A SHORT ANALYSIS OF “THE HOBBIT”
The earth has everything for all human needs, but nothing for his greed.
MAHATAMA GHANDHI
Just finished reading a master piece of English literature by J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”. While reading it, a peculiar feeling arouse in me about the plot of novel and its characters. Depicted it as third world people, Tolkien’s shows human wickedness and greedy nature. The whole novel revolve around the concept of “mine”, possession of worldly wealth that ends in chaos, terror and death of many characters. “The battle of five armies” echoes the two great war of our world, which also ended in only loss of many innocent lives and their loved one. I feel that through this novel Tolkien wants to stir us, on our nefarious attitude towards wealth. Humans are diabolic in nature always tempted towards evil things which ends in woes.
The whole novel revolves around the claim of “mine”, which Rousseau, a French philosopher considers the root of all evil. “The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying This is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows, “Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody.” The treasure in the novel is the root of all evil, it will be right if I say in this way “A NOVEL, CONVOLUTED IN CUPIDITY”.
The dragon, shows a character of monarch, who has snatched all the wealth of common man and hold it with his power, even when he himself don’t use I, as the narrator says “Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth,” but also refrain others, who need it. He is the embodiment that shows human greedy nature. Although he had stolen and store the gold from the drawers but he considers it as his own and feels there are thieves who wants to steal from him. He slept on gold for many years and yet his hunger for wealth has not ended. For gold he brought miseries to the dwarfs and the people of Lake Town and established many enemies, his envy and pride of power brought his end. Here the narrator again mention the word “long possession” of gold and wealth has exacerbated his greed as ‘Smaug was no exception”. The revenge of Thorin, disturb him, but the main point that is worth mentioned here is that he shows his grudge on common people who has done nothing. It symbolizes that not a ruler or king but common people are victim of such incidences. Where there is chaos or terror, powerful people save themselves by taking refuge in strong castle, but common people are left to be burn and die. Bard, is the savior with young spirit and worrier nature, who knows how to act in time of danger and save its people. He is the wise man who know how to deal in such situations. The king, is the politicians who always find a way to blame others for their own faults.
Thorin Oakenshield, human nature, corrupt but regret at the end. Thorin calls the gold as belong to him and his people, without remembering all the good things and help the people of the Lake Town offered them when they were in need . Like smaug he call Bard “ we look at you as foes and thieves”. The people of lake was in need of help at that time but Thorin refuse to do so, why? Because of the claim of “possession and the idea of belonging” the wealth as his. “Arkenstone”, as he says, that stone belong to my father and continuously calls barn a thief. Then, therein fall in this trap with the claim of his own, denying to give any of his share of to the people of village, despite their good gesture towards him. After the turmoil of bloodshed, upheavals and chaos on his dead bed he regrets and says “if more of value food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world”
Bilbo is shown as naïve and innocent with not much interested in wealth and power. His appearance also demonstrate that trait, with small statue, a hobbit, who love to live near nature, in loneliness without the wick. His pure and innocent nature, recognized by Gandalf, offers him to travel with dwarfs, in their secret mission to stand against the giant dragon. Throughout their journey, he come out as a lucky start, with heroic nature, who knows how to get out his friends out of danger. He speaks little but observe everything that give more knowledge during their journey. He show a nature of hero and peace loving that can do everything to bring peace and harmony. His confrontation with the dragon and Gollam give him the opportunity to demonstrate his true hero and courageous nature that he holds for a long, without knowledge. Despite all his qualities, Bilbo Baggin could not stay away from the harmful effect of wealth “possession”, although minor and unnoticeable. When he steals The Ring from Gollam and get himself out of the Dark, he do not reveal it to the dwarves “make him a liar”. A second reason may be that he fears, dwarves may take it from him and out of fear he conceal it from them. This shows the evil effect of “the Ring” as he wants to own it. After confrontation with the Smaug, when Bilbo got “Arkenstone”, he again keep it as secret, for the second time “wealth” leaves its effect on our protagonist. But, in both cases he help himself to come out of its effect and succeeded, a quality which Gandalf recognizes and value him from the beginning.
Gollam, an extreme of madness, his famous dialogue, “my precious” needs no explanation. He, who lives in dark world with his “precious” without any need of man or friends, holds only a gold ring which allows him to dodge and kill other people. Many character in novel are either end in madness or get killed for wealth. Ring a source of hoodwink in the whole novel. Many are killed in the defense of it, and in the greed to take possession of it.
