The Hobbit
The Hobbit
By: J.R.R. Tolkien
I recently started attending a book club (about 5 months ago now, which seems crazy). And this month we read The Hobbit, and I’m leading the discussion.
This is one of my favorite books. I’ve read it several times, I can’t remember how many times. I’ve taken an independent study on Tolkien’s Middle Earth. I led a book club as part of my Intercultural Communications class that focused on The Hobbit. I’ve done a lot of work with it—I’ve studied it and loved it well.
That book club was almost five years ago now, and those were college kids and high school students. I’m nervous to lead a discussion with adults. I’m nervous that they wont find it as enchanting as I do. I’ll be posting this after my book club tonight, so maybe I’ll add something to the end on how it went.
I first read The Hobbit when I was in third grade, and it was like learning how to run before learning how to walk. I didn’t really like reading before I stepped into Middle Earth. My dad had a yellow copy with tattered corners that I always looked at on his bookshelf. His bookshelf was impressive. I used to stand and run my fingers over the spines. I wanted to like reading, but it was too hard for a long time. I would look at his books, and The Hobbit was one of my favorites.
I very clearly remember the day he brought it to me in my bedroom. I was sitting on the floor organizing the books that I did have. He handed it to me and told me he thought I would like it, but that I didn’t have to read it until I was ready. I added it to my small bookshelf with reverence.
It didn’t sit on that shelf long. I wanted to know what the cover was all about. I wanted to understand the tiny people in the Eagle’s nest. (Imagine my surprise when I found out the people were dwarves and a Hobbit and that the Eagle was giant!)
This is not a new book. Most people know of it, even if they haven’t read it or seen the movie(s). But in case you didn’t know… The Hobbit is a fantasy adventure story about an unlikely hero joining a group of homeless dwarves to reclaim their home and their treasure.
So what was it about this book that gave me the bug for reading? What was it about this story that spoke to my eight or nine year old brain? What was it about this story that made me want to dive into The Lord of the Rings? (And finish them 6th grade?)
I think it’s the ever-prevalent theme of hope. Hope overcoming everything.
Bilbo, the unlikely hero, and I are pretty similar—we both like being home and comfortable. We don’t like surprises. We’re used to being small in the wide world. But he’s issued a call to step outside his comforts, and the courage he gains in the following adventures is enviable. Even when things are bleak, and it seems as those the spiders are going to keep them for even facing the dragon, Bilbo presses on, he keeps hope.
The theme of light vs. dark and hope vs. despair, even in the guise of a whimsical children’s story, speaks to me. It spoke to eight year old me, and it speaks to 27 year old me, and I suspect it will speak to 87 year old me.
***
So I just got home from book club and we had two pretty solid camps—people who really enjoyed the book and people who just couldn’t get into it. A good point was brought up that fantasy just isn’t some people’s genre, and that’s very true.
We had a great discussion and covered a lot of ground. Discussion ranged from big themes to character development and seemingly minor details. We talked about how whimsical and nonsensical it can be, and yet how clear and driven a story it is.
Big thanks to the ladies that stepped outside their comfort zone and went on an adventure with me and Bilbo!
***
In short, this book has my recommendation. Always.
