Name:______

The Hobbit

or

There and Back Again

by: J.R.R. Tolkien

Study Guide

English 10
Mrs. Hugus

The Hobbit is a story of many creative characters – a story complete in itself yet full of predictions. For this is the book that tells of Bilbo Baggins, the far-wandering hobbit who discovered (some say stole) the One Ring of Power and brought it back to The Shire.

Main Characters:

  • Bilbo Baggins - the hobbit of the title
  • Gandalf - the wizard
  • Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the dwarves. His dwarf companions are: Dwalin, Balin,

Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur.

  • The three trolls – ignorant and crude
  • Elrond - Half-Elven, master of Rivendell
  • Gollum - possesses and loses a Ring which confers invisibility
  • Beorn - a shape-shifter who helps the travellers
  • The Elvenking, lord of the Elves of Mirkwood
  • The Master of Lake Town
  • Smaug the Dragon
  • The thrush
  • Bard the Bowman
  • Goblins
  • Wargs
  • The Lord of the Eagles

Many of these characters and beings appear again in The Lord of the Rings.

Races of Characters:

  • Hobbits –Hobbits are littler people, smaller than dwarfs. They love peace and quiet and good tilled earth. They dislike machines, but they are handy with tools. They are nimble but don’t like to hurry. They have sharp ears and eyes. They are inclined to be fat. They wear bright colors but seldom wear shoes. They like to laugh and eat (six meals a day) and drink.
  • Dwarves – Thorin’s group, composed of 13 dwarves, none of whom is really developed as an individual character in the novel. The narrator describes dwarves unfavorably, noting their greed and trickery.
  • Elves – The first creatures in Middle-Earth. Immortal unless killed in battle, they are fair-faced, with beautiful voices, and have a close communion with nature, which makes them wonderful craftsmen. There are actually two different varieties of elves: the wood elves and the high elves. The wood elves reside in Mirkwood and, as a result, have more suspicious and less-wise tendencies than their high relatives.
  • Humans - Tolkein emphasizes their mortality, their lack of wisdom, their discordance with nature, and their rampant feuding, but he does not describe humans as inherently evil in the same way that he characterizes goblins and Wargs.
  • Trolls – Short-tempered and dull-witted creatures, Tolkein has them speak with a cockney accent, the dialect of lower-class Londoners.
  • Goblins – Evil creatures infamous for their ability to make cruel weapons and torture devices.
  • Wargs – Evil wolves

Places:

  • Bag End – Bilbo’s home
  • Hobbiton – the place where the Hobbits live
  • Rivendell – the home of Elrond and the high elves
  • The Misty Mountains – where the great goblin and his crew live in caves. Gollum also lives here.
  • The Edge of the Wild – the land on the far side of the mountains
  • The Carrock – a great rock in the river, close to Beorn’s home
  • Mirkwood – a vast dark forest. Surrounds the realm of the wood elves
  • The Long Lake and Lake-Town (also called Esgaroth) – home to the men
  • Dale – a town ruined by Smaug
  • The Desolation of Smaug – the lands that have been destroyed by the dragon
  • The Lonely Mountain – ancient home of Thorin’s people. Taken over by the dragon.
  • Middle Earth – The place where everything happens.

Chapter One

A. Short Answer:

1. Who is Bilbo Baggins?

2. Describe hobbits (appearance, behavior, etc.).

3. What did Gandalf claim to be looking for when he arrived on Bilbo’s doorstep?

4. What does Gandalf do with his staff on Bilbo’s door?

5. Who comes to see Bilbo the next day? Name them.

6. Who was the most important Dwarf?

7. What story did the dwarves’ song tell?

8. What is the name of the dragon?

9. Who made the map and how did Gandalf get it?

10. What had happened to Thorin’s father?

B. Reflection:

11. Why does Gandalf choose Bilbo to be a part of this adventure?

12. Why does Bilbo choose to be a part of this adventure?

Chapters Two and Three

A. Short Answer:

13. When Bilbo woke the next day, what did he discover? Who came to get him?

14. What were the dwarves’ arrangements with Bilbo (what will he get for being a part of their quest)?

15. What did Balin discover? Who investigated it? What is found?

16. How did Bilbo get caught? Who also was caught? Who tried to save them?

17. What happened to the trolls? Who caused it? How?

18. Where did Bilbo and the dwarves go? What did they take?

19. Where were they headed to rest and be safe? Who was to lead them?

20. Describe the elves.

21. Who owned the Last Homely House? How long did they stay there?

22. Where did the swords they took from the trolls come from?

23. What did the markings on the map say and what were they written in?

B. Reflection:

24. What makes the swords so important in the story?

25. Why is it important that Bilbo’s sword is unnamed?

Chapters Four and Five

A. Short Answer:

26. What did Bilbo discover in the cave? Who attacked them? Who escaped?

27. What upset the Goblins?

28. Who saved the dwarves and Bilbo? How?

29. How did they hold the Goblins back?

30. When he awoke, what did Bilbo find?

31. What did Bilbo notice about his little sword?

32. Who lived on the underground lake? Describe him.

33. What game did Bilbo play with Gollum and what were the stakes?

34. How did Gollum lose?

35. What thing of beauty did Gollum own? How was it special? What happened to it?

36. What two things did Bilbo learn from Gollum?

37. Who was Bilbo seen by when he reached the outside door? Why? Why wasn’t he followed?

Chapter Six

A. Short Answer:

38. When Bilbo finds Gandalf and the dwarves, what were they arguing about?

39. By being inside the mountain, what had they accomplished?

40. What danger did they face on the Edge of the Wild? Where did they find safety?

41. Why were the Wargs all meeting together? Who were their allies? Why did they distrust Bilbo’s party?

42. Explain the significance of the title of this chapter.

43. How did Gandalf get the Wargs to leave?

44. Who rescued them? Why?

B. Reflection:

45. Why does Bilbo lie about the ring? Why does Gandalf not say anything?

Chapter Seven

A. Short Answer:

46. After the Eagles safely took the party east of the mountain, who planned to leave them? Why?

47. Who are they going to see? What is he?

48. In the morning, who can’t the dwarves find?

49. What had Gandalf been doing all day? What did he discover?

50. What news did Beorn bring back with him?

51. What two warnings did Beorn give?

52. When they reached the MirkwoodForest, what did they have to do? Who left them?

B. Reflection:

53. Why did the party not go around the forest?

54. What dangers were behind the party? What dangers lie ahead?

Chapter Eight

A. Short Answer:

55. Which character had a problem in the water? Describe what happened and the result.

56. What did they notice in the woods? What did they find? What happened?

57. What creature attacked Bilbo? What happened to it?

58. What name did Bilbo give his sword?

59. What happened to the dwarves? Who saved them? How?

60. What secret did Bilbo tell?

61. What happened to Thorin? How was he treated?

62. Describe the Wood Elves in respect to the other elves from chapter 3.

B. Reflection:

63. How is Bilbo starting to seem like a hero?

Chapters Nine and Ten

A. Short Answer:

64. What happened to the dwarves? What did Bilbo do?

65. Where were they taken? How could they be released?

66. Who located Thorin? What message from Thorin did Bilbo pass on?

67. What alternative exit did Bilbo find? What was it used for?

68. What was Bilbo’s plan? What was the fault in the plan?

69. How did Bilbo get out of the castle?

70. Where were they headed?

71. When they finally reached the lake, what did Bilbo see? How did it make him feel?

72. Why were the townspeople glad to see the return of Thorin?

73. How did the Elvenking react to the news about the dwarves?

74. What were the two reasons the Master was glad to see the dwarves go? What help did he give them?

75. Why was Bilbo so unhappy?

Chapters Eleven and Twelve

A. Short Answer:

76. What did the land around the mountain look like?

77. Who found the door?

78. When they moved the camp, who refused to go? Why?

79. Who discovered the keyhole?

80. What did Bilbo notice as he stole down the tunnel? Who caused it?

81. When Bilbo entered the dungeon, what did he see? How did he plan to prove to the dwarves what he saw?

82. What did the dragon do when he awoke?

83. What was Bilbo’s plan for escape? What problem did Bifur realize? What happened? How were they lucky?

84. What did Bilbo do the next afternoon? What hadn’t he counted on?

85. What did Smaug want to know and how did Bilbo reply?

86. How did Smaug’s talk affect Bilbo?

87. What “weak spot” did Bilbo notice in Smaug?

88. What did Bilbo believe Smaug would do that night?

89. After attacking the west side of the mountain, what was Smaug’s next attack planned for?

B. Reflection:

90. Does Bilbo see himself as a hero? What are some of his faults as a hero?

Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen

A. Short Answer:

91. What had happened to their side door? What did Bilbo decide to do? Who went?

92. What did Bilbo find? What did he want to do with it?

93. What did the dwarves take when they explored the cave? What did Thorin give to Bilbo?

94. Who led the way out of the dragon’s lair? What did Bilbo and Balin think they should do?

95. What worried Bilbo and the dwarves the most? What did they see to the south?

96. What had Smaug done to the lake town of Esgaroth? Where did many seek refuge? Who became the battle leader?

97. What happened to Smaug? Who had helped Bard?

98. What was the reaction of the townspeople? What did they want to do? What did the Master say?

99. Who gave help to the townspeople? What two things did they do together?

B. Reflection:

100. What helps the dwarves to become more bold and determined?

Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen

A. Short Answer:

101. What did the dwarves notice to the south? Who came to them?

102. Who did the thrush bring to them? What did he tell them?

103. Who are they told to trust?

104. Who did Thorin send messages to?

105. When the troops arrived, what did Bard say to them? Why did Thorin not agree?

106. When asked to reconsider, what was Thorin’s reply? How did the men and elves react?

107. What did Thorin want more than anything?

108. What news does Roac bring?

109. How does Bilbo get out? Who is on guard duty?

110. Who captures Bilbo?

111. What did Bilbo give to Bard? Why?

112. Who does Bilbo meet in camp?

B. Reflection

113. Explain the expression, “I may be a burglar…but I am an honest one.”

Chapters Seventeen, Eighteen and Nineteen

A. Short Answer:

114. When bard and the Elvenking came to the mountain the next day, what did they bargain with? What did Bard want?

115. How did Thorin react to the knowledge of how they got the stone?

116. What did Thorin agree to?

117. Who wanted to attack the mountain? Who said to hold back? What did the dwarves do?

118. Who arrived by surprise? Who made up the Battle of the Five Armies and who fought on each side?

119. Who came to help the “good guys”?

120. What happened to Bilbo?

121. What happened to Thorin? Why did he want to talk to Bilbo?

122. Where was Thorin buried? What did Bard and the Elvenking do?

123. Who became King under the Mountain?

124. What payment did Bilbo receive?

125. Who traveled home with Bilbo? How long had they been gone?

126. Where had Gandalf gone when he’d left Bilbo and the dwarves?

127. What extra treasure did they add to their treasure from LonelyMountain?

128. When Bilbo returned home, what was going on?

129. Who comes to visit Bilbo?

130. What happened to the Master?

B. Reflection:

131. Where is the line between duty and friendship between the dwarves and Bilbo? Do we get a sense that any of the dwarves feel personal loyalty towards Bilbo, above and beyond a feeling of duty? Do any of them like him? Is there any emotional content in the friendships of this novel?

132. Bilbo's decision to go into the dragon's lair alone is the bravest thing that he has ever done, he feels. Do you agree? Are there other moments in the novel that stand out to you as equally (or even more) brave? What is it about this particular moment that requires all of Bilbo's courage?

133. Is Bilbo the only hero in the story? What about Bard, for instance, and Thorin Oakenshield and Beorn? What are some of the heroic qualities, besides bravery, that some of the characters have? Are all heroes good, or can they have both good and bad qualities? Does Bilbo have any bad qualities? Is Gandalf always good?

134. Why are there no women and children as important characters in this tale? Can you imagine any of these heroes being women? Why?