited with the dwarves and Gandalf who are arguing whether to go and find Bilbo or not. Then suddenly they are chased and obtained up the trees by wolves or wargs, orcs soon come and set the trees on fire to Bilbo and the dwarf’s distress. They are soon emancipated by giant eagles and taken to a place near by a skin changers home, Beorn, where they are welcomed. Beorn is very kind to the whole company but he disappeared for days. Once their visit was over Beorn lent then his ponies and some food, though they would have to return the ponies at the curb of Mirkwood.

The party trekked through Mirkwood with out the wind on their face, or the light of day. After days of traveling they heard merry music and talking just off the road, but overcome by hunger and thirst they went towards the feasting only for it to disappear when they get to the clearing, but this not only happens once, not twice, but thrice. Subsequently, the hobbit gets separated from the rest, but instead of wandering towards them (of which he cannot see) he lands up wandering further away! But not only that, when he awoke to find out his friends were captured by giant spiders, where only Bilbo is there to recover them from the sticky spider wrappings and then triumph over the spiders. So that Bilbo does, quite bravely too, a little more of what you would expect of a hobbit, of course very granting. As I was saying, the hobbit helped his friends and they realized that Thorin was gone. When they started to search when the rest of the dwarves were captured by wood-elves and accused them of disturbing their “merry making” three times. The dwarves were taken to the elvish dungeons and imprisoned while Bilbo was left behind, for his magical ring was on, therefore they couldn’t have seen the little hobbit following them. Now Bilbo thieved around the king’s halls for food and drink, while also regularly talking to each of the dwarves. Bilbo then figured out a means of escape out of the elf king’s kingdom. Barrels; the elves fill barrels with various things and send them down the forest river to Esgaroth or lake-town on the long lake. On the night of a big feast, Bilbo wearily played out his plans, he got each of the dwarves out of their cells and packed each of them away into barrels and they are pushed into the river by elves.

Finally they arrive at Esgaroth and Bilbo unpacks them, most are in a most very bad mood from being tossed about by the river. They are welcomed by the folk of Lake-town and given food and stores for the rest of the journey to the mountain and are accompanied up the lake in canoes by some of the lake men. The collection of dwarves and the hobbit found a magic door into the mountain, in which they do not know how to open at least not until Bilbo tells Thorin to draw out his key. They then send Mr. Baggins down into the mountain to see about the dragon. Well of course Bilbo was scared, but he bravely ventured down with his magical ring on. He finds the dragon sleeping in a magnificent bedroom filled with piles upon piles of gold and treasure, Bilbo sees a large golden cup and steals it; for what good is a burglar if he doesn’t do a bit of stealing? When Bilbo returns from the suffocating tunnels to the dwarves they praise him greatly for his theft of the cup. Not that it was a good thing; the dragon awoke to find one of his possessions missing, not that he had ever used or even liked the cup, he just still missed it. Smaug decides to take flight out of the mountain and look for who stole his cup. This frightens the group and they take shelter behind the magic door, and when the dragon returns Bilbo had to yet again sneak down and see what he was up to. This is where Bilbo learns not to “laugh at a live dragon,” he tried to confuse him with riddles of his identity by calling himself “clue finder, web cutter, stinging fly, ring winner, luck bearer and barrel-rider.” Bilbo also flattered the dragon by calling him “O Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities and O Smaug the Mighty,” of course it worked but not without Bilbo getting some burned hair on his way out. He then told the Dwarves what Smaug had said and that he knew that he was with dwarves.

They all waited and waited and finally Smaug left his bedroom and took off into the skies but- he smashed the magical doorway that they used to get into the mountain so they were trapped, for about two days to be precise, and were in mighty fear that Smaug had returned soundlessly in the night and was waiting for them, hiding some place illusive. So on they went in fear but very much feared leaving the mountain for the chance existed that he was watching them from the peak. They found a new place to stay it was a watch area about a five hour march from the front entrance. Thorin their leader told them of a precious jewel that he had claimed as his own, the Arkenstone. Bilbo soon feared that Thorin would find out that he was withholding the Arkenstone from him. Later they find out from an old thrush bird that Smaug the dragon is dead, he was killed by the soldier Bard.

Meanwhile the news of Smaug’s death had spread far and wide, drawing many armies to the lonely mountain to claim some of the treasure, orgs, wargs, men, dwarves and elves. Bilbo now didn’t want anything terrible to happen so one night while he was on guard duty he snuck down into the camp of the lake-men and gave them the Arkenstone to help them with their parley with Thorin and then returned to the mountain. The next day, twenty men from the lake come and parley with Thorin and showed him “his” Arkenstone and then left. When he inquired to know who gave them the stone Bilbo squeaked “me” and was nearly thrown down onto the rocks, when Gandalf took his hood off and revealed himself and told Thorin to let Bilbo go for he had brought him so Thorin should not damage him. Gandalf and the lake men took Bilbo with them to their camp with them. The next day, Dain, Thorin’s cousin arrived with an army of five hundred grim and very strong dwarves. Soon a war began, the orcs fled, and so did the wargs. The magnificent eagles flew over and Beorn the skin changer came also. Bilbo then awoke on the top of raven hill with his ring on, but alive and well. The he is found by a man who was sent for him they take him to a dying Thorin who repented his unkindly words to Bilbo, where he learns that Fili and Kili when perished. So there he was accompanied home by the Elven King to the edge of Mirkwood, then by Gandalf and Beorn around to his home and then by Gandalf for the completion of the journey. When Bilbo’s long anticipated arrival at bag-end becomes real, his showing up is a mighty surprise for they had held an auction and had sold most of his possessions to other hobbits. Bilbo had to buy back most of his own things but finally he got to sit in an armchair with a singing kettle above the hearth.

Four quarter points:

The hobbit was one of the best books that I have read, with magnificent and grand descriptions of places, similes and personalities. Tolkien had created an imaginary world for people of all ages to enjoy. The story includes peril and adventure, the brilliant dialogue also fits perfectly with every page. I found that I can enjoy the book with each chapter where something is always happening, and I also find that I miss the book when I finish reading it. I tried suggesting it to my mum but she has been making up excuses, though everybody I know who had read this book has loved it. I myself am much exited for the movie The Hobbit to be made by Peter Jackson soon and I will definitely be there on opening night.

Fin.