Book 149: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

 “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

I'm pretty sure there is nothing new or insightful I can say about Tolkien's The Hobbit. It is everywhere and there has been so much conversation about Tolkien's Middle Earth that anything I DO say will just be swept under the rug.

Instead, I can tell you about my own experiences with the book, in hopes that my personal relationship to the book and Tolkien are enough to get you to read further, and perhaps, comment below. :)

I was obsessed with fantasy and science-fiction as a teenager. I discovered the genres in middle school, and quickly flew through some amazing series and examples of each. Then I ventured off to high school and learned that apparently, girls don't read those genres, let alone LOVE them. So I swept them under the rug in my first year and attempted to read "girly" things and books that would convince my Honors English teacher I was smart.

Eventually (and thankfully) I grew out of that stage and realized that it didn't really matter and that I loved fantasy. I purchased The Hobbit and read it for the first time (and later The Lord of the Rings, which I wrote about in this very early post on my blog). I fell in love with Tolkien's world and was convinced that there was nothing greater than Middle Earth.

I've read the book numerous times since then. In the Mystery/Science Fiction/Fantasy class that I took as a junior in high school, The Hobbit was part of the curriculum. I adored the whole unit (and the class), and we even watched the very old school animated version of the book. It was my own nerdvana, and I loved it.

Since high school, I've revisited the book from time to time. In fact, when I cracked open my battered copy on this most recent reread, all the memories of reading it came back-being in my mom's car, carrying it to school to read after a test, reading favorite parts in college as a break from other books, and lugging it in my move out of my parents' house and into our current apartment. It is a very well-loved book and holds so much comfort for me.

There is something to be said about that-finding comfort in a book and remembering not only the characters, setting, and plot, but also that places that you have been while reading the book. I wish I had the same strong feelings about each book I read.

As far as the story, it was everything I remembered. Since I read this in the fall, you can assume that I read it before we went to see the new movie (which I loved). On this most recent read, I really tried to focus in on the dwarves and Gandalf's role. I noticed only a few new insights and was happy to see that the new movie built on a lot of the back story (and hello, Radagast. He is awesome).

In any case, I loved the book, loved the memories it brought me, and I can't wait to read it again. :)

Book 7 Part 3: The End of All Things.

I managed to finish The Return of the King in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. I lay down to read at 11:30 Tuesday night and didn’t stop until around 1:30, flying through the 200 pages I had left.

Even though I know the story so well, it stills leaves me with a great feeling of…awe. I love Tolkien’s world, his characters, the language, and the grandeur of what he accomplished in The Lord of the Rings. Even when you think you know the story completely, something surprises you.

During this reading, I particularly paid attention to the poems and songs the characters recall and sing. I remember in my first reading just skimming over them. And while many of them can be long and tedious, they really display the depths of Tolkien’s world.

In particular, I was drawn to this one, sung by Sam when he is drawing up the courage to rescue Frodo from Cirith Ungol:

“In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe ‘tis cloudless night
And swaying beeches bear
The Elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey’s end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun
And Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
Nor bid the stars farewell,” (205).

It is a beautiful reflection of courage in a dark time and something I hope to remember in my own challenges.

Another of my favorite lines is said by Frodo:

“‘I am glad that you are here with me,’ said Frodo, ‘Here at the end of all things, Sam,’” (253).

It is just beautifully poetic and meaningful. I love the relationship between Sam and Frodo. Their friendship is so deep and powerful that Sam is willing, literally, to go to hell and back for Frodo, and carries him the last part of the way.

It really is due to Sam’s faith in Frodo that Frodo makes it, turning Sam as well into a hero in a story filled with heroic journeys.

The only other portion of the story I wanted to touch on was the part after the War of the Ring when the hobbits return to the Shire and Hobbiton to find it being run by Saruman, the wizard Gandalf destroys. That chapter in the novel seems to reflect the notion that home is not always safe and stagnant, that it too can change in the midst of war, even when you don’t expect it too.

I also think that it is one of two things that Peter Jackson left out of his movies that should have been put in (the other being Tom Bombadil).

In all, I loved reading this series again, but truth be told, I am glad to be moving on to new things that I don’t know as well. I think knowing this story so well made this hard on me to read.

No more Book 7. On to number 8!

Book 7 Part 3: The Journey of a Hero.

The concept of a hero’s journey is nothing new. Lots of people have had ideas about the qualities that define a hero. For those of us who have perhaps studied it a little more in an English class, you might recall the name of Joseph Campbell, who defined the steps of a hero’s journey and the path that one must take to even be considered a hero.

This journey is also referred to as a monomyth (you can search it on wikipedia, which has a good article about it) and basically describes the stages of a hero. Mainly that they are thrust into this role, go though trials and tribulations to define themselves, come to terms with their past, realize their potential, and eventually save the day!

Okay, I over simplified the idea, but I think you see what I mean. Since Campbell defined this process, you can apply it to a lot of characters from both books and films.

The original Star Wars movie, A New Hope, follows the journey fairly closely. Luke Skywalker fits many of the qualities of a hero. He’s born from some high and lofty parents, but lives a normalish childhood. He is eventually thrown into a situation where he faces challenges and has to come to terms with who he is. He ends up confronting his past and eventually saves the day.

In regards to books, there are many examples. I had to write about the whole journey in regards to Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game when I was a freshman in high school (by the way, Ender’s Game is one of my ultimate favorite books). In that novel, a young boy realizes his hero role in a rather unexpected way.

A more popular hero today is Harry Potter. He also goes through many of the stages of heroism. In fact, I think J.K. Rowling follows Campbell’s formula more closely than almost any other example I can think of.

The original hero, Odysseus, also follows many of the original steps outlined by Campbell. I have a feeling Campbell based everything off The Odyssey since it is the original story of heroism.

My favorite step of all of these heroes’ journeys is the piece where they confront themselves, the past, and usually visit the land of the dead, or the underworld. For Odysseus, he traveled to the underworld to consult those who died before him. There he learned more about what might be waiting for him at home when he finally did return from his struggle. Harry Potter also visits the land of the dead to talk with a character who died before giving him more knowledge. He also brings back the ghosts of the dead throughout a couple of the novels and confronts them in his own way. In the first Harry Potter book, Harry has to confront the images of his parents in the mirror he finds. Later on, actual ghosts appear in the graveyard scene and before his encounter with Voldemort and the Death Eaters in the Forbidden Forest.

This all brings me back to The Lord of the Rings and the two heroes who emerge. The first I want to talk about is Aragorn. In a very literal sense, he walks through the Paths of the Dead very early on in The Return of the King to have the dead withhold an oath they made years prior. This step also solidifies Aragorn as king of Gondor because he gets the dead to withhold that oath, even though it was to h ancestor the oath was made. When he emerges from the Paths of the Dead, Aragorn finally makes the transition into a hero because he finally accepts that role.

The other hero is Frodo. Frodo encounters death and the underworld in many different variations throughout the series. Obviously when he goes to through the ring into Mount Doom he is facing the idea of death, especially when Gollum fights him for the ring. There he is faced with the ultimate struggle between life and death. He also faces death on Weathertop, when he is stabbed by the Nazgul’s blade and starts the transformation into a wraith.

More importantly, the ring itself is Frodo’s constant struggle with the dead. It is a constant temptation to give in to Sauron’s power and commit to evil and the destruction of Middle-Earth. In the end, it is Frodo’s decision to get of the ring that saves him and makes him into a hero. He can’t really be called a hero until that decision is made, or at least that is what Campbell’s theory says.

Both of those heroes in this trilogy are different. I see Aragorn as the token hero. He is meant to be a hero. Frodo is the unlikely one so of course, he is the one we all route for. His course and decision seem to be far more difficult than Aragorn’s decision on whether or not to take on the role as King.

This has to make you wonder whether we bestow the title of “hero” too lightly. I know that as a kid my heroes were the people I saw on TV or movie screens, not necessarily people who were really deserving of that title. Now I look more to humanitarians, soldiers, and people who are striving to make a difference as my heroes.

And of course, authors. :)

Are there any qualities you think a true “hero” should have?

Book 7 Part 2: The Middle Comes to an End.

I think the hardest book to get through in a trilogy is the second book.

The first book sets up the story. You get to meet the characters, the plot unfolds, drama explodes, and it leaves you craving more.

The third book finishes the story. By that point you know the characters well and you want them to find happiness by the last page. You’re curious to see what happens and if your own predictions were accurate. It also includes all the action and resolution.

But that middle book is the hard one. It’s the connection between the beginning and the end and sometimes, you just want to get to the end and see where the beginning was taking you.

For The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I find that to also be true. The Two Towers is definitely my least favorite of the trilogy, with the exception of the Ents. While events happen, you really just want to know: Does Frodo succeed in destroying the ring in Mount Doom?

I also seem to be having a hard time finding anything to say about this middle book. Of the three movies, it is the one I have watched the most. Mainly because the movie is Matt’s favorite, as he loves the battle of Helm’s Deep. So the actual plot line does seem as exciting. I also think the film version of the film is incredibly close to the book, so there are a lot of similarities that aren’t really grabbing me.

I also just think that I simply want to get through these and on to something new. I almost feel like I made the wrong decision to read all three back to back instead of spreading them out, but I am almost through them now.

One more to go.

Book 7 Part 2: The Ents.

Sometimes life gets in the way of things you really love. This week has been like that. Matt and I have both been all over the place since Friday.

We have been apartment hunting and found a place we both loved! So, in addition to signing the lease and all that jazz, we have also been moving in some boxes of belongings and furniture. I’ve also been scrubbing and cleaning the place from top to bottom.

Needless to say, reading has taken a backseat. This is my first night home where I have nothing to do, so after watching my much needed Top Chef, I plan on curling up with The Two Towers.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t have a great deal left. For those people who have never read the books, they are actually divided into 6 short books, two in each volume. Each volume centers on a specific plot line and story. The first is Frodo’s flight to Rivendell with the other hobbits and Aragorn. The second is the decision to form the Fellowship to deliver the ring to Mordor and their journey until they break.

The third book, the one I just finished and the first half of The Two Towers, centers on the characters of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin. The main focus is on taking down one of the towers which belongs to Saruman and saving Rohan.

However, my favorite part of the entire book is the Ents.

For those of you who are completely clueless, the Ents are “tree-herders” who take care of the trees in their home forest, Fangorn. Treebeard, the oldest and wisest Ent left alive is quite honestly by favorite character in the entire series. More than any other race of peoples in Middle-Earth, they have the darkest and most complicated history.

Perhaps it’s due to my own experiences with nature as an employee of my city’s park systems, but I absolutely love the beauty of forests. I think that the Ents really display that, especially once they get riled up enough to fight back against the destruction of their home by Saruman; riled up enough to go and tear down his fortress and destroy what he himself has built.

I always have to wonder if Tolkien had an ulterior motive in developing his Ents and their plight. Most likely he didn’t, but that tree-hugger part of myself hopes he did. I think it’s impossible to look at the beauty of a forest and not be awed. So many of the giant redwoods and sequoias out west have been there since the time of Jesus Christ that its hard to understand why people would want to cut them down.

It makes me grateful for my own little park and the beauty that’s there.

And the super nerdy part of me would love it if we had an Ent. But I don’t think that’s really possible. I can dream though!

*Picture was taken at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills, MI by yours truly*

Book 7 Part 1: Music, Matt, The Fellowship, and Finishing.

Every sixth grader in my school district gets to make one decision regarding their electives when they start school: choir or band.

My oldest brother, Dave, chose band and played trumpet for his three years in middle school. My brother Eric decided to do choir and quit after the one year requirement was up. But when it was my turn, I knew what I would pick.

See, I am horribly bad at singing. I cannot carry a tune to save my life and I cannot hit notes. So it was easy for me to decide that I wanted to learn an instrument. When I was tested, the teacher told my mom that I would in better playing a brass instrument, primarily a low brass instrument like a baritone or a tuba. However, mom decided that since we already had a perfectly good trumpet at home that wasn’t being used, I would play that.

Being in band and learning to play a musical instrument has had a significant impact on my life. I met my fiancé in band and a lot of my fondest memories revolve around music. Even today Matt and I both play in a community band and love it.

Matt is more of a music nut than I am and in particular he loves soundtrack music. He can watch a movie and know within moments who the composer is—John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, etc. He just knows. It is a rare gift I think. And if Matt loves anything more than soundtrack music, it’s a good movie. Well, we both love movies, but Matt is far more insane about them than I am.

Enter the perfect birthday present.

Way back in July I was goofing around on Facebook when I saw an ad. Usually I ignore such things but this one was worthy of clicking. It was advertising an event surrounding The Fellowship of the Ring film and its soundtrack. After reading more, I bought two tickets for Matt and his birthday and resolved not to tell him until we were on our way there.

You can just imagine when on Friday how I excited I was to finally tell him what we were doing.

And he was very excited as well. And even more enthusiastic after the performance.

We went and saw the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. The performance we saw was a full score production of the soundtrack to The Fellowship of the Ring WHILE the film was playing. Basically we saw the film with live surround sound. There were cellos, violins, tubas, trumpets, and a huge choir on stage that played every note and sang every word that made up the soundtrack to the film.

In one word the performance was amazing.

For me, it combined quite a few things I love: Matt, music, movies, and of course, The Lord of the Rings.

This event was the main reason why I wanted to reread the books now, so I could be fully prepared to appreciate the story on the massive screen the spanned the stage.

It was also a great moment to revel in the fact that I finished The Fellowship of the Ring and was moving on to The Two Towers.

To be honest, I cannot put into words a good enough description to tell you how wonderful the experience was. Not only did I get to reflect on things I already know and love, I got to experience them with someone else I know and love.

It just goes to show that while sometimes stories and words can be a personal experience, they are in essence meant to be shared with the people most important to us. Only then can we really appreciate the beauty of what we have experienced.


*And yes, I am already in the middle of The Two Towers.*

Book 7 Part 1: The First Time and Old Friends.

One of the main reasons I like to keep the books I have read is to look at them and remember where I was and “when” I was when I first read them. Sometimes I stand in front of the linen closet that currently houses my books and just look at the titles. While I own quite a few books that I haven’t read yet, there are many old battered titles that have been in my hands more times than I can count.

I am one of those people who re-reads her favorites all the time. Each time I read a book I find something new—a new line to make me smile, a new favorite character, or a scene I thought I forgot. As I get older and read some of my early favorites, I can also remember how much I used to love that book as a kid and how it helped encourage my love of reading at a young age.

Books have the potential to teach you something new each time you read them. That’s why you can never really be done with a book. No matter what, there is always something more waiting in the pages.

Even the books that I can almost recite always surprise me. Mostly because I really can’t recite them and when I think I know what’s coming next, I get it wrong.

As I am drawing near the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, I am recalling a lot of old memories. I’ve read the series a few times (maybe 3 or 4), but I have seen the films more than I can count. And I really think the films are well done, even though things are not exact as so many wish they were.

I believe it was during my freshman year in high school when my family went out to Colorado the first time. We never flew, but instead drove to wherever we were going on vacation. That was the year we had a huge van and we were crammed into it for 20+ hours as we drove past cows, grass, and nothingness for what seemed like an eternity. I read or slept for most of the trip and I flew through my reading material rather quickly.

Halfway through our vacation, I made my parents go into a bookstore in one of the small towns we were passing through and visiting. I remember that the bookshop was really small and their science fiction and fantasy section consisted of one lowly bookshelf. I had just recently started to read that genre, as my freshman Honor’s English class had to read Ender’s Game and I had fallen in love. So, I searched the shelves trying to find something to read.

At the time, the movies were not even being mentioned. There was no imdb.com or anything similar. I had heard of The Lord of the Rings only from my English teacher who told me, “If you really want to read good fantasy, you need to read Tolkein. He is where it all started.”

The small bookstore had a copy of all three books, so I picked them and searched the back for the “blurbs” that either sell or destroy a book. The back of The Fellowship of the Ring said the following:

“The dark, fearsome Ringwraiths were searching for a hobbit. Frodo Baggins knew they were seeking him and the Ring he bore—the Ring of Power that would enable evil Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it is up to Frodo and his faithful servant, Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it could be destroyed—Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron’s dark kingdom,” (Del-Rey Paperback Edition).

It sounded gloriously epic and dramatic, just what my teenage heart desired. So, I begged my dad to get them for me, and he got me all three. I remember the shopkeeper telling me they were good and I would certainly enjoy them.

It was only once we were back in the car that I noticed they had this printed in a line on the front cover:

“An Epic Motion Picture Trilogy Coming Soon From New Line Cinema!”

I dove right in and while I thought it was hard to read in some parts, particularly all the songs and poems, I really began to fall in love with them. I have memories of sitting in the backseat of that van reading about the Misty Mountains and looking up at the Rockies soaring around me, comparing them in my mind.

I finished the third volume, The Return of the King during the car ride on the way back to Michigan. And I remember thinking to myself, “Wow. That was awesome.”

I was incredibly articulate for a 14-year-old.

Flash forward a few years and The Lord of the Rings hit the big screen. New editions were coming out with Elijah Wood plastered on the cover, or scenes from the movie. My lowly little editions with the old artwork were outnumbered by illustrated versions with stills from the film, or cast interviews, or a pull out map of Middle-earth. It seemed like everyone was reading them and it didn’t seem as personal an experience as when I read them.

Sometimes I feel that film adaptations ruin a book and the value it had once before. When I started reading these again, all I could see was Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom in my head (not that I’m really complaining) and my long-ago images of who the characters used to be have been lost.

But now, I am remembering that trip to Colorado and how I fell in love with the story then. And now, I am falling in love with the story all over again.

And if I really want to, I can be THAT book snob who says, “I read them before the movies, and I loved them then.” But that really doesn’t matter, does it?

The point is this; these books are old friends that everyone had forgotten for awhile, and even though they’ve gotten all glamorous and well known, my books and my memories with them are still the same as they’ve always been. No one can really take that kind of experience away from me.

So I encourage you to read an old friend. You might be surprised to see what kind of memories it brings back to you.

Book 7 Part 1: Hobbits and Sickness.

It’s not that I didn’t want to write a new post, it’s more along the line of “life took over” for a bit. Coupled with a busy few days and what I am terming, “the death cold” I am finally writing an entry that should have been written a few days ago!

Truth be told, you didn’t miss much. Since I am sick (with the worst cold ever—perhaps I am exaggerating), I haven’t been reading much. I have had a headache that simply won’t go away and my eyes can’t seem to focus on the pages in front of me.

That being said, I am reading something. I’m in the middle of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in The Lord of the Rings (On my list, the LOTR is listed as one book, so I am actually going to read all three volumes back to back, even though it only counts as one off my master list). I have read LOTR many times before and I know the movies almost by heart, so it’s really like visiting an old friend. I am especially enjoying all the hobbits and the scenes that take place in the Shire before Frodo and boys leave for Rivendell. In the film version, the action really gets moving so you don’t get to spend as much time learning about the hobbits and their quirks.

You also miss out on the amazing character in Tom Bombadil in the movies. Peter Jackson simply couldn’t put in more film when the movies were already 4 hours and up. However, Tom Bombadil is the one thing sorely lacking in the film. He’s hilarious and well-written.

For example, here is a snippet of the song he sings:

“Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow,
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master:
His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster,” (180).

I just like picturing a big old man with huge yellow boots bounding over the hills. It makes me chuckle.

It is also interesting to see how the characters are described in the book as to how they are interpreted in the film version. For instance, Frodo is over 50 when he leaves the Shire with the Ring, whereas in the film little Elijah Wood plays him and he appears much more youthful.

I happen to be right at the part where the four hobbits and Strider (later called Aragorn) reach Rivendell after being pursued by the Black Riders. Its one of my favorite scenes and I can’t wait to curl up with it and get to Moria with the Fellowship.

And if that didn’t make sense to you it means you haven’t read the books or seen the movies. Which you need to do. Now.

I have a lot more to say about the hobbits and these books in general, but I don’t think little sick me should push it. Until tomorrow…happy reading.