The Hobbit
Strange enough, but it is true that my illness finally allowed me to sit down and finish the Hobbit, the prologue of the Lord of the Ring. As my friend suggested, it is a fascinating adventure story, full of suspense and bewitchment. The plot went on like a spell, to the extent that it almost became my obligation to finish it. Nothing else but the gold- hunting exploration was able to suffice my imagination and appetite.
To say that J.R. R. Tolkien is a grand writer is no exaggeration. Long before I
knew him, I had watched the series of films, Lord of the Rings. I couldn’t believe at a moment one might contrive such a grand world of adventure ALONE. I was
almost thinking that the films mush have added much more to audiences’ appeal.
But I was wrong. It is true that the books and the films have some similarities,
but mostly you may find out each owned their own style and grandness. It is hence no much difference whether you read the books or watch the films first. Theyare of equal excellence.
But forget about the whole series, and just have a look at the Hobbit right now.
In this book, the hobbit and fourteen dwarfs was the pivot of the adventure. Gandalf led Bilbo, the hobbit, to the journey of perilous adventure as a start. And it turned out Bilbo was fully up to his recommendation and admiration. Bilbo might at first seem ordinary and not much useful, but as the adventure went on, he became more and more vigilant and helpful. In the end by his deeds he literally replaced Thorin, who was the leader of dwarfs, to become the one who had the capability to resort to.
It was surprising to see how well-round and repectable the character of the hobbit became as the journey went on--from one who lingered upon the comfort and ease at home and grumbled about the hardship of the adventure, to the one willing to stand up voluntarily whenever need be and dare to dare the evil environment and opponents along the way. He might be docile at the beginning, but he definitely became fearless later as he had to. Trudging among the mountains, dells, and dales, he was always the one who kept alert and of help the most.
But the part he appeared different the most from those dwarfs was his calmness
and easiness toward gold and treasure. When they finally arrived at the mountain
where the hoard of gold was in, and when they walked into the hoard after the dragon died, the hobbit was the only one who appeared indifferent to those sparkling treasures. In contrast, every dwarf became blind and mad with the literally
piles and piles of glittering treasures.The leader Thorin was so greedy to the extent that later he grudged everyone who came near to the hoard, and lost his mind just as much as the dragon, the once owner of those priceless treasures.
It was a shame to see how readily treasure could mislead those dwarfs. But on the other hand, for that it appeared more the nobleness and selflessness of the hobbit. His integrity, frankness, and lightness toward earthly treasures earnedhim a disreputable reputation and applause. The tortuous plot didn’t weaken his
role in any way, but set up a perfect platform for him to present his inner precious attributions. Hence even for solely his sake, I reckon the book is worthwhile to read. After all, in this mundane world it is really not that common to see people of this kind any more.
