LITERATURE

The Hobbit Discovering Grace and Providence in Bilbo’s Adventures

Joseph Pearce

LECTURE GUIDE

Learn More www.CatholicCourses.com LITERATURE Discovering Grace and Providence in Bilbo’s Adventures TABLE OF CONTENTS Joseph Pearce

Joseph Pearce Lecture Summaries Thomas More College, New Hampshire LECTURE 1 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Bilbo’s Pilgrimage 4

LECTURE 2 Joseph Pearce is Writer in Residence and An Unexpected Parting 8 Visiting Fellow at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH. He is also Feature: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Catholic Bestsellers 12 a Visiting Scholar at Mt. Royal Academy in Sunapee, NH. A popular speaker, he lectures LECTURE 3 regularly at a wide variety of events at major Trusting in “Luck” 14 colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa, and South America. LECTURE 4 Goblins and Gollum 18 Professor Pearce is a renowned biographer whose books include:

Feature: Redemption, Salvation, and Christianity in Tolkien’s Fiction 22 • Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays (, 2010) LECTURE 5 • Tolkien: Man and Myth, a Literary Life (HarperCollins, 1998) Bilbo Comes of Age 24 • Literary Giants, Literary Catholics (Ignatius Press, 2005) • Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton (Ignatius Press, 1997) LECTURE 6 • Old Thunder: A Life of (Ignatius Press, 2002) 28 His articles have been published in Lay Witness, National Review, Feature: Rediscovering Reality Through Fantasy 32 Distributist Review, and National Catholic Register.

LECTURE 7 Professor Pearce is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Higher The Dragon Sickness of Pride 34 Education from Thomas More College for the Liberal Arts and the Pollock Award for Christian Biography. He is co-editor of the St. Austin LECTURE 8 Review, editor-in-chief of Ignatius Critical Editions, and editor-in-chief Blessed Be the Poor in Spirit 38 of Sapientia Press.

Suggested Reading from Joseph Pearce 42

2 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 3 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 1

Bilbo’s Pilgrimage Throughout the course of his adven- ture, the hobbit Bilbo develops the habit of virtue and grows in sanctity, and The Hobbit have been illustrating that we only become wise a publishing phenomenon, and Peter Jackson’s when we realize we are pilgrims on film versions ofThe Lord of the Rings are among a purposeful journey through life. the most popular ever made. Much more than just Tolkien is at war with our current a simple children’s story, The Hobbit is a pilgrim- homo superbus or relativist culture, age of grace, in which its protagonist, Bilbo Bag- asking in his books: What is it to gins, becomes grown-up in the most important be human? To be human is to make sense, which is the growth in wisdom and virtue. progress in the spiritual life of virtue, It is important that we don’t lose this Christian on the journey to reach the goal. Life dimension of morality when viewing the films or is about the truth that’s beyond us, reading the book. and we have to move toward that The Hobbit reflects the words of Christ, “Where truth to grow. So, is a Bilbo’s journey reflects Everyman Figures our own journey through your treasure is, there your heart will be also” homo viator, engaged with his jour- life, involving growing up (Matthew 6:21), and as J. R. R. Tolkien said of The ney through life, and the people and Hobbits are a bit different from us: they and growing in virtue— Lord of the Rings, the story is “a fundamentally reli- creatures in the story who resist the live in a hole in the ground, they have furry through grace. gious and Catholic work.” Children should learn journey are self-aggrandizing—they feet, and they’re short. But Bilbo in The Hobbit from the book, and hopefully the movies, about the are homo superbus, suffering from the and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings represent scariness of dragons, and to distinguish between dragon sickness. us. They are a mirror of all of us. And their evil and good. Virtue can only be attained, through Bilbo represents us, and his journey—whether Frodo’s journey to Mount grace, by slaying the monsters and demons that journey from the Shire to the Lonely Doom or Bilbo’s journey to the Lonely Moun- seek to prevent the achievement of the paramount Mountain, and then back home to tain—imitates our journey through life. We goal of our life’s journey: being united with God the Shire again, mirrors our journey can follow in the furry footsteps of Bilbo and in Heaven. This understanding of the purpose of through life. Bilbo’s journey is appli- Frodo, learning the lessons that they learn and life is the key to reading The Hobbit and seeing its cable to us on two levels: literally as the coming to the same spiritual destination that deepest and most applicable meaning. story and allegorically as it relates to us they reach. There are two ways of understanding human- as individuals. On the allegorical level, ity: we are either homo viator (on a journey the story has much to teach us morally through life with the purpose of living virtuously about what has eternal significance. and getting to Heaven) or homo superbus (pride- This journey of growth in virtue fully living life to maximize self-gratification). is impossible without grace, without

4 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 5 supernatural intervention—labeled nature entails our natural tendency Bilbo’s Pilgrimage “luck” in the story. But as Gandalf towards concupiscence and its makes plain at the conclusion, what destructive consequences. If we Discussion Questions had been called “luck” was not really don’t ask for help, we are bound to luck at all. “You don’t really suppose, fall. It is in this choice, rooted in the 1. Consider the differences that characterize the two concepts of human- do you,” Gandalf asks Bilbo, “that all gift and responsibility of free will, ity discussed in this lecture—homo viator and homo superbus—and your adventures and escapes were that the struggle with evil is won or discuss the way in which they are represented in the characters and managed by mere luck, just for your lost. A person must willingly coop- the plot of The Hobbit. sole benefit?” Moral will, on its own, erate with grace or, in his failure to 2. In what ways does the The Hobbit act as a meditation on the words is never enough. An outside agent, do so, must inevitably fall into evil. of Christ that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” which we call grace, is always neces- Thus, there is a supernatural (Matthew 6:21)? sary. Grace is illustrated in The Lord dimension to the unfolding of 3. Tolkien once wrote that fairy stories may be used as “the Mirror of of the Rings as Gollum’s life is spared events in Middle-earth. Tolkien scorn and pity towards Man.” In what ways can we see ourselves re- on three occasions by hobbits, shows through his stories the mys- flected in the character of Bilbo Baggins, and our lives reflected in his leading to his crucial role at Mount tical balance that exists between the journey from the Shire to the ? Doom. By sparing Gollum, the hob- promptings of grace, or of demonic bits have passed a test of love—the temptation, and the response of a Notes: toughest of all virtues—because the person’s will to such promptings greatest commandment Jesus Christ and temptations. Christians believe gave us was to love our enemies. in dragons, even if they can’t see them, and know they are perilous and potentially deadly. The Hobbit is not merely about slaying the dragon who is wasting fairyland but more importantly, about slay- ing the dragon who is attempting to waste our own souls. Even as Bilbo wanders further from his own home, the truth that In The Hobbit, good “luck” is he exemplifies is always close to inextricably connected to good home for each of us as readers. Each choices, and bad “luck” is inextrica- of us is prone to the ill effects of bly connected to bad choices. “Luck” the dragon sickness, and each of us is biased in both directions: grace is needs to walk with Bilbo so that we always available to those who seek may be healed from its potentially it, biasing “fortune” in the direction deadly consequences. of goodness; yet, the fallenness of

6 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 7 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 2

An Unexpected Parting Hobbits—the very word makes us think of “home” and “habit.” As creatures of home, hobbits don’t want Hobbits made their literary debut in Tolkien’s to go off on adventures. They like to be book, but they could not be entirely new because at home in their hobbit holes, which nothing under the sun is entirely new. Perhaps mean comfort. The hobbit is very close Tolkien resurrected the word “hobbit” from a to home because he is very like us; in nineteenth-century list of folklore creatures which fact, he is one of us. Bilbo Baggins is lists hobbits as a sort of ghost or ghoul. Obviously a creature of comfort dedicated to the Three Types of Magic though, Tolkien’s hobbits have nothing remotely creature comforts. Nothing could be ghastly about them. But because there is really further from his mind, or further from Magic in Middle-earth falls into three nothing new under the sun, Tolkien made the his desire, than the prospect and threat categories: important and necessary distinction between of an adventure. In Christian terms, Creation and sub-creation. In that distinction, we Bilbo is dedicated to the easy life. He 1. Natural, or the “ordinary everyday Gandalf prompts Bilbo understand a great deal about Tolkien as the author would find the prospect of taking up his sort,” which hobbits possess. They can into an adventure, which, and also a great deal about why he felt that telling cross and following the heroic path of detect through their finely tuned senses the on the moral level, encour- stories was a good thing to do. Indeed, Tolkien self-sacrifice utterly anathema. arrival of heavy-footed and heavy-handed ages growth in wisdom thought telling stories was not just a good thing to Gandalf’s unexpected arrival on strangers, and are noted for their ability to and virtue, through suffer- do, but something that exhibited the very presence Bilbo’s doorstep is connected to the disappear—hiding from the sight of big ing and sacrifice of Bilbo of the divine image in us. wizard’s desire to wake Bilbo up from folk like us. himself. For Tolkien, creation describes those things his cozy slumbers. In doing so, he also 2. Technological—using technology to made directly by God, such as flowers or trees or wakes us up from ours. Gandalf wishes do things that are not possible without it. us or the stars, and sub-creation is human creativ- to send Bilbo on an adventure, which, This is clever and magical, but as Gandalf ity, the things that we make. It’s important to note he informs the hobbit, will be “very might ask, is it wise? Is it good? For Tolkien, that animals don’t sub-create. Sub-creation is the good for you—and profitable too, very this machine-magic is unwholesome, and presence of a divine image in us—our imagina- likely, if you ever get over it.” Bilbo in Middle-earth it is the preserve of the evil tion is the image of God’s, if you will—as are our is not convinced. He has “no use for characters. reason and love. Since our creativity is a sign of adventures.” Little does he know, the 3. Supernatural, which is best seen divine presence, Tolkien understands that telling fact that adventures are uncomfortable through Gandalf’s mystical appearances and a story is not telling a lie—something unreal and is the very reason for their usefulness. use of power in The Lord of the Rings. The untrue—but stories are merely another way of Gandalf forces Bilbo out of his comfort other manifestation of supernatural “magic” telling the truth and mirroring the great story in zone so that the hobbit can experience in Middle-earth is the demonic power which we all are a part—creation. reality in its full and expansive richness. wielded by Sauron.

8 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 9 In short, the purpose of Gandalf’s Thorin’s graphic descriptions An Unexpected Parting visit is to help Bilbo grow up. show the dragons are not merely So, at the outset of the story, Bilbo hungry; they are wicked. They desire Discussion Questions is self-centered, surrounding himself the defilement of the pure and unde- with the treasures of his own home. filed. The war against the dragon is 1. Consider the way in which Bilbo’s homeliness and his attachment to the We can see in him a foreshadowing not a war against a physical monster creature comforts are his defining characteristics at the beginning of the of Smaug. Bilbo is afflicted with the but a battle against the wicked- story. Can his domesticity be seen as problematic? dragon sickness. His pilgrimage to ness we see around us. We all face 2. There are at least three different types of “magic” in Middle-earth. When the Lonely Mountain is the means our daily dragons and must defend is “magic” not really magic? What is the difference between natural and by which he will be cured of this ourselves from them and hopefully supernatural magic—both in the story and in the real world? materialist malady and will learn to slay them. 3. Are dragons merely monstrous beasts in Middle-earth or is there more give himself self-sacrificially to oth- The sobering reality is that we to them than meets the eye? Do dragons come in many guises? Consider ers. The paradoxical consequence of must either fight the dragons that we how, when, or where we might confront dragons in our own lives. the dragon sickness is that the things encounter in life or become dragons possessed possess the possessor, much ourselves. There is no “comfortable” Notes: as the possession of the One Ring in alternative. Thus, the unexpected the later books leads to those who party at the beginning of The Hobbit wear it becoming possessed by their becomes the unexpected parting of possession. Bilbo’s attachment to his Bilbo from all the comforts of home. possessions is a serious hindrance that He sets out as the most reluctant pil- keeps him from willingly embarking grim and adventurer, bemoaning his on the pilgrimage. “luck” and resenting Gandalf’s disrup- During the dwarves’ visit the tion of his somnambulant existence. It next day, Thorin’s depiction of the will take many days and a great deal of dragons of Middle-earth seems discomfort before Bilbo comes to real- uncannily like the description of ize the truth of Gandalf’s words that certain types of people, whom all of the adventure would be very good for us know in our everyday lives: they him—and profitable. know the price of everything and the value of nothing. From the start, therefore, the dragons are more than simply dragons; they are also signifiers of a certain attitude to life and to things, which is ultimately unhealthy and is rightly considered a sickness.

10 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 11 J.R.R. Tolkien’s Catholic Bestsellers

A good book, like a good wine, There we have it in a nutshell, and from the lips of the author himself. improves with age. This is so much But how is it so? There’s no mention of Christ anywhere in the story; or the the case that an objective criti- Church; or any religion. Is it really as “fundamentally religious and Catholic” cal judgment cannot be made on a as its author maintains? Yes, it is, and in ways that continue to surprise and great work of literature until it has astound the reader with each subsequent reading. It is so rich with religious had time to mature. And just as one and Catholic meaning that one could go on and on, seemingly forever, unrav- should not judge a book by its cover, eling the multifaceted applicability of the doctrinal and spiritual truths that one should not judge a book’s literary emerge from the stories. merit on the fact that it has made the bestseller lists. A book can be There is much more that could and should be said, but, as we have very popular for all sorts of reasons said already, it is much easier to know where to begin in any discussion of that have little or nothing to do with Tolkien’s wonderful work than it is to know where to end, if indeed there is its literary merit. It can titillate or an end. Since, however, one must make an end, there seems no better way scandalize, there are always people of doing so than with Tolkien’s own words about the real lembas that fed his seeking such diversions; it can follow the latest fads, there are always people Christian imagination and inspired the genius of his Catholic Muse: pursuing current fashions; or it can be topical, and there are always people unable to see beyond the end of a newsreel. Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. . . . One of the finest things aboutThe Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is that There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true they made the bestseller lists and have stayed on the bestseller lists without way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the succumbing to any of these pitfalls of popular fiction. Ironically, the only divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of people offended by Tolkien’s books are those followers of intellectual fads and all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you fashions who are scandalized by how unfashionable they are! And as for topi- seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be main- cality, Tolkien’s work could not be further from the “stuff” of daily newspa- tained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, pers. It is rooted in a world beyond the news. And this is the very root of its which every man’s heart desires. (J.R.R.Tolkien, Letter to Michael relevance. Fashions fade and news ceases to be news, but the “stuff” or reality Tolkien, 6-8 March 1941) remains. Tolkien’s work goes to the heart of reality, to good and evil, to the unchanging human condition, to the spiritual realities that make sense of the physical world in which we live. It is timely because it is timeless. Or, to put the whole matter in Tolkien’s own words, “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.”

12 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 13 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 3

dignity of the elves, with which we Trusting in “Luck” are familiar from the later works, is restored once Bilbo, Gandalf, and the With the journey underway, the hobbit Bilbo dwarves meet Elrond. The elf lord’s encounters trolls, giving us a glimpse of Tolkien’s knowledge and words convey an idea of darkness and shadow as signifiers of evil ominous and prophetic allusion to the and of light being virtue and goodness, since the dragon sickness to which dwarves, as trolls turn to stone as soon as the sun comes up. well as dragons, are prone. This scenario descends close tobathos . Pathos can Elrond’s reading of the moon- be a very powerful presence in great literature, letters on their ancient map is vital to but bathos—the descent from the sublime to the the eventual success of the dwarves’ ridiculous—in this case is weak. If we look deeply and hobbit’s quest. As “luck”—in enough, we can see through the comic element other words, providence—would The Odds of “Luck” to the more serious dimension, when Gandalf have it, Elrond happens to be reading Atheistic readers of The Hobbit and The Lord Through Bilbo’s early uses the natural negativity of the trolls to destroy the map on a midsummer’s eve encounters, we learn that them. As creatures of darkness, they lack charity in a crescent moon, which is the of the Rings scoff at the improbability and “luck” is not merely chance and are prone to quarrel. Gandalf’s actions echo only time that the moon-letters are therefore, in their view, the implausibility of but is evidence of mean- the wisdom of his words in The Lord of the Rings visible. If we believe that everything the “luck” with which certain things happen. ing and purpose in the that “[o]ften does hatred hurt itself.” He uses the in the cosmos is governed by mere Yet, even their own materialist philosophy is cosmos. weight of the trolls’ own sinfulness to bring about chance, the sheer improbability of the based upon the belief that everything in reality their own downfall. Fallen already into sin, they scenario beggars belief and reduces is the product of such “luck,” which is billions of are all too ready to fall into the folly that will be the credibility of the narrative to the times less plausible than Elrond’s reading of the their undoing. level of the absurd. The only way that moon-letters or Bilbo’s finding of the One Ring. The perilous encounter of the dwarves and the coincidence makes sense is if we As these atheists will admit, the chances of us hobbit with the trolls is spoiled somewhat by accept the existence of the hidden being here are billions and billions and billions the rather flippant way in which it is told—at hand of divine providence. to one. But they accept those odds because we least for those readers who prefer the mythic Gandalf accepts the existence of are here. So atheists are obliged to believe in gravitas of The Lord of the Rings to the relative such a hand and the existence of a “luck” where we see purpose and meaning. light-heartedness of The Hobbit. Similarly, Bilbo’s Divine Will that governs the hand. first encounter with the elves seems somewhat When he later describes Bilbo as “the anticlimactic because they are heralded by “a most unlikely person imaginable” to burst of song like laughter” and appear singing find the One Ring, Gandalf concludes “tra-la-la-lally.” However, something of the that “there was something else at work,

14 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 15 beyond any design of the Ring- And if, by some astonishing “luck,” Trusting in “Luck” maker. I can put it no plainer than all of these pieces of the puzzle by saying that Bilbo was meant to are in place, it will be to no avail Discussion Questions find the Ring, and not by its maker.” unless, by “chance,” a thrush He concludes that this “may be an happens to be knocking at the 1. Consider the difference between bathos and pathos. How can the encouraging thought.” precise moment necessary. episode with the three trolls be said to descend to the level of bathos? Is For those, such as Tolkien and The chances of such a scenario this appropriate or is it a literary weakness? Gandalf, who believe that things coming to pass are beyond the 2. Is there a difference between the way in which the elves are depicted in are meant to happen, there is no bounds of belief in a world in which The Hobbit and how they are depicted in The Lord of the Rings? If so, problem in believing that Elrond everything is mere chance and in what exactly is the difference? Is it important? was meant to be studying the map which no divine help can be relied 3. How important is a belief in meaningful and purposeful providence at this precise moment. “Luck” is upon. In such a world, the dwarves to our acceptance of the credibility of the plot of The Hobbit? From an not merely chance but is evidence of and hobbit would have thrown their atheistic or fatalistic perspective, in which everything is governed by meaning and purpose in the cosmos. arms in the air in abject surrender, mere chance, is the plot of The Hobbit credible? This is, of course, the view of those despairing of the possibility of who believe in a supernatural achieving their goal. They would Notes: ordering of reality, but this view return home, disconsolate and will not be accepted by materialists disillusioned. This is not, however, who believe that chance alone is the sort of world in which they live. responsible for the enormity and If finding the key-hole will take a complexity of the cosmos. miracle, they had better hope for If Elrond had seemingly the miracle, and make sure that incredible “luck” reading the they arrive at the Lonely Mountain ancient map at the exact moment in time for Durin’s Day. In other at which its secret letters were words, they have to do their bit of legible, the cryptic meaning of the the bargain. It is, therefore, with secret words themselves suggests hope in their faithful hearts that the that the dwarves and the hobbit party leaves Rivendell and heads will need even greater “luck” if eastward to the Misty Mountains. their quest is to be successful. “Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks,” the moon-letters direct, “and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the key-hole.” Again, the odds are astronomical against the key-hole ever being discovered.

16 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 17 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 4

the world in which we, his readers, live. Goblins and Gollum Leaping over the abyss from story to history, from fiction to fact, the narra- As Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves press tor suggests that goblins were probably forward, climbing steadily into the midst of the responsible for inventing the weapons Misty Mountains, it seems that their luck has of mass destruction that have “since finally deserted them when they are captured by troubled the world,” perhaps reflecting a party of goblins. Tolkien’s experiences and horror of the For Tolkien, the good, the true, and the beauti- First World War. ful are inextricably interwoven. In Christian terms, Comparing the malicious and their unity and inseparability is itself a reflection of destructive “cleverness” of the goblins the Trinity, the source of all goodness, truth, and and the gentle and genteel simplicity beauty. Thus, those who are “cruel, wicked, and of the hobbits, we will perceive that Gollum’s Final Riddle: bad-hearted”—to use Tolkien’s description of the the conflict between those who serve This thing all things devours: The adventure continues goblins—will not make good, true, or beautiful the Shadow and those who walk in the as goblins reflect cruelty, things. The fact that goblins make “clever” things Light is a battle between two civiliza- Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; wickedness, and the evils indicates that intelligence is not a guarantor of tions, the culture of death and the Gnaws iron, bites steel; of technology, and Gollum goodness, nor is it necessarily a means of finding culture of life. Grinds hard stones to meal; shows how hatred often the truth. Intelligence can be used in the service of After escaping from the gob- Slays king, ruins town, hurts itself. cruelty, wickedness, or the weaving of lies. lins and being separated from the And beats high mountain down. In the absence of virtue and wisdom, intel- dwarves, Bilbo puts his hands on ligence becomes a servant of evil. The fact that an object and, again through “luck,” goblins don’t like working with their hands more finds the One Ring. Even in the than they can help illustrates their preference for darkest depths of the goblin domin- technology and its “labor-saving devices.” These ions beneath the mountains, Bilbo wicked creatures eschew the traditional craftsman- is watched over and protected by a ship that takes delight in the work of the hands benign and invisible presence. and its products. Compare the goblins’ dislike of Venturing further beneath the craftsmanship and art with the delight that elves, Misty Mountains, Bilbo meets Gol- hobbits, and dwarves take in such things. lum. The riddling episode, in which In the light of these philosophical musings, it Bilbo and Gollum engage in a war is intriguing that the narrator has the goblins cross of wits, with so much at stake, is one the boundary of the world of Middle-earth into of the most memorable, exciting,

18 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 19 and gripping parts of The Hob- by weaving those discordant themes Goblins and Gollum bit. It draws heavily on Tolkien’s into new and majestically beauti- knowledge and love of Old English ful themes beyond Melkor’s wildest Discussion Questions riddles. After exchanging several imaginings. Every evil design that riddles, Gollum seems to have is meant by the evil characters will 1. Why does Tolkien suggest that goblins are responsible for “real beaten Bilbo. ultimately serve the greater good life” weapons of mass destruction? What does his claim that they But once again, Bilbo is saved that is meant by God. Bilbo is meant invented “the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people by “luck” and receives the answer to to find the Ring by the One Ring’s at once” suggest about the allegorical applicability of the moral the riddle through the providential Master, Sauron. At the same time, he dimension of The Hobbit? presence of a fish. In this episode, is meant to find it by the One God 2. Compare the narrator’s condemnation of goblins in The Hobbit with the Gollum’s own bad luck is his own who is the ultimate Master of the relative simplicity and sanity of the hobbits of the Shire who “love peace fault. If he had behaved fairly and Master. Here we discover the deepest and quiet and good tilled earth.” Considering the difference between virtuously—allowing Bilbo more meaning in The Hobbit and The Lord the malicious and destructive “cleverness” of the goblins and the gentle time to consider his answer—Bilbo of the Rings. and genteel simplicity of the hobbits, in what sense can the conflict in would never have received the sav- Although he has the opportu- The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings be seen as a battle between two ing hint. Again we can hear the echo nity to kill Gollum, Bilbo spares civilizations, the culture of death and the culture of life? of Gandalf’s words that hatred often his life—“with pity.” In these few 3. How does Bilbo’s “luck” during his perilous game of riddling with hurts itself. Bilbo’s “luck” continues words, we see the distinction Gollum affect our understanding of the deeper meaning ofThe Hobbit? when he escapes an enraged Gollum between the “biased fortune” of Notes: through the help of the Ring. Gan- providence, which is connected to dalf surmises, “There was something the cooperation of the individual else at work” in Bilbo’s escape which will, and the determinism of pre- was “beyond any design of the Ring- destination, in which an individual maker.” On this deepest theologi- is “saved” regardless of willing cal level, the Master of the Ring is participation. Bilbo’s escape is not himself an unwitting agent of the predestined but is dependent, in One God. part, on his own actions. It is only Since this understanding of because he behaves virtuously that evil’s ultimate subservience to the he is ultimately able to escape. In will of God is at the very heart of choosing not to take Gollum’s life, the “biased fortune” of The Hobbit Bilbo unwittingly saves his own. and The Lord of the Rings, we should Both acts of evil and acts of virtue remember that in , have consequences. The economy of Melkor, the mightiest of the angels, grace that rules the cosmos ensures brings disharmony into the music that virtue is ultimately rewarded of creation by willing his own will as surely as it ensures that vice is into that great music. God responds ultimately punished.

20 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 21 Redemption, Salvation, and Christianity in Tolkien’s Fiction

The redemption—humanity’s release from It is clear that Tolkien had the fall and the redemption very much in the slavery of Original Sin through the life, mind at the time he was writing The Lord of the Rings. Since, for example, death and resurrection of Christ—was central Original Sin is the one sin to rule them all and in the darkness bind them, and axiomatic to J. R. R. Tolkien’s under- the connection between the One Ring and the one sin is evident and obvi- standing of the very nature of reality. It is, ous. Enigmatic Tom Bombadil says he “knew the dark under the stars when therefore, not surprising that the redemption it was fearless—before the Dark Lord came from Outside.” He remembers serves as an omnipresent, if largely concealed, when the world was innocent, before fear marred its happiness. It is, there- ingredient in his legendarium. fore, no surprise that he and his wife are the only creatures in Middle-earth over whom the One Ring has no power. The facts that Tom Tolkien wrote that “successful Fantasy” and Goldberry represent primal innocence and govern a garden remind us offered “a sudden glimpse of the underlying insistently of pre-lapsarian Adam and Eve. reality or truth … a far-off gleam ofevange - lium in the real world.” Tolkien, in his own Tolkien offers other clues pointing to the centrality of the redemption in work, offers his readers this brief vision of the his legendarium. As a mediaevalist and a philologist, he was well-versed in underlying truth of the Gospel in a multitude the relationship between typology and etymology. Take, for instance, Sau- of subtle ways. Such is his genius that his ron. Etymologically it clearly echoes sauros, the Greek for lizard; typologi- work bears most fruit when it is read in much cally, a lizard is interchangeable with “serpent” or “dragon,” the symbol for the same way that Christians read the Old Satan. Saruman also contains saur and might be said to translate anagram- Testament, as a story that prefigures the truth matically as “Dragonman.” The Old English word for dragon or serpent was which will be revealed in the New Testament. wyrm; hence Wormtongue translates as Dragontongue or Serpent-tongue.

In the appendix to The Lord of the Rings,Tolkien reveals that the Ring Ultimately Tolkien shows the effect of redeeming grace through the is destroyed on March 25, a date that is so significant to Christians that it development of his characters. Those who cooperate with the grace grow could be called the date of the redemption itself. Christians have tradition- in virtue, becoming Christ-like; those who refuse to cooperate with the ally held that the annunciation and the crucifixion took place on this day, the grace wither into pathetic parodies of the people they were meant to be. two events which, alongside the resurrection, constitute Christ’s redemption Gandalf the Grey is transfigured as Gandalf the White, and Strider ascends of fallen humanity. As such, the quest at the center of The Lord of the Rings the throne as Aragorn. Such is the reward of those who accept the gift can be seen as a metaphor for the redemption, most particularly with regard of redemption and who respond heroically to the sacrifices demanded to Christ’s dying for our sin. The Ring-bearer takes up his burden and walks of them. On the other hand, those who deny the gift and defy the call to through the land of death, Mordor, to the summit of Mount Doom, where the heroic self-sacrifice diminish into grotesque shadows of their former selves, power of the Ring to enslave the people of Middle-earth to the will of the Dark as Sméagol tragically fades into Gollum. Lord is destroyed. The echoes of Christ’s carrying of the cross to the height of Golgotha where the power of sin was destroyed forever are palpable.

22 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 23 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 5

Bilbo Comes of Age never likely to fall foul of the dragon sickness to which the dwarves are all too susceptible. Having escaped the tunnels, Bilbo struggles As they make ready to leave with his conscience as he decides whether he Beorn’s hospitality, Gandalf advises ought to go back into the goblin-infested tunnels Bilbo and the dwarves that their to try to rescue his friends. He passes the test success will depend on “luck” and of virtue when he decides to go back into the “courage and sense.” Nothing is tunnels, possibly facing death. Bilbo resolves to guaranteed. The future depends follow the words of Christ, “No greater love has on faith and hope in the power of any man than to lay down his life for his friends.” providence combined with virtuous He is instantly rewarded when he hears the action. A fall into folly could lead dwarves’ voices—in other words, having passed to failure. Gandalf’s last words are Becoming a Warrior the test, the cross is removed. unequivocal and stark: “Be good, “Somehow the killing of a giant spider, Gandalf leaves the party, Although Bilbo does not mention the Ring in take care of yourselves—and DON’T allowing Bilbo to grow up his tale of escape from the goblin tunnels, Gandalf LEAVE THE PATH!” Here Gandalf all alone by himself in the dark without through defeating obstacles seems to know his secret. Gandalf seems to have acts as the archetypal father figure the help of a wizard or the dwarves or on his own. a miraculous knowledge akin to that possessed by advising his children as they embark anyone else, made a great difference to the Divine; his knowledge is comparable to angelic on a journey on which he cannot be Mr Baggins. He felt a different person, power. He is, therefore, not merely a wizard but present to watch over them. and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an also a guardian angel, protecting Bilbo and the His advice is charged with empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on dwarves, and the whole of Middle-earth, from the Christian moral guidance, which the grass and put it back into its sheath.” dark power of the enemy. the everyday language might Traveling on, Gandalf introduces the obscure if we are not paying due (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit) company to Beorn, the mysterious and attention. Being good, or virtuous, threatening shape-changer who can take the is the prerequisite for success, form of a man or a bear. Beorn seems to manifest whereas taking care implies the Tolkien’s deep reverence for nature as God’s need to practice the cardinal virtues creation, serving as an image of Franciscan of prudence and temperance. spirituality. Beorn, who keeps bees, lives simply Most importantly, the emphatic and is at one with nature. He has not “care for exhortation that they should not, such things” as the dwarves love, “there were no under any circumstances, leave the gold or silver in his hall.” It is clear that Beorn is path reminds the Christian of the

24 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 25 Bilbo Comes of Age words of Christ: “Enter through nearly proves fatal. Going astray is the narrow gate; for the gate is not good. Nonetheless, just as God wide and the road broad that gave our first parents the freedom Discussion Questions leads to destruction, and those to go astray by giving them freedom who enter through it are many” itself, we must let our own little 1. Compare and contrast the characters of Beorn in The Hobbit and (Matthew 7:13). hobbits loose to learn the lessons life Radagast in The Lord of the Rings. How can they be seen to represent No sooner has Gandalf taken must teach so that they too can grow a Franciscan spirituality? How does this spirituality compare with his leave than the hobbit and the into fullness of character. the simplicity of the hobbits in the Shire? What does it say about the dwarves leave the path and get lost Gandalf, as a model of true overarching spirituality of the work as a whole? and separated. Alone in the woods, guardianship, accompanies the 2. In what sense can Gandalf be seen as a father figure? How does his Bilbo slays a giant spider, and hobbit and the dwarves on their relationship with Bilbo suggest that The Hobbit is largely about Bilbo’s this is the defining moment for journey for as long as is necessary. own “growing up”? him. This is Bilbo’s initiation into Until they reach the maturity 3. If The Hobbit is about Bilbo becoming a “grown up,” consider the sort of the world of the warrior. He has required to defeat the evils that “growing up” that is involved. What constitutes “growth” in The Hobbit? come of age, becoming something their journey will throw at them, more than he was before. The remains at their side vanquishing of a monster, all alone to protect them and to vanquish Notes: in the dark without the help of the their foes. At the same time, he wizard, is a rite of passage. Perhaps teaches them with his words and his this was part of the reason for example, conveying in his actions Gandalf’s departure. the wisdom and virtue necessary to Bilbo proves that he is an fly the nest without falling to their invaluable member of the company deaths. When he is no longer there after finding and saving the dwarves to do their fighting for them, they from more spiders. The dwarves must learn to survive on their own recognize his usefulness and revere by putting into practice everything his skills, especially when they are he has taught them. taken prisoner by the wood elves And yet, although Gandalf and Bilbo helps them escape yet leaves them, they are never fully on again. We now see that Gandalf’s their own. There is always “luck.” departure was necessary for Bilbo Bilbo in The Hobbit is in some ways to finally come of age. an everyman figure who shows In the story, Bilbo and the us ourselves or, perhaps more dwarves go astray by failing to follow importantly, shows us who we their guardian’s commandment ought to be. The Hobbit calls all of to keep to the narrow path. its readers to grow up. Furthermore, their going astray very

26 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 27 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 6

The Return of the King illegitimately on the “throne” of Thorin’s kingdom, claiming its gold, silver, and jewels as his own. The By “luck,” Bilbo and the dwarves find them- return of the king is necessary for selves arriving at their destination of Lake-town. In the restoration of justice. We should fact, we can say that they only arrived because the also remember that kingship itself is dwarves were captured by the elves. “So you see,” only legitimate insofar as it holds its the narrator tells us, “Bilbo had come in the end by authority from God and reflects the the only road that was any good.” true kingship of Christ. Because of a prophecy about the return of the Thorin has legitimacy on his side. King Under the Mountain, Thorin and his com- He is indeed the true king. Yet, he pany of dwarves are treated like royalty. However, does not return to save his people Thorin Oakenshield unlike Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, Thorin but to “recover his own.” Lacking A Warm Welcome for Thorin returns to Lake-town as is grumpy and obstreperous and falls into the humility, Thorin will be humbled the rightful King Under destructive dragon sickness; he seems tainted by in his pride. As the unfolding of the The King beneath the mountains, the Mountain, and must pride and greed, and serves as a cautionary image plot reveals, dragon sickness is not The King of carven stone, vanquish the usurper, the of vice and its harmful consequences. restricted to dragons. The dwarves are The lord of silver fountains dragon Smaug. But Thorin’s personal vices should not distract clearly driven by their desire to regain Shall come into his own! us from the importance of kingship, nor from the the treasure, and Thorin becomes importance of the king’s return, which is clearly utterly possessed by his obsession His crown shall be upholden, a matter for rejoicing. Tolkien, as a Catholic and with hoarding it for himself once the His harp shall be restrung, a medievalist, drew deep draughts of inspiration dragon is slain. Thus, Thorin forgets His halls shall echo golden from his understanding of true kingship. His all of his allegiance, all of his friend- To songs of yore re-sung. perspective was formed by legendary and historical ship and the debt he owes to Bilbo. examples of exiled kings who return to claim their Even though the dwarves and The woods shall wave on mountains rightful inheritance, such as King Arthur and, from Bilbo have arrived at the Lonely And grass beneath the sun; a Catholic perspective, the Jacobite king-in-exile. Mountain, they’re unable to find the His wealth shall flow in fountains Thorin, though a pale shadow of both Arthur promised access to the dragon’s lair. And the rivers golden run. and Aragorn, is clearly made in the Arthurian Here we see the difference between mold in the sense that his return is heralded by the dwarves and the hobbit. The The streams shall run in gladness, such rejoicing by the common folk of Lake-town. dwarves begin to despair. Bilbo, The lakes shall shine and burn, The dragon, Smaug, the enemy that Thorin however, retains hope. Bilbo, with All sorrow fail and sadness must defeat, is a usurper who is squatting faith, hope, and confidence in the At the Mountain-king’s return!

28 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 29 The Return of the King miracle about to be revealed, waits by a passage from Tolkien’s cel- with quiet patience and is rewarded. ebrated essay “On Fairy Stories”: The miracle happens: the party “The peculiar quality of the ‘joy’ Discussion Questions gains access to the treasure vault in successful Fantasy can thus be under the mountain only through explained as a sudden glimpse of 1. Compare and contrast “the return of the king” in The Hobbit with the the providential combination of the underlying reality or truth . . . king’s return in The Lord of the Rings. What do Thorin’s return and divinely ordained events. a far-off gleam or echo of evange- Aragorn’s have in common? How do they differ? In this scene, the rays of the lium in the real world.” Compare 2. How do the Arthurian and Jacobite desires for the return of the true setting sun serve as the finger of those words with the passage from king affect Tolkien’s approach to kingship in Middle-earth? God, touching a seemingly desper- The Hobbit, which begins and ends ate moment with the providential with the “far-off gleam” of the sun: 3. In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien frequently employs natural manifestations as signifiers of supernatural intervention—we promise of hope’s fulfillment. As “Then suddenly when their hope can think especially of the way in which shafts of sunlight can be seen Tolkien’s friend Roy Campbell was lowest a red ray of the sun as the finger of God. How is this connection between the natural and proclaimed in his sonnet “To the escaped like a finger through a rent the supernatural applicable to the world in which we live? Is it legiti- Sun,” these rays of light both in the cloud. A gleam of light came mate to believe that God speaks to us in the beauty of nature? reveal and conceal the Light that is straight through the opening. . . . their source: The gleam went out, the sun sank.” As we ponder the importance Notes: Oh let your shining orb grow dim, of the sun as a symbol of the pres- Of Christ the mirror and the shield, ence of Divine Light and life in the That I may gaze through you to Him, world, we might see its absence as See half the miracle revealed. symbolic of the shadow of evil and also of the dragon sickness that is The sun is not merely a mirror its consequence. Those who refuse of Christ, reflecting his divine to see the glimpses of providence presence, but also a title that and ignore the gleam of evangelium Christ claims as his own. In the are condemning themselves to a same way, the presence of the sun world of shadow in which the light in Middle-earth is often a signifier is eclipsed by the darkness of sin. of the hidden hand of God, the guarantor that the Divine Light rides above all shadows and that it overrides the designs of the Dark Lord or the dragon. This employment of the sun as signifying a glimpse or gleam of the divine presence is further illustrated

30 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 31 Rediscovering Reality Through Fantasy

Any discussion of “reality” and challenges our blindness to the beauty and inherent meaning of the world “fantasy” must confront the implicit around us; it warns us “that all you had (or knew) was dangerous and potent, assumption inherent in the mod- not really effectively chained, free and wild.” ern materialist weltanschauung, or worldview, that “fantasy” is unreal, Tolkien’s discussion of “Escape and Consolation, which are naturally and therefore irrelevant and imper- closely connected” focuses on a defense of “escapism” against “the tone of tinent. This misunderstanding was scorn and pity with which ‘Escape’ is now so often used: a tone for which the addressed with erudite eloquence uses of the word outside literary criticism give no warrant at all.” Detecting by J. R. R. Tolkien in his defini- the ideological animus behind the critical animosity to “escape,” Tolkien tive essay “On Fairy Stories.” For accused his accusers of seeking to imprison the imagination within the Tolkien, fantasy literature conveyed stifling walls of materialistic presumption. “Why should a man be scorned a healthy trinity of virtues, namely if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he Recovery, Escape, and Consolation. cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison- These three virtues help us see our walls? The world outside has not become less real because the prisoner world and its inhabitants aright cannot see it.” again. So often, that which is most familiar to us becomes taken for Among the reasons why we desire escape, Tolkien ranks “oldest and granted, “things which once attracted us by their glitter…and we laid hands deepest” the “Great Escape: The Escape from Death.” And even though on them, and then locked them in our hoard, acquired them, and acquiring fairy stories might provide many examples of an escape from mortality into ceased to look at them.” immortality, Tolkien states clearly that these are stories “made by men and not fairies.” We can hear strong echoes of his own mythology in his next According to Tolkien, “Recovery (which includes return and renewal of remark that the “Human-stories of the elves are doubtless full of Escape health) is a re-gaining … of a clear view,” and entails “seeing things as we from Deathlessness.” Immortality is truly a great burden, an “endless serial are (or were) meant to see them.” Fantasy literature accesses a reality beyond living,” and the fairy tale is “specially apt to teach such things.” the mundane world of facts. The mysterious and “perilous” realm allows the qualitative to penetrate the merely quantitative. Through fantasy, meaning Finally, the consolation of fairy stories is the “joy of the happy ending.” can permeate the factual. Such literature goes beyond seeing things only as Tolkien says that this joy is neither “escapist” nor “fugitive” as a critic might they are, or as they seem to be; it sees them as they are meant to be. term it. It is “a sudden and miraculous grace.” Tolkien reveals his theology here as he describes the “piercing glimpse of joy, and heart’s desire, that for It does not accept the status quo, merely because it is the “real world,” a moment passes outside … the very web of the story, and lets a gleam come but explores the possibilities of different and better worlds. It transcends the through.” That radiance is the hope all Christians bear for the final “happy barren limitations of “how things are” to explore the fruitful possibilities ending.” This is the consolation offered us by fantasy: “All tales may come of “how things should be.” This intrinsic idealism clearly has implications true; and yet, at the last, redeemed, they may be as like and as unlike the as regards the way that fantasy literature interrelates with reality. Fantasy forms that we give them as Man, finally redeemed, will be like and unlike the fallen that we know.”

32 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 33 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 7

demons. In fact, dragons in Christian The Dragon Sickness of Pride iconography and Christian legend are always demonic and evil. For Now that Bilbo and the dwarves have Christians like Tolkien, the devil and accessed the door to the dragon Smaug’s lair, his demons are real. Thus, the dragon Thorin reminds the hobbit it’s time for Bilbo is not a mere metaphor for man but to “earn his reward.” Understandably annoyed rather a real creature, the devil. In considering all he has already done for the showing us the fictional dragon that is dwarves, Bilbo suggests he is “already owed wasting fairyland, Tolkien is showing some reward.” Nonetheless, he magnanimously us the devil who is trying to waste our agrees to investigate and finds Smaug’s lair. Bilbo’s own souls and those of all men. “staggerment” which we have “no words left to Seeing the dragon as representing express” is caused by his first sight of the sleeping the real presence of demonic evil in Smaug and the many glorious treasures. both the story and the world beyond A Mountain of Wealth Bilbo discovers the We are told that dragons have no real use shows us a mirror that does not dragon’s weakness which for all their wealth, “but they know it to an reveal merely the surface of man’s “Mr. Baggins kept his head more clear of the becomes its downfall, but ounce as a rule, especially after long possession.” character but also the depths of his bewitchment of the hoard than the dwarves not before the dwarves fall The obsessive possessiveness of dragons is soul and the spiritual struggles being did. Long before the dwarves were tired of prey to its sickness of greed an indictment close to our own homes. This waged there. Dragon sickness is not examining the treasures, he became weary of and pride. dragon sickness is applicable as a euphemism simply about bad habits, such as it and sat down on the floor; and he began to for the bourgeois materialism that is rife in our acquisitiveness or possessiveness, but wonder nervously what the end of it all would consumerist culture. also about the sin that causes the bad be. ‘I would give a good many of these precious Smaug’s fury at the loss of a single habits, such as avarice and pride. goblets,’ he thought, ‘for a drink of something insignificant and practically useless trinket that When he creeps down to cheering out of one of Beorn’s wooden bowls!’” Bilbo takes serves as a metaphor for modern investigate again later, Bilbo man and his mania for possessing trash that he engages the dragon in riddles to doesn’t need. Smaug’s rage “passes description— gain information. One riddle’s the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk meaning leaps from the story itself that have more than they can enjoy suddenly as a revelation of the book’s deepest lose something that they have long had but have religious significance. Bilbo claims: never before used or wanted.” “I am he that buries his friends alive Imaginary dragons like Smaug are found in and drowns them and draws them Tolkien’s stories because real dragons are found alive again from the water.” On the in history, as preternatural creatures like angels or allegorical level, a Christian reader

34 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 35 will see the allusion to Baptism— is indicative of the state of their The Dragon Sickness of Pride and that the whole of The Hobbit souls. Despair is a sin because it is is a figurative account of Bilbo’s the denial of the theological virtue Discussion Questions baptism into the fullness of life. of hope, due to pride. The hobbit, He had been “dead” when trying on the other hand, receives the gift 1. As a philologist, Tolkien perceived that language, our vehicle for think- to preserve the life of creature of hope because he has humility. ing and communicating, is in the process of decay. If modern English is a comforts at Bag End, his home in Bilbo “felt a strange lightening of dumbed-down form of that spoken by our ancestors, do you think we can the Shire, and needed to “die to the heart, as if a heavy weight had engage intellectually with the cosmos on the same level as they did? Is the himself,” laying down his life self- gone from under his waistcoat,” decay of our language unavoidable? What can we do to reclaim it? sacrificially for others. In order reminding Christians of the words 2. When Smaug discovers Bilbo’s theft of a goblet from his treasure, his to find the fullness of life, Bilbo of Christ that “my yoke is easy, and anger is described as “the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that needed a baptism of death-defying my burden light” (Matthew 11:30). have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have and life-giving grace. When they discover the long had but have never before used or wanted.” What does this descrip- But the dragon scoffs at the unguarded treasure, the dwarves tion say about the “dragon sickness”? In what ways does the dragon sick- riddle in which Bilbo’s allusion to become ecstatic. Their attachment ness afflict ordinary people? baptism comes closest to the words to and desire for the treasure is a 3. A dragon is not merely a physical monster, but is an incarnation of the of Christ. For Smaug, the riddle of sign of the dragon sickness with demonic. How does Tolkien’s characterization of the dragon harmonize baptism is indeed not “creditable.” which they are afflicted. Bilbo is with the depiction of dragons in Christian art and iconography? Ultimately, the final protected from the bewitchment Notes: confrontation between Bilbo and of the dragon sickness, however, Smaug is a battle to the death by his humility, detachment, and between the humility of the hobbit simplicity of heart. and the pride of the dragon. In Smaug is eventually killed, their battle of wits, Smaug reveals allegorically, by the darkness of his his vulnerability—directly over heart, symbolized by the absence his heart. Smaug’s weak spot is of light reflected from the surface not merely over the heart; it is of of the weak spot in his breast. the heart. Morally speaking, it is Ultimately, the dragon is defeated the wickedness of his heart which through the courage of hobbits will lead to his downfall. Recalling and men; the intervention of once again the words of Gandalf providence, or grace; and Smaug’s that evil often hurts itself, we see own self-destructive pride. that Smaug’s pride is his undoing. The varying response of the dwarves and the hobbit to the same “desperate” and “hopeless” situation of being trapped inside the mountain by Smaug

36 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 37 The Hobbit Joseph Pearce Lecture 8

Blessed Be the Poor in Spirit own legendarium harmonized with orthodox Christian theology. Much of the Christian morality Destroying Smaug is the climactic moment of The Hobbit is conveyed in the of The Hobbit; however, the death of the dragon final conciliatory exchange between does not destroy evil itself—the dragon sickness. Bilbo and Thorin. Bilbo’s last words On the contrary, the dragon’s removal seems to to Thorin are filled with a humble accentuate the evil effects of the sickness in the sorrow: “This is a bitter adventure. Yet dwarves, and in Thorin in particular. The people I am glad that I have shared in your of Lake-town expect compensation for their perils—that has been more than any losses, but Thorin refuses, and the dwarves are Baggins deserves.” The Elves’ Song of Return therefore placed under siege. Their adventure is bitter, insofar “The whole place still stinks of dragon,” as it ends in death, and no amount of The stars are far brighter Bilbo grumbles, “and it makes me sick.” Apart material wealth can compensate for the Than gems without measure, from the literal meaning, his words refer to As the adventure ends, loss of life. And yet, Bilbo would rather The moon is far whiter the “stink” of Thorin and his gold lust, which a humble and grown-up have shared in the deadly perils of his Than silver in treasure: is indistinguishable from the lust with which Bilbo finds great content- friend, even in an adventure that ends The fire is more shining Smaug had guarded his hoard. Thorin, in his ment back at home, just as so bitterly, than have stayed at home On hearth in the gloaming, our life’s pilgrimage leads avarice and pride, has become the very dragon in the comfort of the Shire. In this Than gold won by mining, us to our home in Heaven. that he had sought to slay. embrace of suffering, even unto death, So why go a-roaming? During the Battle of the Five Armies—which Bilbo is encapsulating the whole idea effectively ends the stand-off between the dwarves of life being a cross that we are called and the men of Lake-town—Thorin is mortally to carry willingly and enthusiastically. wounded. Full of contrition for his earlier folly, And Thorin replies, “There is more in Thorin is healed of the dragon sickness and tells you of good than you know, child of Bilbo he is going to the “halls of waiting” to sit the kindly West. Some courage and beside his fathers “until the world is renewed.” some wisdom, blended in measure. If Christian orthodoxy asserts that the souls of those more of us valued food and cheer and who died before the death and resurrection of song above hoarded gold, it would be a Christ were in limbo, a place of waiting. In the merrier world.” moment when “the world is renewed” by Christ’s Life is not about the pursuit of resurrection, they were liberated from what we call creature comforts and taking the paths “Hell” in the Creed. Thus, Tolkien ensured that his of least resistance. It is about love,

38 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 39 Blessed Be the Poor in Spirit which can be defined as willingly quiet days before the Unexpected laying down our lives for others. In Party.” Home is sweeter for the leaving the comfort of the Shire, our absence. Everything is made new; Discussion Questions own “space” and comfort zone, and the new Bilbo sees the old things embracing the many crosses that the with new eyes, and he sees that they 1. The Hobbit parallels the plot structure of The Lord of the Rings inso- adventure of life places in our path, are good—even better. far as evil is not destroyed with the destruction of the Evil Thing (the and in giving ourselves willingly in The purpose of Bilbo’s journey Dragon and the Ring). Why does evil persist in both stories? Why the service of others, we grow in was not material wealth but does evil persist in the world beyond the stories, despite Christ’s virtue, which is the only growth in spiritual health; it was a pilgrimage. victorious resurrection? stature that matters. “My dear Bilbo!” the wizard 2. Having experienced the adventure to the full, Bilbo is not only Furthermore, the one who exclaims. “Something is the matter “glad” for all the pain and sorrow, but feels himself unworthy to have embraces suffering, who dies to with you! You are not the hobbit been blessed with such suffering. What does Bilbo’s gratitude for oneself in order to die for others, that you were.” The wizard in his suffering say about the overarching moral of The Hobbit? How does is actually happier than the one wisdom perceives that the hobbit such gratitude harmonize with Christianity? who shuns suffering and who puts has grown—in moral stature, in 3. How does Bilbo’s return home parallel the motif of the return of the oneself above all else. The most wisdom, and in virtue. In short, he king? How does it signify Bilbo’s participation in a kind of death and miserable people are those who are grew up. Further, Bilbo’s pilgrimage resurrection? self-centered, whose friendships enabled him to grow big enough to are phony, and who value material know how small he is. The greatest Notes: possessions over spiritual wealth. gift that Bilbo receives from all his If we allow Christ to help us carry adventures is the poverty of spirit our cross, we will find the very that enables him to inherit the sufferings of life a source of joy; kingdom of the heaven-haven of the if we refuse his help, we will be home. And since every true home crushed under the weight of our is but an image and prefigurement sin’s gravity. of the ultimate Heaven-Haven And after reaching the Shire, for which we are all made, Bilbo’s Bilbo finds he was presumed dead, kingdom is closer than he realizes and indeed he had died—to his old to the Kingdom of God. self—and was “born again.” It was a baptism into a truer, fuller life. Being dead to the world, Bilbo “did not mind” his loss of reputation and respectability: “He was quite content: and the sound of the kettle on his hearth was ever after more musical than it had been even in the

40 The Hobbit / Joseph Pearce Learn More 41 ABOUT CATHOLIC COURSES Suggested Catholic Courses produces college-level courses on the Learn More most important topics from the Catholic intellectual tradition. Through an extensive selection process, we READING find the Church’s most distinguished professors to teach relevant, faithful, and engaging lectures. Catholic If you would like to learn more about J. R. R. Tolkien, Courses feeds your mind and your soul, helping you his Catholicism, The Hobbit, or The Lord of the Rings, Learn More about Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Professor Joseph Pearce recommends: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Professor: Joseph Pearce Birzer, Bradley J. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth. ISI Graphic Design: Christopher Pelicano Books, 2002. Editor: Sarah Laurell Special thanks to Kevin Gallagher, Jonathan Torres, Brown, Devin. The Christian World ofThe Hobbit. Elisa Torres, Daniel Gallagher, Morgan Castillo, Juleigh Abingdon Press, 2012. Solomon, and Aidan Gallagher.

Caldecott, Stratford. Secret Fire: The Spiritual Vision of IMAGE CREDITS J.R.R. Tolkien. Longman & Todd, 2003. Cover image provided by Kim Solomon

Flieger, Verlyn. Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Francesco Amadio: “The Invitation” pg. 5. Agnieszka Tolkien’s World. William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Budzinska: “The Shire” pgs. 33, 38, & 40. Raymond Gaustadnes: “Over the Misty Mountains” pg. 24. Pearce, Joseph. Tolkien: Man and Myth. Jon Hodgson: “Great Orc” pg. 18; “Hobbit Scholar” HarperCollins, 1998. pg. 25; “Laketown” pgs. 13 & 29; “An Inn Across the Mountains” pgs. 23 & 39. Mike & July: “Good Morning” Pearce, Joseph, ed. Tolkien: A Celebration. pgs. 4 & 6. Katarzyna Nowicka-Galaszkiewicz: HarperCollins, 1999. “Isil” pg. 15. Nicolás Peña: “Bilbo” pg. 35. Andrey Pervukhin: “Hobbit or There and Back Again” pgs. 8, Pearce, Joseph. Bilbo’s Journey: Discovering the Hidden 10, & 13; “Hobbit Illustration 4” pgs. 28 & 30. Barbara Meaning of The Hobbit. Saint Benedict Press, 2012. Sliwinska: “Hobbit – Chapter 3” pgs. 14 & 16; “Hobbit – Chapter 5” pg. 19. Andy Smith: “Inside Information” Purtill, Richard. J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and pgs. 34 & 36. Lu Wenjin: “Cosmos” pg. 9. Religion. Harper & Row, 1984. Our thanks and appreciation to all the artists who Contact us provided their works for use in this course. Shippey, T. A. The Road to Middle-Earth. George Allen for more and Unwin, 1982. All copyrighted images, video, and text are used with the expressed written consent of the owner(s) or have been Catholic Tolkien, Christopher, ed. The Monsters and the Critics deemed “Fair Use” in accordance with Title 17, Section 107 of the Code for the specific instances used. Other Courses! and Other Essays. George Allen and Unwin, 1983. images, video, and text are from public domain sources. All trademarks are used with the permission of their owners or Tolkien, J. R. R. . George Allen and have been deemed nominative fair use for the specific instanc- Unwin, 1964. es used. Use of trademarked or copyrighted material in no way www.CatholicCourses.com implies endorsement by the owner(s) or source. For comments or concerns about the copyright or trademark status of any im- Catholic Courses . 1-800-437-5876 age, video, or text used in this course, please contact Catholic P.O. Box 410487, Charlotte, NC 28241 Courses at [email protected]. Learn More

The Hobbit Discovering Grace and Providence in Bilbo’s Adventures

In this companion course to The Hidden Meaning of the Lord of the Rings, Professor Joseph Pearce highlights the “fundamentally religious and Catholic” nature of Tolkien’s famous novel, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. Although Tolkien might have written the book for his chil- dren’s entertainment, the best children’s literature always has a deep level of meaning, and The Hobbit is no exception. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End and his adventures can serve as a mirror for our pilgrimage through life. Even though we won’t find ourselves travelling through goblin-infested moun- tains, chased by spiders, or threatened by trolls, we can see through Bilbo’s journey that virtue is only attained, with the aid of grace, by slaying the monsters which try to prevent our passage into eternal glory. Joseph Pearce Thomas More College, New Hampshire Professor Joseph Pearce is Writer in Residence and Visiting Fellow at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH. He is the author of Bilbo’s Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning in The Hobbit (Saint Benedict Press, 2012) and Tolkien: Man and Myth, a Literary Life (HarperCollins, 1998). He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Higher Education from Thomas More College for the Liberal Arts and the Pollock Award for Christian Biography. He is co-editor of the St. Austin Review, editor-in-chief of Ignatius Critical Editions, and editor-in-chief of Sapientia Press.

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