By JD Fitzpatrick
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a fantasy novel that encapsulates the medievalist mythical experience. The story follows a middle-aged hobbit named Bilbo Baggins as a group of dwarves recruits him to help reclaim their land, inhabited by a dragon named Smaug for generations. Middle Earth, the world in which the novel takes place, is an attempt by Tolkien to recreate the culture and ideas of Medieval Europe within an imaginary time. He creates new species, new languages, and new cultures, all based on his studies of the histories of Germanic, Scandinavian, and Celtic cultures. Although his influence is primarily historical, there is much personal influence on Middle Earth, drawing from Tolkien’s own life, specifically his experiences with and opinions on the World Wars. Tolkien uses the progression of Bilbo’s character from the beginning of his journey to his return home in The Shire to show how war can affect a person. Looking further into Tolkien’s life – letters to his sons – we can further understand his philosophy on life after war and, consequently, his perspectives on the ambivalence of the human condition.
A large focus of scholarly analyses of Tolkien’s canon is Tolkien’s studies as a medievalist. Tolkien devoted his entire life to Medieval linguistic and historical studies, and this influence is palpable within all of his Middle-earth literature. However, scholars very often choose to focus on the themes of racism that seemingly appear in his work as a result of this medievalism. For example, in her chapter “Middle-earth, the Middle Ages, and the Aryan Nation” from Tolkien the Medievalist, Christine Chism, a Medieval literature professor at UCLA, confronts Tolkien’s own personal and racial bias that appears in his later series The Lord of the Rings. Chism argues that Tolkien recognizes the dangers of mythological worldbuilding, including the Middle Earth he created because he witnessed the faults of it firsthand by the Nazis and their appropriation of Germanic medieval ideas. She believes “he came to scrutinize his own world-crafting enterprise because he had before him a parallel spectacle of world-creation gone wrong – in Nationalist Socialist Germany” (Chism 63). This idea of Tolkien’s disdain for Nazi appropriation of the medieval period is further supported by his letters to his sons Michael and Christopher, especially from during the Second World War. Chism’s argument focuses on “historicizing” The Lord of the Rings within the context of World War II but glosses over the influence of Tolkien’s life experiences. Although her analysis is of The Lord of the Rings, she indirectly addresses The Hobbit by discussing the flaws of the world-building in which both books take place.
Janet Brennan Croft is a Tolkien scholar and author who believes that Tolkien’s own experiences in World War I influenced his work. In her article, “The Great War and Tolkien’s Memory: An Examination of World War I Themes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings,” Croft examines how the themes explored by writers from World War I are extremely similar to those explored in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels. She believes that Tolkien’s own experiences of the war influenced his work, despite his saying otherwise. Croft says that “The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are by no means allegories of that or any other war, yet the impact of the Great War is evident” (Croft 4). I agree with Croft’s view of Tolkien’s novels not being allegories of the war. Still, by focusing more closely on The Hobbit itself, a novel published two years before World War II, it is easier to see how the war influenced Tolkien’s work and what it tells us about him and his beliefs about the ambivalence of the human condition.
In some ways, the publication date of the novel means that The Hobbit could be read as a memoir, but to read it overtly as a memoir is to go too far because of Tolkien’s consistent objection to questioning and criticism that attempted to make this connection. Tolkien outright disputes that “either war had any influence upon either the plot or the manner of [The Lord of the Rings] unfolding,” in a letter to Professor L.W. Forster (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 303). While I do not believe that The Hobbit is an allegory for Tolkien’s experiences in war, I do believe that the experiences of war affected Tolkien, and so it affected what he wrote. The majority of Tolkien’s popular works are about war, so it is almost impossible that his philosophies about war and the human condition are not reflected in his work in some way. Those philosophies are very visible within The Hobbit, especially through the vehicle of Bilbo.
The Hobbit opens by focusing on a traditional hobbit hole located in the Shire and the hobbit, Bilbo, living in the said hole. Bilbo is described as a “well-to-do” Hobbit, and we get a summary of his family background, the Bagginses from his paternal side and the Tooks from his maternal side. Tolkien uses the differences between Bilbo’s paternal and maternal lineages to show ambivalence — the differences and conflicts within Bilbo’s character — which make him especially sensitive to the effects of war. The Bagginses are described as being viewed by their community as respectable, rich, and transparent, although predictable and reclusive. Bilbo has a strong status within The Shire, and he tends to be set in his ways, sticking to the Hobbit traditions of scheduled meals, tea, and tobacco. He strays away from change and new adventures, becoming uncomfortable at the very proposal of an adventure from a grey-cloaked wizard named Gandalf because he is, after all, a Baggins. The Bagginses are more solitary and domestic whereas the Tooks are more of an adventurous and courageous clan. Tolkien details a specific family member from the Took side, his great-grand-uncle named Bullroarer, “who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse” (The Hobbit 17). Further, Bullroarer “charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit-hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment” (17). Bilbo’s Tookishness and resemblance to Bullroarer creeps out at times even in the novel’s beginning, as Thorin, the King of the Dwarves of Moira, Gandalf, and the other dwarves explain and propose their journey. Bilbo has an urge to adventure like Bullroarer, despite his refusal to do so. He fantasizes about seeing mountains, walking through forests, exploring caves, and using a sword. The journey is intriguing and alluring to him, but he still resists. The novel says, “He shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, Under-Hill, again” (15). He succeeds in his plan the next morning of over-sleeping past the dwarves trying to convince him to join their expedition. He is relieved that he is free of the clan of dwarves, but the Tookish part of him becomes disappointed. Finally, Gandalf rushes back into Bilbo’s hobbit hole to recover him for the journey. Bilbo is baffled at first, but no sooner than his conflict-averse Baggins side can object, the adventurous Tookish side takes over, and he promptly joins the dwarves.
In a letter to his son, Michael, who was serving in the English military during World War II, Tolkien speaks about the advantages of English culture in preventing involvement in conflict. Tolkien cites “sloth” as the English advantage, calling it a vice but comparing it to a virtue. He writes to his son, “And it is to sloth, as much or as more than to natural virtue, that we owe our escape from the oven violences of other countries. In the fierce modern world, indeed, sloth does begin almost to look like a virtue. But it is rather terrifying to see so much of it about, when we are grappling with the Furor Teuntonicus” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 55). Tolkien believes that sloth, or resistance to a call, is advantageous to avoid international violence. This virtue of sloth is emphasized by Bilbo’s resistance to his call to join the adventure. He finds comfort in his safe life working in his garden and does not wish to interfere in conflicts beyond his believed capabilities. But just as England had to “grapple with the Furor Teutonicus,” Bilbo joins the dwarves on their adventure. Indeed, we see Bilbo’s inevitable resistance to sloth. Simple things distract him from his natural unwillingness to join the adventure, such as a mention of a map. The novel says that when Gandalf shows Thorin a map, “Bilbo get[s] excited and interested again, so that he forget[s] to keep his mouth shut” (The Hobbit 19). Although Bilbo is conflict-averse, the novel says that “he loved maps, and in his hall there hung a large one of the Country Round with all his favorite walks marked on it in red ink” (19). Despite his firm need to resist the invitation and adventure, Bilbo is always looking for reasons to join the dwarves on their journey and finds it in his passion for maps. This conflict is present in the letter Tolkien writes to his son Michael as well. In that letter, Tolkien discusses the resentment he holds towards Hitler and the German government during World War II because they are “ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making forever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which [he has] ever loved, and tried to present in its true light” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 55-56). He particularly holds disdain for the Germans as they disrespect and misrepresent the greatest influences on his life’s work. This disdain alone is enough to make him break his philosophy of passivity as he says “[T]his War… would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22” (55). There is a part of Tolkien that does believe there is a time and place for conflict, and for him, it is the “perverting” of the “‘Germanic’ ideal” by “that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler” (55). As such, it makes sense that Bilbo has an urge to join the journey despite his initial resistance. Bilbo reflects Tolkien’s urge to fight, as Bilbo is allured by adventure and something as simple as his passion for maps. Bilbo does not join for any deeper philosophical meaning, but he joins nonetheless. Both Tolkien and Bilbo believe that sometimes getting involved is the correct path to take. Both Tolkien and Bilbo see the merits of a life of sloth, but they cannot escape the inevitable temptation of involvement in conflict, especially when it taps into their particular interests or passions.
Still, the reasons for embracing sloth — avoiding conflict — are always present. In the novel, after encountering contentious Goblins, Trolls, Wood-Elves, and Giant Spiders on their travels to the Lonely Mountain, the group comprised of Bilbo, the Dwarves, and Gandalf arrive at the Human Village of Lake-town. Bilbo manages to enter the dragon Smaug’s lair and gets him to come out, allowing the Humans to kill Smaug. A conflict arises among the Elves, Dwarves, and Humans over Smaug’s treasure, but is quickly resolved once a tribe of goblins attempts to take over the newly reclaimed Dwarf land. In this war with the Goblins, Thorin is killed. Bilbo’s last interaction with Thorin before the war with the Goblins is harsh, as Thorin calls him a traitor. He sends Bilbo away by saying “…and no friendship of mine goes with him” (The Hobbit 253). However, as Thorin passes away, he has the opportunity to reconcile with Bilbo “wish[ing] to part in friendship from [him], and… tak[ing] back [his] words and deeds” from earlier (264). Bilbo takes this to heart, as he becomes distraught by his renewed comrade passing away. This is one of Bilbo’s most significant tragedies of the journey. He is unable to reconcile with this loss, finding himself sobbing and unable to speak for quite some time. He eventually recognizes that Thorin’s death was inevitable, saying to himself, “I wish Thorin were living, but I am glad that we parted in kindness. You are a fool, Bilbo Baggins… and there was a battle, in spite of all your efforts to buy peace and quiet, but I suppose you can hardly be blamed for that” (265). Bilbo feels immense guilt for the conflict that ensued and the loss of Thorin, but he concludes that he cannot shoulder all the blame because the battle was bound to happen despite his involvement.
Tolkien discusses the guilt of being involved in war in a letter to his son Christopher. When he learns World War II is nearing its end as the Russians close in on Berlin, Tolkien writes, “The destruction of Germany, be it 100 times merited, is one of the most appalling world-catastrophes. Well, well – you and I can do nothing about it. And that [should] be a measure of the amount of guilt that can justly be assumed to attach to any member of a country who is not a member of its actual government” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 111). Despite not being involved in the war and having earlier advocated for the destruction of Germany, Tolkien still feels shame and guilt once that conclusion arrives. It is appalling to him the amount of destruction and death that occurred on both sides of the war. The everyday people who end up involved in wars feel the greatest effects of its consequences. Tolkien expresses this through Bilbo’s grief over the loss of Thorin; he places the blame onto himself until he can recognize that he is not the cause of the conflict, so it is not his responsibility to end the conflict. Despite this realization, the guilt and grief will forever last in Bilbo, as it does for Tolkien and many other soldiers involved in the World Wars.
Bilbo travels to return to The Shire after long periods of yearning for home. He is described as “aching in his bones for the homeward journey” (The Hobbit 265). Tolkien resumes his comparisons between Bilbo’s two lineages. He describes Bilbo’s Baggins side as “daily getting stronger” within him, while the Tookish part grows “very tired” (270). His Baggins side’s need for sloth is beginning to once again triumph over the Tookish need for adventure. Gandalf directly comments on Bilbo’s changes from the journey, saying that he is no longer the Hobbit he once was at the novel’s beginning. The Shire does not welcome him back completely. Bilbo’s change registers poignantly with the hobbits of The Shire for quite some time after his return. The novel says, “It is true that forever after he remained an elf-friend, and had the honour of dwarves, wizards, and all such folk as ever passed that way; but he was no longer quite respectable. He was in fact held by all the hobbits of the neighbourhood to be ‘queer’ – except by his nephews and nieces on the Took side, but even they were not encouraged in their friendship by their elders” (277). His outlook on the matters of conflict and adventure became more passive. He visited the Elves and wrote poetry because he was not understood by the Shire-folk, who looked at him and would say, “Poor old Baggins” (277). Bilbo was an everyday man whose life was suddenly and forever changed because of the visitation of a group of dwarves needing help and an ensuing war. While there was a part of him that sought out that adventure, the consequences followed him home.
Again, in his letter to his son Michael, Tolkien shares how his life feels after serving in World War I. He says, “I suffered once what you are going through, if rather differently: because I was very inefficient and unmilitary… I tell you I feel like a lame canary in a cage. To carry on the old pre-war job – it is just poison. If only I could do something active! But there it is: I am ‘permanently reserved’, and as such I have my hands too full even to be a Home Guard” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 55). Tolkien has felt hopeless and lost ever since his time in the war. He has felt trapped, being forced to do what he does now because he could not find a career similar to what he was sculpted towards when he was a young man. But he often returns to that urge to fight and feels like the only thing he has been prepared to do is engage in conflict. Similarly, Bilbo is ever-changed, though he eventually becomes comfortable with his new way of life. In a lot of ways, Bilbo is a representation of Tolkien himself: he yearns for his home during his time in the war, and he is forever scarred and changed because of it. Home has become a place for both of them to reflect on how they have changed from war. Their homes and lives may look the same, but they will never feel the same way about them. Their perspectives have completely changed from the violence they witnessed, and they are trapped in that new broader perspective which only heightens the ambivalence of their condition. They may wish they could return to the time before, but they are forced to accept that they never can.
In his earlier letter to his son Christopher, Tolkien comments on the Abrahamic mythological story of the Garden of Eden. In this letter, he states that he believes there to have been an Eden on Earth and how humans in their nature yearn for a glimpse at it and are soaked in a sense of “exile” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 110). Every person, from before the Middle Ages to today, has had this feeling of exile according to Tolkien. Bilbo is very similar. He suffered an exile from his Eden, The Shire, and always felt in exile ever since. The Hobbit helps show us the consequences of war on common folk, especially Tolkien’s personal experience as a common man thrust into war. While Bilbo’s Eden was The Shire before the war, Tolkien’s Eden was his own life in Birmingham before the war. Like Bilbo, he tried to avoid conflict; he delayed enlistment as long as possible, joined a battalion when he was twenty-three years old, and spent a long-gruesome year fighting in France. The remainder of his adult life was then forever sculpted around that year of violence and death. War was the forbidden fruit both he and Bilbo bit from, and it forever exiled them from Eden. Tolkien wished for a glimpse back into his life before France ever since then, but his urge to engage in conflict forever forsook him from the Garden, as it does for every person. The Hobbit expresses Tolkien’s philosophy on life after war and the banishment from one’s innocent Eden after indulging in the violent forbidden fruit.
Works Cited
Chism, Christine. “Middle-Earth, the Middle Ages, and the Aryan Nation: Myth and History in World War II.” In Tolkien the Medievalist, 63-89–104. Routledge, 2003.
Croft, Janet Brennan. “The Great War and Tolkien’s Memory: An Examination of World War I Themes in ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings.’” Mythlore 23, no. 4 (90) (2002): 4–21.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1966.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Humphrey Carpenter, Houghton Mifflin, 1981.
