【Book Review】The Hobbit

     Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who lives peacefully and comfortably in his little hobbit-hole in Bag End. Bilbo’s life is unchanged and perfectly normal just like other hobbits until one day everything is changed forever with the arrival of Gandalf, the wizard, and other thirteen dwarves. Bilbo then has to start an epic journey with these thirteen dwarves for the purpose of reclaiming the ancient dwarves’ treasure which is now guarded by a gigantic and dangerous dragon…

    The Hobbit is a well-known and highly acclaimed book which I read for many times and still can’t stop my deep fond of the story. To be honest, The Hobbit is the book which opens the intriguing world of fantasy to me. Recently, after re-reading this book for the eighth or ninth time, I decided to write down carefully about my thoughts about this epic journey that J.R.R. Tolkien had created nearly a century ago.

    The plot of The Hobbit is not complicated since it’s basically the Hero’s Journey. This book can be regarded as the easiest fiction written by Tolkien. It’s comparatively less difficult to be engrossed in compare to Tolkien’s other literary works such as the world famous Lord of the Ring series. I believe because of its target audiences are originally children and teenagers, the language in the book is less intricate but still full of fantastic details. The Hobbit is no doubt to be suitable for readers of all different ages.

-Spoilers Alert!!-

    I love the fact that as audiences, we can observe the development of each character through the journey. One of the examples is Thorin Oakenshield. At the beginning, Thorin is a character with power and leadership. But as the story progresses, he becomes less appealing when he reveals his stubbornness and weakness in his character. As a team’s leader, Thorin is supposed to form practical plans when the team members are facing obstacles and dangers, but unfortunately, he doesn’t. Moreover, his greedy nature becomes extremely evident after their arrival at the Lonely Mountain. However, he successfully redeems himself when he shows his regret before his death. Another essential example of this development is, of course, Bilbo Baggins. He is my absolutely favorite character in The Hobbit. At first, Bilbo is just a character with the normal disposition like many other normal “people”. He has no ambition to change the world or becomes some kind of hero, but suddenly, he is forced to enter this magical world full of darkness and risks. He expresses his longing for his home throughout the entire journey, from the beginning to the end. Even his desire for home is strong, he never shrinks from danger. We see how he fights with the trolls, tries to trick Gollum, escapes from the spiders, frees his comrades from the dungeon in the Mirkwood and bravely talks to Smaug, the dragon. Bilbo’s journey is hazardous, but he never gives up his hope and always comes up with solutions which not only save him but also all of his teammates. He therefore gradually earns the respect of the other team members. I am fascinated by this development and truly moved by the character of Bilbo.

When it comes to my favorite part of the story, it must be the part when Bilbo plays the riddle game with Gollum. I still remember my feelings when I read this part for the first time, I was so nervous that I couldn’t even dare to turn to the next page, fearing Gollum may find the truth and thus cruelly kills Bilbo. That was my reaction several years ago, even though I was certain that such thing wouldn’t happen. 

The 75 anniversary edition cover

    Now I want to talk about the edition that I have. I have the so-called 75th-anniversary edition in paperback. I love the texture of the cover page as well as its design. More importantly, there are several fabulous illustrations throughout the book, which from my point of view, are brilliant, especially during times when I am a little tired of reading. There is also a map of the Lonely Mountain at the beginning of the book. I love maps because, in my eyes, they are the indication of the grand opening of an epic journey. I love my copy of The Hobbit as much as the story itself.

    Finally, I want to talk briefly about the movie adaptation. If I am asked to give the movie a rating, I will give it 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. I love Martin Freeman’s performance alongside with other actors such as Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen. My only complaint is the presence of additional female character. Considering the fact that I am a huge fan of the original story, I have little tolerance when it comes to changes of the plot or adding new characters. Maybe that’s only my problem, maybe I am just too strict about movie adaptations. No matter what, the movies (because there are three) of The Hobbit are still worthy of compliment. I am terribly sad when the thought that there will never be another Tolkien related movie coming to existence comes to my mind.

    Although I highly doubt if there are people who still have not read this book before, I wholeheartedly recommend everyone who reads my blog to go read this book again. I promise it will absolutely worthy of your time and effort.