Last night I finished reading the Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. Hitherto I had not read any novels for quite some time nor had I read anything of Tolkien. (I attempted to read Lord of the Rings as a child but I never got far). It was only out of whim when I saw the book lying around that I started to read it as something to do before bed. This time I was immediately drawn into the world of Middle Earth and within a week I had finished the entire novel. I enjoyed the work so much that I went to a brick and mortar bookshop and purchased a nice box set containing the Hobbit and the three Lord of the Rings novels. Even though I already possessed a copy of the Hobbit I wanted the box set for my bookshelf. Next time I'm out I'll donate my old copy to Saint Vinnies and hopefully it will provide someone out there with the same joy it provided me.
In any case, sitting up in bed wrapped up in a blanket reading a novel was an experience I never realized I missed. Sure, e-books are neat and have their place but there's something about the experience of a physical book which e-books lack. Books are objects of beauty and they invite me to read them more than digital files on a laptop or a Kindle ever could. It also opened my eyes to the value of fiction which I had dismissed for quite some time. Most of my reading has been non-fiction but I now see that I ought to make more time for stories. Especially for works as in depth and expansive as Tolkien's.
Indeed the themes in the Hobbit left me contemplating the nature of ideas such as mercy and greed. In the Misty Mountains Bilbo stumbles upon the One Ring and as a result gains the upper hand in his conflict with Gollum. Bilbo gains the opportunity to slay Gollum but instead chooses to leap over him despite the risk of such an action. Gollum seeks to eat Bilbo and thus Bilbo would have been justified in slaying the vile creature. Yet Bilbo chooses the path of mercy. An act of mercy which would prove instrumental in the defeat of Sauron many decades later.
Likewise Smaug spends his time sitting upon his horde of treasure. He knows every piece of it down to the most insignificant coin and so he notices and flies into a murderous rage when Bilbo steals a goblet while he was sleeping. As a dragon Smaug has no use for his horded wealth. He cannot spend it (nor would he want to) rather it sits idle in a ruin serving no purpose other than Smaug's irrational obsession. Smaug seeks treasure for treasure's sake far beyond any tangible benefit for him. Likewise Thorin is overcome by the same obsession and alienates Bilbo and the people of Lake-Town, whom the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain depend upon for food and whose town had been decimated by the Dwarves' awakening of Smaug. Indeed a portion of the treasure never belonged to the Dwarves to begin with, yet Thorin refuses to see reason until he is mortally wounded in the Battle of Five Armies.
Remember the Hobbit is a lighthearted children's book and yet in its themes there is much insight to be gained. I can only imagine the value I'll see in the Lord of the Rings when I begin to read it this evening. It has opened my eyes to the value of fiction and so even after I'm done with the trilogy I intend to make novel reading a regular part of my life going forward.
I would also encourage people to read more books. I have read news stories claiming that fewer adults than ever are regularly reading for pleasure. The prospect of book reading becoming a culturally niche activity would be a truly sad development.
In any case, sitting up in bed wrapped up in a blanket reading a novel was an experience I never realized I missed. Sure, e-books are neat and have their place but there's something about the experience of a physical book which e-books lack. Books are objects of beauty and they invite me to read them more than digital files on a laptop or a Kindle ever could. It also opened my eyes to the value of fiction which I had dismissed for quite some time. Most of my reading has been non-fiction but I now see that I ought to make more time for stories. Especially for works as in depth and expansive as Tolkien's.
Indeed the themes in the Hobbit left me contemplating the nature of ideas such as mercy and greed. In the Misty Mountains Bilbo stumbles upon the One Ring and as a result gains the upper hand in his conflict with Gollum. Bilbo gains the opportunity to slay Gollum but instead chooses to leap over him despite the risk of such an action. Gollum seeks to eat Bilbo and thus Bilbo would have been justified in slaying the vile creature. Yet Bilbo chooses the path of mercy. An act of mercy which would prove instrumental in the defeat of Sauron many decades later.
Likewise Smaug spends his time sitting upon his horde of treasure. He knows every piece of it down to the most insignificant coin and so he notices and flies into a murderous rage when Bilbo steals a goblet while he was sleeping. As a dragon Smaug has no use for his horded wealth. He cannot spend it (nor would he want to) rather it sits idle in a ruin serving no purpose other than Smaug's irrational obsession. Smaug seeks treasure for treasure's sake far beyond any tangible benefit for him. Likewise Thorin is overcome by the same obsession and alienates Bilbo and the people of Lake-Town, whom the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain depend upon for food and whose town had been decimated by the Dwarves' awakening of Smaug. Indeed a portion of the treasure never belonged to the Dwarves to begin with, yet Thorin refuses to see reason until he is mortally wounded in the Battle of Five Armies.
Remember the Hobbit is a lighthearted children's book and yet in its themes there is much insight to be gained. I can only imagine the value I'll see in the Lord of the Rings when I begin to read it this evening. It has opened my eyes to the value of fiction and so even after I'm done with the trilogy I intend to make novel reading a regular part of my life going forward.
I would also encourage people to read more books. I have read news stories claiming that fewer adults than ever are regularly reading for pleasure. The prospect of book reading becoming a culturally niche activity would be a truly sad development.
Last edited:
I finally manage to complete the story when it came as a movie, and even that weren't to good. 
