The Plot In J.R.R. Tolkien

’s The Hobbit Essay, Research Paper

The plot in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a captivating tale about unusual creatures, great

struggles, a flying dragon, and much, much more. The story comes alive through colorful

depictions of characters and details that capture the imagination. The plot of this novel is the

dwarves’ journey to recapture their homeland. The setting, characters, and trials throughout The

Hobbit help to fully shape this overall theme of the novel.

Throughout The Hobbit the setting is constantly changing from start to finish. There are

six different stages through which the setting evolves. The first stage takes place at the home of

Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo lives in something called a hobbit hole. These homes may look small

from the outside, but are fairly large inside. Hobbit holes are made in the side of small hills. As

Tolkien describes, “It had a perfectly round door . . . the door opened on to a tube-shaped hall

like a tunnel . . . ” (1). Down the main hall in the hobbit house are all the same rooms that a

regular home would contain. Some of the rooms in Bilbo’s home include, “ . . . bedrooms,

bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes),

kitchens, dinning rooms . . . ” (Tolkien 1). Besides just food and clothes, hobbits love gardens.

Bilbo has gardens surrounding the front and side of his house, which are tended to every day.

After traveling through Bilbo’s house the setting turns toward the Misty Mountains. The Misty

Mountains are an extensive stretch of mountains that serve as a border between Bilbo’s home and the forest of Mirkwood. The Misty Mountains is nothing to joke about. Gandalf says, “ . . .it is very necessary to tackle the Misty Mountains by the proper path, or else you will get lost inthem, and have to come back and start at the beginning again ( if you ever get back at all).”(Tolkien 46). Once the Misty Mountains have been tackled, the setting continues on to Beorn’s

house, who Gandalf states, “ . . . lives in an oak-wood and has a great wooden house . . . ”Tolkien 115). The area around Beorn’s home is decorated with beautiful flowers covered byfriendly bees. Horses and cattle are just a few of the animals that walk in his spacious yard. Upon reaching the gate to enter Beorn’s yard there is gardens and a cluster of wooden buildings. The buildings range from “ . . . barns, stables, sheds, and a long low wooden house.” (Tolkien

117). The last building is Beorn’s house, which is mainly one wide hall with a veranda on itssouthern side. Then the setting changes coarse once again and heads toward Mirkwood. Notmany people know of Mirkwood, but those who do know that, “ . . . Mirkwood is dark,dangerous, and difficult.” (Tolkien 131). The only way to ensure survival through the forest is to

stay on the path. Mirkwood is very dark and gloomy. Almost no light passes through the thickmass of trees that make up the forest. Here, at night all the inhabitants come to life. The main path through Mirkwood is a basic dirt path and is the only place in the woods free of the terrible giant spiders and other frightening inhabitants of the forest. Once out of Mirkwood forest and up a river, there is a town called Esgaroth. This town is located on a body of water called Long Lake. Long Lake is one of the longest lakes in its region and is used to import and export goods to and from Esgaroth. The town of Esgaroth is not only built on the land beside the lake, but is

also built out over the lake. Tolkien says, “It was not built on the shore, though there were a few huts and buildings there, but right out on the surface of the lake . . . ” (190). The lake is protected from the current of the river that flows into the lake “ . . . by a promontory of rock which formed a calm bay.” (Tolkien 190). Esgaroth has deteriorated some over the years because of the dragon which has made his home in the Lonely Mountains nearby. The Lonely Mountains is the final setting of our story. The land laid out before the Lonely Mountains is very

desolate. There are no trees or bushes and little grass. All of the animals and men that lived here have left the area for fear of the dragon. Into the entrance of the mountain flows the river from Long Lake. Inside the great mountain are many great rooms made by dwarves of old. Among many grand rooms there are a great feasting and a council hall and another that houses all the gold and treasures the dragon has collected over the years. The setting of The Hobbit laid down the foundation for the story. Traveling through these settings, the colorful characters bring

the story to life.

There are six major characters through The Hobbit and each one play a crucial role. The most important of these characters is Gandalf. Gandalf is described as, “ . . . an old man with a staff. He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which a white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots.” (Tolkien 4). Gandalf may not look like much, but he is a very powerful wizard. Throughout the story he helps to save himself and his friends from danger and sudden death. Even though he is very helpful, he can also be “ . . .

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