Middle-earth Journeys

I think they'd like the Wild Mushroom Stuffed Fillet but wouldn't know what to make of the salad course!

I guess, following our Hobbit Calendar, that Bilbo has gotten pretty good at sneaking around the Elves' caves, not being able to talk with anyone and pilfering food, probably finding some dark corner to catch a nap in. I think Tolkien reports that this is the worst part of the whole adventure for him. It's interesting, I think, that the most terrifying aspects aren't the worst, but this long stretch of uncharacteristic behavior. Is Tolkien trying to tell us something about war? Or about day-to-day life?

Merry wrote: Is Tolkien trying to tell us something about war? Or about day-to-day life?

There's no doubt that Tolkien's war expeeriences surface from time to time in The Hobbit - and the more I look into the tale, the more I realise that consciously or not, Tolkien has given his children - and readers - a blueprint for life. What are we learning? ordinary folk can be braver and more resourceful than they think; patience is a virtue; and there are always people out there who will ask you to do things they are not willing to do themselves . . .

I hope everybody is keeping up with our most excellent Hobbit Calendar--events are coming together furiously these days!

One thing I am learning as we do this calendar together is that I am no longer very fond of these dwarves! You don't really realize it as you're reading the book, but looking at the events in linear time makes it clearer: they are really very selfish little fellows. They have to know that Smaug is taking his revenge on the environs for their entry into his lair, but their attention is totally on treasure. I'm starting to see dwarves from the elves' point of view.

(By the way, speaking of 'dwarves' and 'elves', I was totally distracted last Sunday when our newly-ordained deacon kept saying 'lifes' rather than 'lives' in his homily. Tolkien would have been appalled.)

I'm feeling the same about the Dwarves, Merry. They are not coming out of this very well at all. Looked at critically as we follow their journey against Bilbo's they are selfish, childish and full of bluster. It takes the battle at the end to redeem them - up to that point they seem whinging and cowardly (letting Bilbo face the dragon alone), but greater events seem to finally get the best out of them. Bilbo, on the other hand, shines with an ever brighter light with every challenge thrown at him. I've never seen The Hobbit so clearly before. It's been a great exercise doing this calendar!

I've never seen The Hobbit so clearly before. It's been a great exercise doing this calendar!

It has, indeed. I've never been a huge fan of The Hobbit, but I've come to view it with new respect since we started this undertaking. Far more depth than I first thought! And the dwarves don't come out of it very well at all . . . .

I agree that the dwarves in general come off somewhat poorly in The Hobbit. I find it particularly funny that these supposedly brave and doughty warriors almost from the outset use poor, soft, inexperienced little Bilbo to do their dirty work -- particularly when he is pushed into spying on the trolls and then later practically shoved down the tunnel into the dragon's lair. Only Balin had the courage and decency to go with him -- only part of the way.

But I do think it is a mistake to lump them all into one category. For the most part, they are taking their cues from their leader Thorin, and once he is so completely overtaken by treasure-sickness, I think a good defense attorney could successfully argue that Thorin really isn't in his right mind. Tolkien takes great pains to describe Thorin thusly:

And already, so strong was the bewilderment of the treasure upon him, he was pondering whether by the help of Dain he might not recapture the Arkenstone and withhold the share of the reward.

Clearly, Tolkien is making the argument that Thorin is not at all himself.

Tolkien also points out to us on several occasions that not all of the dwarves were in agreement with Thorin. Please note these two passages:

From "The Gathering of the Clouds" (after Thorin has dismissed the herald from Bard and the Elvenking by firing an arrow at him):

So grim had Thorin become, that even if they had wished, the others would not have dared to find fault with him; but indeed most of them seemed to share his mind -- except perhaps old fat Bombur and Fili and Kili.

From "The Clouds Burst" (after Thorin cruelly dismisses Bilbo from their party, barely restraining the urge to kill him):

And so Bilbo was swung down from the wall, and departed with nothing for all his trouble, except the armour which Thorin had given him already. More than one of the dwarves in their hearts felt shame and pity at his going.

Clearly, even before they are aware of the danger from Bolg's army of goblins and wargs, the dwarves are not all of the same mind about Thorin's decisions regarding the treasure and his treatment of Bilbo. But it seems they lack either the courage or the will to stand up to Thorin.

And finally, Thorin himself begs pardon from Bilbo upon his deathbed, tacitly admitting how very wrong he was:

"Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate."

So while I do agree that the dwarves of The Hobbit generally behave less than admirably from time to time, I would caution against the urge to tar them all with the same brush.

Good points, as usual, Lindariel. Your mastery of the texts is always impressive!

I think it's interesting to compare the dwarves in terms of generations: the Thorin generation still remembers the relative poverty that followed after Smaug, while maybe Fili and Kili never knew the glory days and they think of their present lives as normal. By the time we get to Gimli, their way of life must have been rather restored, and we see a kind of noblesse oblige in the dwarves again.

Exactly, Merry! Thorin and Balin were THERE when the dragon attacked and Thorin's father and grandfather barely escaped with their lives, thanks to the secret "side door." To go from such incredible splendor and majesty to ekeing out a living as iron miners would have been an extraordinarily hard pill to swallow, especially for Thorin as the heir of the once mighty Kingdom Under the Mountain. It is Thorin's pride that opens him to the greed and lust for the treasure that temporarily overthrows all his good sense and nobility.

We should also not overlook the influence of one of the seven rings that had been given to the Dwarves. Remember this passage from Appendix A of LOTR?

. . . the Dwarves now believe that Sauron by his arts had discovered who had this Ring, the last to remain free, and that the singular misfortunes of the heirs of Durin were largely due to his malice. For the Dwarves had proved untameable by this means. The only power over them that the Rings wielded was to inflame their hearts with a greed of gold and precious things, so that if they lacked them all other good things seemed profitless, and they were filled with wrath and desire for vengeance on all who deprived them.

Does that sound like someone we know? Now, I must point out that this last ring of the Dwarves never came to Thorin. Gandalf reveals the following during the Council of Elrond:

Balin will find no ring in Moria . . . . Thror gave it to Thrain his son, but not Thrain to Thorin. It was taken with torment from Thrain in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. I came too late.

Nonetheless, Thorin was exposed to it for a good portion of his life until Thrain departed on his disastrous journey. The influence was already there, even though the ring itself had returned to Sauron, and this would have left Thorin particularly susceptible to the "bewilderment" of the dragon hoard.

Very interesting, Lindariel! I've always thought that the behaviour of the dwarves - or of Thorin in particular - after the gold is recovered was almost like a drug addiction. Thorin is clearly unable to think in a balanced way about anything at that point. It's interesting to be reminded that this is tied to Sauron and the dwarven rings. Lust for gold was always the dwarves weakness, though, and the rings just exploited this as the one route to mastery. The course of lest resistance.

But the all dwarves in the Hobbit are pretty unlikable, to me at least, from the beginning. They are all happy to see poor Bilbo take the risks. But as the journey progresses and they get nearer the gold Thorin definitely becomes worse and goes from being annoying and unlikable to dangerous and this is when some of the other's start to doubt him and show better qualities (not that they act on them).

Events are happening fast and furious in the Hobbit Calendar! I'm not at all familiar with Alan Lee's Hobbit illustrations, so I was pleased to find one illustrating our current calendar entry--really a fine piece of work. Take a look!

Thank you for the heads up Merry. I suspect there are hundreds of illustrations from Lee I've not seen yet.

Lee has a series of sketches that are simply wonderful. The detail is exquisite...but then I am a fan.

Riv Res wrote:...but then I am a fan.

There's nothiong wrong with that.

Many dislike the dwarves, as I see. I pity them and see their modus operandus. My interpretation of their behaviour is as follows:
One's character and nature is determined by one's upbringing and societal mannerisms. It would be abnormal for an elf to start tearing down trees and appearing untidy as that is not the norm for the elvish culture. The dwarves are just behaving as they are raised to behave.
Poverty via the loss of riches does something to a person. They lose the identity that they have had and see their worth in whatever little precious possessions they have. That happened to a close friend of mine and she changed before my eyes. The same thing most probably happened to the king of the Dwarves. Imagine - you're King, respected, revered, have a luxury life and pride yourself in taking care of your people and that they want for nothing. Then in an instant, all your wealth is taken away, and you hunger and thirst and struggle just like your people. Wouldnt that make you sour? I see why he became a different person when he saw the jewels and why he would do anything to get it - even use Bilbo. He tied the jewels- owning it - to his own worth.
Also remember that the Dwarves would have had intense inferiority complexes. They were the first born - according to the Silmarilion - but were buried underground until the Illuvatar produced his first born. That would put an inferiority complex on anyone - even the elves, if it happened to them. Based on that, I can see why they're bad tempered, rough, and dont care about others - the fact that not even the Illuvatar cared for them.

Just my opinion, as always.