The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien - Term Paper Example

Essay, English Topic: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Introduction and thesis statement When one tries to analyze the historical background of a literary creation, political background turns out to be the inseparable part of the same. Politics of the olden times relates to a series of quests and the craving to establish political authority. Modern communication systems and fast travel facilities were not available in that era, as the quests involved adventurous journeys. Journey was an integral part of the plot structure of the literary creations. The protagonist physically goes to the intended destination in the process of creating history. Generally, he opts for a circular route, and reaches home with his quest fulfilled. During the process of conquest, he faces different types of dangerous characters, precarious circumstances and challenges death often, to finally emerge victorious. Suspense and situations that create anxiety are part of the journey plot. Even with the full knowledge of the culmination of the plot that the protagonist will emerge victorious, the reader enjoys his encounters with different atmospheres and how he challenges the unfamiliar characters who often threaten with dire consequences. Escaping death becomes the kindergarten stuff to the protagonist. The divide in gender in Norse society to which “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien related was not based so much on sex as it was on power. The ability to shift between genders was part of the magic. Seiðr was measured to be ‘women’s magic’, and the exercise was related with taking the role of the penetrated partner in sex – something considered ‘unmanly’ by the Norse. Even with the seemingly authentic historical background created by the authors, the various features of the fantasy plot depend entirely on author’s intentions and final objectives and his attitudes towards gender in the society. As such the authors return to history to choose a specific time period, figures and events and the mainstay of fantasy is in the creation of larger than life heroes capable of extraordinary feats and the roles of the female gender were less important, but crucial to the turning points in the story. In the examination of historical background of a literary creation of fantasy, magic woven with female gender escapades have an important role to play. Magic acts as the springboard for grand ideas to show their intrinsic strength and social implications. To achieve the purpose in view, the authors draw from their fertile world of imagination; make intelligent use of male and female characters, besides taking cues from the pre-existing biographies of historical and legendary figures. Complexity of the characters, and adding feature those are normally difficult to comprehend, add to the grandeur of the fantasy. In High Historical Fantasy the structure of events and the affiliations between cause and effect are extremely important because they are the fulcrum of historical processes and decide how the plot will unfold. Some plots reach up to entire ages, each part doing justice to the time of its occurrence. Finally, in the level of violence unleashed hangs the fate of nations and cultures. Might is right for survival in those situations. But the plot is created not merely to highlight violence; the narrative focus of the historical fantasy is of prime importance. In most of the high fantasy historical creations the main character possesses deep spiritual inclinations though it is not explicitly stated. “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien is one such creation. The quest theme developed by the author for creation of such characters is synonymous with spiritual thirst. Their secular triumphs go in tandem with inner growth in fulfillment of the designs of the destiny. The protagonist discovers the inner beauty though the process of undergoing secular trials and tribulations. The character of Bilbo is one such example. His first interaction with Gandalf makes an interest reading when Bilbo said “Good morning” to him. J.R.R. Tolkien (2012) writes, “What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on.”(p.4) For creation of fantasies, big castles alone need not be attacked or destroyed. Literary castles can be built with play of words! Bilbo was internally weak in the beginning of the journey with the dwarves, and with the toughness of the journey, he remembered how good he was in the comforts of his home. He was threatened with death, but destiny played its part, and he was rescued by Gandalf. Luck, will power and the benefactor Gandalf’s advice worked together and he made sound ethical judgments and he did not become a violence-prone individual. Had it been so, he would have used his sword and invincibility to kill Gollum. At the end of the story, the adventurer began to write poetry, such was the level of this historical fantasy. Just because there are no noticeable female characters in “The Hobbit”, it does not in any way affect the importance of this historical fantasy. Gender alone need not be the criterion to judge a literary creation. “Bilbo’s mother, Belladonna Took, is briefly mentioned in the beginning. Besides, the unnamed mother of File and Kili and the unnamed wife of Girion of Dale. All the three women serve identical purpose in the story. Their objectives are to deliver connections between major characters in the plot and their predecessors.” (scifi.stackexchange.com)This literary creation should not be viewed with the bias of gender equality. “In the first chapter, we know that there are hobbit girls as well as boys "[Gandalf] had been away over The Hill and across The Water on business of his own since they were all small hobbit-boys and hobbit-girls." (scifi.stackexchange.com) In a literary creation, even the minor roles of gender are important, if their intervention is well-timed and appropriate to the situation. From this viewpoint, “The Hobbit” serves the purpose to the ear to which the story belongs. Think of the female character, Gollum’s mother. In the chapter Riddles in the dark : "Gollum brought up memories of ages and ages and ages before, when he lived with his grandmother in a hole in a bank by a river", and slightly later : "Gollum remembered thieving from nests long ago, and sitting under the river bank teaching his grandmother, teaching his grandmother to suck - "Eggses!" he hissed." (scifi.stackexchange.com) Smaug is said to devour inhabitants of Dale, especially young women "Later he used to crawl out of the great gate and come by night to Dale, and carry away people, especially maidens, to eat, until Dale was ruined" and finally, when inhabitants of the city of the lake flee from the fire, "women and children" get into the boats. So, though there are no female roles, we at least get to know that hobbits and men have daughters and wives.” (scifi.stackexchange.com)Every literary creation has a specific purpose and as such not creating a heroic female character does not diminish the historical importance of the story. As for the approach of R.R. Martin Jes Battis et al. (2015) write, “The treatment of gender and sexuality, as well as other modes of identity in contemporary literature is varied, and the overlapping genres of science-fiction and fantasy have provided fertile ground for the exploration of identity and diversity.”(p.7) R. R. Martin (2011) is very explicit in making mention of the subject of sex. He writes, “Creation rumbled in his deep voice. “Women do not understand these things.” “You are the gentle sex,” said Lord Karstark with the lines of grief fresh on his face. (p.664) In another situation he writes, “They scented her with spice flower and cinnamon, a touch on each wrist, behind her ears, on the tips of her milk-heavy breasts. The last dab was for her sex.”(p.670) The impact of modern approach to sex is in his writings is clearly evident. There is another observation which is important. “Ultimately, while all men must die in the Game of Thrones, the thousand incarnations of the narrative suggest that there may be multiple ways to live.”(Jes Battis et al. 2015, p.277)Time and intervention of history impact the novelist. Tolkien’s fantasy written in the 1930s, as World War II was taking shape and war clouds loomed all over. The poisoned world was looking out for peaceful alternative. His fantasy flourished in popularity. View it in any form, let it come from any direction, evil is evil and the results of evil are calamitous. Tolkien’s central hero is Everyman, a humble hobbit. The ancient people lived in cooperation with nature and were not interested in instigating conflict. The nature in ancient texts mostly refers to Mother Nature, which the people venerate, worship and give utmost regard. This again is the way to express the importance of female gender. Martin hobnobs with royals, targets for other crowned heads in the Seven Kingdoms and also their own family members. When a king is beheaded, calamity befalls on the land. Martin’s dark world is studded with violence and ethics, viewed from any angle, is at discount. Rather it is non-existent. His grittier fantasy claims the medieval territory daubed in blood and carnage, infanticide and incest make a tough and unpalatable reading. Petty fights for throne weakened the great dynastic houses. Name a worst quality, Martin has implanted the same in his characters, ethics and human virtues are impossible choices and such individuals await their gory death. In Martin’s world, ruthlessness triumphs. Let it be any type of fantasy, good and evil are intricately interwoven. The Western authors have learnt much, some of them had first experiences, from the gory confrontations in the battlefronts relating to two world wars of the 20th century. Martin’s world-weary view may be better suited to this era of intersecting and interconnecting conflicts. And his fantasy novels also arouse more ordinary and familiar pressures, in an age when office politics and personal relationships can be spiteful, even to the point of enflaming retaliation. E. L. Risden (2015) writes, A good part of that familiarity both comes from and leads us back to the medieval literature that Tolkien himself so loved; particularly for younger readers. Tolkien and his world build a bridge from modern literature to the medieval literature they may otherwise miss. That bridge of thought forms an essential feature of Tolkien’s intellectual landscape and stimulated great deal of popular medievalism.(p.182) As such to create fantasy genre with the rich and varied details that can be extracted from the womb of history, and the unbounded flights of imagination offered through technological advances and the internet revolution, fantasy literature can cross the moon and beat the stars! As such authors like J.K. Rowling who has created Harry Potter fantasy series, owe their success to the technological advances and the interest they are able to create and sustain in the combustible younger generation. The reason for their popularity is not alone due to their literary merits. The most original and talented author takes the back seat in preference to the safe tactics adopted by the publishing houses to go for the tried and tested themes of fantasy of an author who has already caught the imagination of the fantasy lovers. Marketing scores over literary talents! Both Tolkien and Martin drew heavily from Britain’s rich and inhuman past, and its medieval history is filled with violent battles at every turn. The foundations of their literary creations are Anglo-Saxon literature. “The Hobbit”, which has the description of a great battle against a dragon, was published in 1937, soon after Tolkien’s Oxford lectures on “Beowulf” and the monsters. The masterpieces of the earlier era have deeply impacted the writings of fantasy creations of Tolkien and Martin. The country’s historical legacies have much to do with their writings as they have inherited the same narrative DNA. “The Hobbit” continues to be popular in the children’s literature genre even after the lapse of more than 80 years since its first publication in the year 1937. Conclusion Personal growth and forms of heroism are the central themes of both the works of fantasy, “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien and “Game of Thrones” by R. R. Martin. An author may try to sweep under the carpet the experiences of his own life, but they will reflect somehow in various situations of the plot and will impact his writing process. Nothing wrong in this practice as it will enhance the authenticity of the material before the reader. Tolkien’s own experiences during World War I have much to do with the creation and development of the plot. The other ancillary advantages of the author were his knowledge of Germanic philosophy and interest in fairy tales and its slang. With the amazing popularity of the book, edition after edition saw changes, and Tolkien’s changing societal concepts into which Bilbo stumbled. He was the great admirer of arts and crafts of the 19th century. “The Hobbit” is the product of the impact of Norse mythology and is intense passion for those stories. In Norse sex-gender system, makes the mention many examples of women warriors (shield maidens) in the surviving myths. Transgressing of gender boundaries from ‘female’ to ‘male’ was unusual, but not impossibility. Women were given the same admiration given to the male warriors. This hints to the possibility of ‘transgender’ as per the belief systems of the Norse society. “Game of Thrones” by R. R. Martin on the other hand, reflects the influence of technological advances and internet revolution on the society, in which role of women is continuously on the upward spiral. Works Cited Battis, Jes (Ed.), Johnston, Susan (Ed). Mastering the Game of Thrones: Essays on George R.R. Martins a Song of Fire and Ice: North Carolina: McFarland & Co Inc. 2015 Print. Martin R. R. George. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire: New York: Bantam; 2011 Print Risden, E.L.Tolkiens Intellectual Landscape: North Carolina: McFarland; 2015 Print Tolkien, J. R. R (Author, Illustrator). The Hobbit: New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2012 Print. Tolkien - Are there any female characters in the Hobbit? - Web: http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/36621/ are-there-any-female-characters-in-the- hobbit, Accessed on May 10, 2015 Read More