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[ Daily Tolkien ] A Tolkien Virgin: The Hobbit - Chapter 5
Tolkien Online ^ | May 10, 2000 | Mark-Edmond

Posted on 04/07/2003 1:43:12 AM PDT by JameRetief

A Tolkien Virgin: The Hobbit - Chapter 5
by Mark-Edmond

The Journey Continues


How much luck is really involved with finding Gollum's precious?

Chapter 5 and a bit of Luck

Chapter 5 - Riddles in the Dark

What a sad, twisted, creature Gollum is! I like how Tolkien writes so well that I felt, while reading, what Bilbo felt, pity mixed with revulsion and fear. I kind of wish Bilbo had killed Gollum, bringing a merciful end to his miserable existance. I thought that maybe Tolkien didn't have Bilbo kill Gollum because it is a children's book, but then a bunch of Goblins just got killed as well as fair white pony. Then I got to thinking that killing Gollum would've been too easy. It's far more complex/adult a story element to leave Gollum to an even more miserable existence than to slay him--maybe this isn't just a children's book. Then maybe I'm just reading too much into everything.

By the end of Riddles in the Dark, I can see how Bilbo may have an adventurer in him yet. His leap over Gollum and his escape from the Goblins, although aided by the ring, was more than that fat Bilbo from a few chapters back would have even dreamed...or even had nightmares about (okay so he's still fat, but still!)! Character development. I like that.

Now, I'm left wondering how he's ever going to meet up with the rest of his party...assuming that some of the Dwarves and Gandalf made it out alive.

Luck

Okay so there is no chapter titled "Luck" as far as I know, but I wanted to bring it up. You see, I'm not too crazy about how much the story has depended on luck at this point. I'm not going to pick on it too much, but here's a list:

Luckily Bilbo finds the key to the Trolls cave--luckily the key fell out of the Troll's pocket before the sun turned him (and ostensibly his clothing and everything in his pockets) to stone. Luckily, the Trolls had the two Goblin-slaying swords and a dagger for the party to discover. Luckily Elrond discovered the moon-letters on the map. Luckily it was exactly the right moon by which to see the moon-letters. Luckily Bilbo awoke from his dream in time to warn Gandalf of the Goblins. Luckily, Bilbo discovered the ring in total darkness. Luckily, Bilbo's new dagger glowed just enough for him to see by. Luckily, Bilbo answered the "time" riddle correctly. Luckily Golem accepted the challenge of Bilbo's accidental non-riddle. Luckily Bilbo put the ring on and discovered its effect. And last but not least, luckily Gollum led Bilbo to the way out.

Like I said I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I mean, it's just a fantasy story for children, right? But, let me just say that if Tolkien continues to rely on that much luck to make everything work out in the end, I'll be a little disappointed.

Okay, well, before I close let me just say that I'm really enjoying the Hobbit and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Author: Mark-Edmond
Published on: May 10, 2000

The next Tolkien Virgin article continues with The Hobbit - Chapters 6 and 7


TOPICS: Books/Literature; TV/Movies; The Hobbit Hole
KEYWORDS: daily; hobbit; lordoftherings; tolkien; virgin

The Daily Tolkien articles
by various authors

The Tolkien Virgin articles
by Mark-Edmond

       ARTICLES 01-10        ARTICLES 01-10
       ARTICLES 11-20        ARTICLES 11-20
       ARTICLES 21-30 21) Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad
       ARTICLES 31-40 22) Of Turin Turambar
       ARTICLES 41-50 23) Of the Ruin of Doriath
       ARTICLES 51-60 24) Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin
61) Gil-galad was an Elven-king... 25) Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath
62) The Folk of Angmar 26) Summary Of The Silmarillion, Akallabeth and Epilogue
63) Is Your Canon On The Loose? 27) The Hobbit - Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party
64) Razing Arnor: How real were the Dunadan conspiracies? 28) The Hobbit - Chapters 2, 3, & 4
65) The Great Worms 29) The Hobbit - Chapter 5
66) The magic of the minstrels  

1 posted on 04/07/2003 1:43:12 AM PDT by JameRetief
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To: maquiladora; ecurbh; HairOfTheDog; 2Jedismom; Maigret; NewCenturions; 24Karet; Wneighbor; ...
Your Tolkien Virgin Ping!

Read along with a Tolkien Virgin as he discovers and comments on the history of Middle Earth as he reads it for the first time.  These articles started with The Silmarillion, is now journeying through The Hobbit, and will finish with the epic Lord Of The Rings.  At the pace of 2 articles per week (Mondays and Fridays) the articles will wrap up about the same time that the final movie of the Lord Of The Rings story is released. 

If anyone would like for me to ping them directly when I post the Tolkien Virgin articles or my Daily Tolkien articles let me know. I hope that you enjoy them!

2 posted on 04/07/2003 1:43:52 AM PDT by JameRetief
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To: 2Jedismom; Alkhin; Alouette; Anitius Severinus Boethius; artios; AUsome Joy; austinTparty; ...

Ring Ping!!

3 posted on 04/07/2003 8:33:10 AM PDT by ecurbh (HHD)
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To: JameRetief; Corin Stormhands; rightwingreligiousfanatic; JenB; 2Jedismom; BibChr
I don't know that it was all "luck", maybe it was all predestined to happen the way it happened.

I hope Mr. Edmonds picks up on the theme of Iluvatar guiding some things to happen. I believe, in the beginning of "The Silmarillion", Iluvatar even said He would cause things to happen.

Even though Tolkien did not write allegory you cannot totally divorce his faith from his writings.
4 posted on 04/07/2003 9:15:38 AM PDT by ksen (HHD)
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To: ksen
I was always of the impression that the ring was actually making the things happen so it could get back to Sauron in Mordor.
5 posted on 04/07/2003 11:09:17 AM PDT by Pest
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To: Pest
I was always of the impression that the ring was actually making the things happen so it could get back to Sauron in Mordor.

Sure, but if you listen to Gandalf he said that there was another power out there besides evil.

I don't know if there is a quote like this in the books, but in the film version during Galadriel's initial voice-over in the prologue she says that "the something happened that the Ring did not intend." That was when Bilbo found the Ring.

So if the Ring did not intend for a Hobbit to find it, who did? I maintain that it was Iluvatar.

6 posted on 04/07/2003 11:26:24 AM PDT by ksen (HHD)
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To: Pest; ksen
Quoting Gandalf from Chapter 2 of The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past":

‘There was more than one power at work, Frodo. The Ring was trying to get back to its master. It had slipped from Isildur’s hand and betrayed him; then when a chance came it caught poor Déagol, and he was murdered; and after that Gollum, and it had devoured him. It could make no further use of him: he was too small and mean; and as long as it stayed with him he would never leave his deep pool again. So now, when its master was awake once more and sending out his dark thought from Mirkwood, it abandoned Gollum. Only to be picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable: Bilbo from the Shire!

‘Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.’

7 posted on 04/09/2003 5:52:51 PM PDT by Bear_in_RoseBear (BeBopALula)
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