Bilbo’s

Journey

Discovering the Hidden

Meaning of The Hobbit

Joseph Pearce

Copyright © 2012 Joseph Pearce.

All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical review, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Milo Persic.

Cover image by Lourdes Velez Campos.

www.belegilgalad.deviantart.com

Cataloging-in-Publication data on file with the Library of Congress. Pearce, Joseph, 1961–

Bilbo’s journey: discovering the hidden meaning of The hobbit / Joseph Pearce.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-61890-058-6

1. Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892–1973. Hobbit. 2. Fantasy fiction, English—History and criticism. I. Title.

PR6039.O32H6356 2012

823’.912--dc23

2012037491

Published in the United States by Saint Benedict Press, LLC

PO Box 410487

Charlotte, NC 28241

www.saintbenedictpress.com

For Jef and Lorraine Murray

and all who are hobbits at heart

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Bilbo’s Pilgrimage

Chapter 2 An Unexpected Parting

Chapter 3 Trusting in “Luck”

Chapter 4 The Cleverness of Orcs

Chapter 5 Gollum and the Ring

Chapter 6 Bilbo Comes of Age

Chapter 7 The Return of the King

Chapter 8 Above All Shadows Rides the Sun

Chapter 9 Dragon Sickness

Chapter 10 Dragon Pride Precedeth a Fall

Chapter 11 Bilbo the Peacemaker

Chapter 12 Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

Appendix A Tolkien and the Truth of Fairy Tales

Appendix B Wisdom in Wonderland

CHAPTER 1

Bilbo’s Pilgrimage

J. R. R. TOLKIEN’S first work of fiction, The Hobbit, is often overlooked in favor of its epic follow-up, The Lord of the Rings. And not without reason. The Lord of the Rings carries a depth of meaning and an overall quality that outstrips its predecessor. It is also a publishing phenomenon. Since its initial publication, almost sixty years ago, more than 150 million copies of The Lord of the Rings have been sold. Furthermore, Tolkien’s epic has triumphed over all its literary rivals in numerous opinion polls. A survey organized jointly by a major bookselling chain and a national TV network in the UK in 1996 revealed that The Lord of the Rings topped the poll in 104 of the 105 branches of the bookstore, receiving 20 percent more votes than its nearest rival, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four. It triumphed in similar fashion in other surveys conducted by the BBC, by national newspapers, and by literary societies. Perhaps its ultimate triumph in the age of the internet was its being voted best book of the millennium by Amazon.com customers, signaling its conquest of the final frontier of cyberspace.

Not surprisingly, in the wake of the book’s phenomenal success, Peter Jackson’s three-part movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings became one of the most successful films of all time. In December 2012, a decade after The Lord of the Rings was premiered, the first part of Jackson’s three-part ...