Gossman 1
This is an excellent paper! The errors are primarily formal. I corrected errors the first time I encountered them and put a note for you to correct throughout. Consider revising the thesis statement and the conclusion a little to draw together your observations, but this is otherwise very complete – revisions are very minor! Enjoyed reading it!
Danny Gossman
MsDr. Abigail Heiniger
English 2120 - Intro to Fiction
20 March 2013
The Hobbit: Setting the Stage for the English Hero
It ’s is almost impossible to tell a story without using an idea that has already been used for other stories. The phrase, “once upon a time” is so often used that the mere mention of it can let an audience know that a fairy tale is about to be told. It is not to say that an author that does this has a lack for originality--if this were the case, all modern stories would simply be retellings of older stories. Rather, using ideas or elements of other cultures or from stories of different cultures can be an effective method to create an original story of one’s own. Sometimes, using elements from other types of fiction may go unnoticed because they have been embedded very well into a story. It’s like throwing together a bunch of ingredients and cooking them perfectly to make a surprisingly delicious meal--it just works. When this is the case and a story makes sense, the potential for the author to convey a certain message can be truly something special because, often, the blending together of many elements of different types of fiction is entertaining as well, keeping the reader glued to the story. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the 1937 fictional story The Hobbit (1937), exemplifies this type of procedure. Tolkien uses elements of Norse Mythology and Anglo-Saxon folklore mythology to construct a new world that invites readers to explore the means of Bilbo Baggins’ maturation into a hero, ultimately constructing the ideal hero to his primary audience of pre-World War II-era English children.
J.R.R. Tolkien studied many different types of folklore and mythology. According to "Middle Earth in the Classroom: Studying J. R. R. Tolkien" (1969) by Richard Roos of The English Journal, “Tolkien knew the myths of the far east and the near east. He was eminently familiar with the Graeco-Roman myths of Troy and Olympus, as well as the drama of the Golden Age. And he was versed in the Anglo-Saxon near myths of Arthur and Beowulf” (8; 1179). It Tolkien’s extensive use of mythology in The Hobbit can be easily understood when thinking of it like this: Tolkien lived in a world that was different from the worlds he studied. Consequently, The Hobbit reflects this. This merging of worlds, both in terms of the worlds between his studies and his real life, and the merging of worlds to create middle earth, allows Tolkien to immerse his readers into his story so that he can develop his main character, Bilbo Baggins, into a hero. This does not mean that Tolkien had a lack for originality though “As Tolkien noted in his famous essay ‘On Fairy Tales’ (1965), creators of individual tales get their materials and techniques from what he called ‘the Cauldron of Story.’ That is, an author’s originality consists mainly of what s/he does with materials and techniques s/he did not invent” (5; 138). THIS WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE TO EXPAND A LITTLE. Perhaps follow up with a sentence analyzing (in your words) what “the Cauldron of Story” means. One type of folklore that Tolkien studied was Norse mythology. From the early stages of the novel, the readers can see that Tolkien was highly influenced by Norse folklore, shown by the use of different races like dwarves and trolls.
Throughout The Hobbit, the reader is introduced to a plethora of different races. From the start, Tolkien introduces hobbits, “little people, about half our height and smaller than the bearded dwarves” (Tolkien 4) and gives a brief description of Bilbo Baggins. Soon after, dwarves come into the story. Whereas hobbits are created by Tolkien, dwarves constitute a race of characters that Tolkien borrowed from Norse mythology. As noted by Martin Wettstein, “Norse Dwarves live in caves and mines in the mountains where they dig for gold and gems.” Consequently, Wettstein notes that Tolkien used an old Norse poem to name the dwarves as well, that poem being called “The Völuspá and is the first poem of the poetic Edda.” The main purpose of dwarves in The Hobbit is to force Bilbo Baggins into an uncomfortable situation, something that he is not used to. Once he is put in dangerous situations, he is able to overcome his anxieties and eventually lead the dwarves to the mountain in which they are seeking to regain their rightful treasure from. Moreover, the dwarves’ increased trust and overall attitude towards Bilbo reflects his ongoing ascension into a hero. At the beginning of their journey, the dwarves are skeptical of the reserved Bilbo. As the story progresses and Bilbo proves himself in difficult situations, the dwarves’ attitudes towards Bilbo becomes increasingly honorable. For example, Tolkien narrates that if the dwarves “had still doubted that he was really a first-class burglar” after Bilbo makes it out of the caverns in the Misty Mountains alive, “in spite of Gandalf’s words, they doubted no longer” (Tolkien 103). Furthermore, the fact that Bilbo has to lead a large amount of dwarves, 14 of them--which is also taken directly from Beowulf, in which the hero goes on a journey with fourteen companions (2; 179)--to their destination heightens the expectations put on him, setting the stage for an accentuated rise to heroism. Dwarves serve a major function in terms of Bilbo’s development, but other races such as trolls provide challenges to Bilbo on his quest.
The Trolls that Bilbo and the dwarves encounter in the woods are the first adversaries that test Bilbo on the quest. When they realize that Gandalf is not present in their then-current debacle, the dwarves turn to Bilbo: “‘Now it is the burglar’s turn,’ they said, meaning Bilbo. ‘You must go on and find out all about that light, and what it is for, and if all is perfectly safe and canny,’ said Thorin to the hobbit” (Tolkien 38). As a reserved hobbit not used to adventure, this is a huge task for Bilbo. Still, Bilbo proceeds and symbolically begins his quest for courage when he reaches his hand into one of the trolls’ pockets: “‘Ha!’ thought he, warming to his new work as he lifted it carefully out, ‘this is a beginning!’” (Tolkien 40). This symbolically represents the beginning of two things: Bilbo taking the first courageous step into moving past his apprehensiveness and the beginning of the adversaries that he is going to encounter. The trolls are not that difficult to get past in the whole context of thingsBilbo’s quest in The Hobbit; as John C. Stotts notes, “Bilbo’s adversaries become progressively more clever and dangerous. Only because his wisdom and experience increase does he become a fit match for them. Had he met Smaug at first, the adventure would have been quickly terminated” (5; 140). The trolls provide another example of how Tolkien uses Norse folklore elements to help aid Bilbo’s development, albeit their purpose is to allow Bilbo to first dip his toes into the water of courage and heroism. Dwarves and trolls are merely examples of Norse races that Tolkien brings into The Hobbit; but one of the biggest aspects that Tolkien borrows from Norse folklore is the idea of a powerful dragon.
Wettstein contends that “the Dragons also appear in the Norse Mythology. Norse Dragons lived in caves and protected their treasures. Their only weak spot was their belly.” This is clearly reflected in Smaug, the all-powerful dragon of The Hobbit that guards the dwarves’ treasure under the mountain. Smaug also has a weak spot, which is exploited by Bard when An old thrush came to Bard and told him, “The moon is rising. Look for the hollow of the left breast as he flies and turns above you!” (Tolkien 270). At that moment Bard, a human, destroys Smaug by striking him in his weak spot on his belly. While Smaug fits the description that Wettstein says is sufficient to take on the identity of a Norse element, it is perhaps important to note that Tolkien was more likely to have been influenced by works of Anglo-Saxon folklore instead when getting the idea of the dragon. As previously noted, Tolkien is a thorough scholar of Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic that includes a dragon strikingly similar to Smaug.
As a scholar of Beowulf, Tolkien meticulously studied Anglo-Saxon folklore (8; 1179), allowing him to incorporate the idea of a talking dragon into his work. For example, a hero named Sigurd slayed a dragon similar to Smaug: “His greatest deed of courage was the slaying of Fafnir, the dragon, who dwelt in the cold dank caves of which he was a part, guarding his stolen treasure hoard” (2; 179). This shows how Tolkien got the idea of Smaug guarding treasure: “Smaug lay, with wings folded like an immeasurable bat, turned partly on one side, so that the hobbit could see his underparts and his long pale belly crusted with gems and fragments of old from his long lying on his costly bed” (Tolkien 233). Even more relevant is the comparison of Smaug to the Fire-eater dragon in Beowulf. In this epic, the dragon “went on his rampage only when a slave pilfered a golden cup from the hoard which the serpent had been guarding for 300 years” (2; 179). One can tell that Tolkien took this straight from Beowulf when looking at the moment when Smaug “stirred and stretched forth his neck to sniff. Then he missed the cup!” (Tolkien 236) and immediately went “to hunt the whole mountain till he had caught the thief and had torn and trampled him was his one thought” (Tolkien 236). Overall, the purpose of a talking, powerful dragon in The Hobbit is to put Bilbo’s development into perspective. To elaborate, Bilbo starts out as a personality that is attached to his little hobbit hole, devoid of any adventures into the outside world of middle-earth. Compare that Bilbo with the Bilbo who says ‘Confound you, Smaug, you worm!’ he squeaked aloud. ‘Stop playing hide-and-seek! Give me a light, and then eat me, if you can catch me!’” (Tolkien 255) towards the conclusion of the novel. Clearly, the comparison between Bilbo at the beginning of the novel and Bilbo at the end is a huge change in terms of courage. A dragon is a very intimidating figure, especially a talking one with almost impenetrable armor. Therefore, it is easy to see how Bilbo has come a long way when looking at his willingness to tempt the dragon to come out and eat him, something that never would have been in the confines of his mind at the beginning. The dragon is just one example of Tolkien’s incorporation of Anglo-Saxon folklore elements into the novel though. Others, such as swords, are key Anglo-Saxon features that help the reader understand Bilbo’s development as well.
In Anglo-Saxon folklore, swords have a big impact. Firstly, it is commonplace in Old English to assign names to swords. For example, in Beowulf, Beowulf inherits a sword named Hrunting. Paralleling this is the naming of swords in The Hobbit. For example, Thorin’s sword is named “Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver, but the goblins called it simply Biter” (Tolkien 73). Similarly, Gandalf possesses a sword named “Glamdring the Foe-hammer” (Tolkien 73) that “had no trouble whatever of cutting through the goblin-chains and setting all the prisoners free as quickly as possible” (tolkien 73). The fact that Gandalf’s sword was so easily able to defeat the goblins is something to be noted; Gandalf is already a proven figure of courage. If swords represent heroism in the novel, then it makes sense that Bilbo’s sword isn’t as powerful at this point in the early stages of the story. Later in the novel, when Bilbo is more developed on his progress towards heroism, he goes to combat with his sword against the spiders. When “the spider lay dead beside him, and his sword-blade was stained black... He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath” (Tolkien 170). In this case, Bilbo’s sword mirrors his development and symbolizes the next step that he takes towards becoming a truly courageous hobbit. At that point, Bilbo names his sword “Sting” (Tolkien 170). Bilbo’s naming of his sword marks his newfound capacity to take on bigger challenges, as he does throughout the rest of the novel. Beyond the actual naming of swords in The Hobbit, Tolkien borrows a significant element of swords from Beowulf to contribute to his construction of the ideal hero to his readers.
The second idea that Tolkien borrows from Beowulf in terms of swords is the apprehensiveness to fight unfairlyTolkien not only borrows the Anglo-Saxon tradition of sword-naming but the also Anglo-Saxon sword-fight etiquette: . Bboth Bilbo and Beowulf refuse to strike an adversary if he is unarmed. For example, According to Taylor Culburt of The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, “There is no reason to doubt Beowulf’s good faith: he refuses to fight with a sword, not because he knows that it would not bite through Grendel’s tough hide and not because he himself is naturally disposed to hug his adversary to death but because he hopes to place both combatants on an equal footing” (9; 14). With this in mind, it is clear where Tolkien got his idea to give Bilbo an apprehensiveness to strike the unarmed Gollum in the caverns in chapter five: “He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet” (Tolkien 96). Here, Tolkien borrowed this idea of apprehensiveness to fighting unfairly in order to do the cultural work of constructing the idea of a morally righteous hero to his readers; in other words, fighting unfairly is wrong. He also uses the Anglo-Saxon folklore element of riddles to offer an alternative to physical violence. Because Bilbo is able to escape Gollum through the use of riddles rather than using the violence of the sword, Tolkien is suggesting to readers that a hero’s wit and charisma is just as useful as his ability to wield weapons in overcoming adversaries. Though Tolkien uses elements of other types of folklore, particularly Norse and Old English, he does so in a way that presents his story as matter-of-fact; in other words, it is difficult to notice that his story is fictional because he makes it easy to understand. One way in which he does this is through the use of narrative asides to help guide the reader through the novel.