A Literary Analysis of the Hobbit and Smith of Wotton Major - Essay Example

A Literary Analysis of the Hobbit and Smith of Wotton Major Introduction “There was a village once, not very long ago for those with long memories, nor very far away for those with long legs” (5). This is the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story, Smith of Wotton Major which happened to be his last fantasy themed creation.The Hobbit, on the other hand, starts in a similar fashion using a captivating sentence, “In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit” (6, ch.1). The sentence is considered one of the most popular sentences in literature and is also written by Tolkien. The first book explains the story of a young boy who eats a silver star in a cake which enables him to travel to a land filled with mystique unknown to mankind. The Hobbit from the name narrates the adventures of a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a one of a kind journey. Tolkien in both these books has used the element of adventure in order to bring out a unique experience to the readers. Tolkien exemplifies adventures to be meaningful because the people who experience them gain courage, a new perception of the world and wealth. Body I. In both the Hobbit and Smith of Wotton Major, Tolkien has incorporated adventure. The use of adventure is beneficial since it helps the characters develop courage, an important quality. This is evidenced by the plot of both the novel and the short story. In the Hobbit, the story is based in Middle-Earth. The most notable of the imaginary creatures are the hobbits which are lovable small creatures who love farming except the main character Bilbo,who as we will see will prefer adventures over tilling. However, Bilbo did not always have a thirst forexploration; he was initially a fearful hobbit who preferred to remain in the confines of his home, where no danger will befall him.When Gandalf approaches Bilbo, at the beginning of the story, and asks him to join him in an adventure, he says “We are plain quiet folk, and I have no use for adventures. Nasty, disturbing, and uncomfortable things” (7, ch.1). However, Bilbo joins in the adventure by overcoming his fears which is the first positive advantage of exploration. The fictional land in Smith of Wotton Major is Faery,which issort of parallel universe to the land in the story. Faery is a supernatural world where terror and wonder coexist. The main character Smith encompasses adventure since he can travel to this magic land due to a small silver star that he obtained from a big celebratory cake. Smith obtained the star at a young age and he required courage in order to traverse a new and foreign land at such a tender age. Below is a passage that illustrates Faery in the eyes of Smith and his adventures from the short story; “When he [Smith] first began to walk far without a guide [in Faery] he thought he would discover the further bounds of the land, but great mountains rose before him, and going by long ways round about them he came at last to a desolate shore. He stood beside the Sea of Windless Storm where the blue waves like snow-clad hills roll silently out of Unlight to the long strand, bearing the white ships that return from battles on the Dark Marches of which men know nothing” (26). From the examples provided in both cases, it is evident that Tolkien has efficiently used adventures in a creative but strange way. It is unique since he has developed his characters from a prior state of fearfulness to a courageous individual. From these books,it is clear that one of thebenefits of adventures is that it instills courage. II. Another benefit of adventure from both these texts is that it allows the characters look at the world differently due to their adventures. After a person has extensively travelled to foreign and distant lands, they are exposed to new and different ways of doing things, s such when they return to their homes, this newly acquired information will affect their opinions. The Hobbit offers an exhilarating read which is rich in content especially adventure. All the characters have been seamlessly assimilated into the story of the adventures of Bilbo, who is the main character in the story. When he got back home to the Hill, Bilbo was a different hobbit,and he found out “…he had lost his reputation. It is true that for ever after he remained an elf-friend, and had the honour of dwarves, wizards, and all such folk as ever passed that way; but he was no longer quite respectable. He was, in fact,held by all the hobbits of the neighbourhood to be "queer." This shows how his perception had changed due to the adventure. In the story Smith of Wotton Major, his beliefis also changed byhis adventures to Faery. He starts travelling to faery when he is about ten years old. As such, he grows up being aware of the existence of a foreign and that the rest of the villagers do not know about. This in itself challenges his beliefs and allows him to be more responsive to change, no matter how uncertain it may seem “Then he knelt, and she stooped and laid her hand on his head, and a great stillness came upon him, and he seemed to be both in the World and Faery, and also outside them and surveying them, so that he was at once in bereavement, and in ownership, and in peace. When after a while the stillness passed he raised his head and stood up. The dawn was in the sky and the stars were pale, and the Queen was gone” (38). This excerpt explains an event where the Queen and Smith have an encounter. The queen tries to explain the interrelation of both the normal world and Faery. She enables Smith torealize that one land, so to speak, cannot exist without the other hand that they need each other in order to exist. Tolkien’s works show flawless characters who contribute the ‘adventure-experience’ obtained by the readers as they read his stories. In addition to this,he exemplifies how the adventures have a lasting effect on his characters and affect their normal way of thinking forcing them to think beyond the norm. III Tolkien in his works was able to capture the imagination of his readers. He achieves this by providing intelligent andwell formulated stories full of adventure. Exploration is seen to make the characters in his novels immeasurably rich based on the standards that existed during those times. Their wealth is due to the acquisition of prized foreign items from their travels to the distant lands. In the book, The Hobbit, Bilbo obtains a lot of wealth from his adventure and is undoubtedly the wealthiest hobbit at the Hill, his home. This excerpt is from the death bed of Thorin, at the end of the story when he realizes that he has no need for all the wealth that he has acquired. He then decided to make it up to Bilbo to whom he was so mean to in the beginning of their travels. He says, "How on earth should I have got all that treasure home without war and murder all along the way, I don't know. And I don't know what I should have done with it when I got home. I am sure it is better in your hands. "Eventually, [Bilbo] took two miniature chests, one full of gold, and the other silver, which one robusthorse could manage to carry.”That will be quite as much as I can manage," said he. (200, ch.18) When Bilbo first sees some of the "gold beyond price and count," he unexpectedly feels "the lust, the glory of such treasure" (180. Ch.17), this is another example of the wealth that Bilbo was exposed to during his adventures. In Smith of Wotton Major, he also acquires many valuable things from Faery. These items are foreign and significantly increase his wealth since he is only but a blacksmith. An illustration of this is when he gets back home from Faery,and his son meets him, he says, "I have brought him something. A trinket old Nokes maybe would call it,but it comes out of Faery, Ned. Out of the wallet he took a little thing of silver. It was like the smooth stem of a tiny lily from the top of which came three delicate Bowers, bending down like shapelybells. And bells they were, for when he shook them gently each Bower rang with a small clear note. At the sweet sound,the candles flickered and then for a moment shone with white light” (13). This gift he had acquired was new to his son but was immeasurably valuable. As such, Tolkien shows that all the characters from his books, particularly these two, who embarked on adventures obtained great wealth which seems to be an advantage of their travels. These two illustrations effectively show how Tolkien has used the readers’ imagination in order to reinforce the main theme in these in both books, adventure. Conclusion Tolkien is a reputable writer whose works are revered worldwide. Examples of his works include the Hobbit and Smith of Wotton Major. These books are fictional,and he has used some particular features to make them classics. Such features include the use of creative and original names for the lands in the books, proper selection of characters that complement each other and the ability to engage the mind as the readers read the books. The theme of a fantasy world filled with adventure has thus been effectively exemplified due to this. Tolkien through his book has highlights some benefits of adventure such as the incorporation of courage, a change in how a person views life and remarkable wealth. Thus J.R.R. Tolkien is an extraordinary writer whose works will remain classics even in the years to come. Works Cited Tolkien, J. R. R. The hobbit, or, There and back again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1996. Print. Tolkien, J. R. R. Smith of Wotton Major & Farmer Giles of Ham. Ballantine, 1949. Print. Read More