Joshua[AH1] Blackburn
English 2120
Professor Heiniger
24.03.12
The Treachery of Greed in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit
John R. R. Tolkien toys with many symbols and themes throughout his writing, using the fantastic to demonstrate his ideas behind many important lessons of life. In The Hobbit, Tolkien discusses ideas such as heroism, power, and the struggle between good and evil through the adventure of the middle aged hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, a band of dwarves, and the wizard, Gandalf. However, the largest idea seen throughout the novel is the power greed can have over people, and the crucial role it plays in defining many characters[AH2]. In The Hobbit, Tolkien paints a precise picture of what greed is and the effect it has on the individual; he uses the fantastic to amplify symbols and motifs of greed[AH3].
Greed and the changes it makes it can bring upon people play an important role from the start of the novel. We meet Bilbo Baggins, an average well to do hobbit who enjoys spending his days eating, relaxing, and smoking, and who sees adventure as an unnecessary waste of time and energy. Bilbo is soon approached by the wizard Gandalf, who has been absent for quite some time, but asks Bilbo for his help with a journey he has been planning. Bilbo, being a typical hobbit, becomes very flustered by this idea and sends Gandalf away as soon as possible, wanting to get back to his house and simply live as normal. Although Bilbo is eventually thrown into the adventure anyways, we still see him wishing that he could have his simple life back with his home and laze. This is Tolkien’s first display of greed, as well as the most minor. Bilbo is simply a hoarder of time and energy, which is the least passionate type of greed presented to us throughout the novel. We are shown that this greed can be overcome, but without making that advance, one’s life might be very sedentary and boring; however, by growing out of this flaw one can achieve extraordinary things, as we see much later in the novel[AH4].
The next representation of greed comes through the dwarves, who show the treacherous effects a life full of greed can have on character and desires. As soon as the dwarves are introduced, we find that they are solely interested in making a journey to recover their stolen, risking their lives for gold and wealth against extraordinary odds. The dwarves sing songs of retaking their gold and tend to falsely claim their motives in order to assure that they receive as much of the wealth as they possibly can. As the story progresses, their greed intensifies, typifying at the point when they are finally upon the dragon Smaug’s doorstep and waging war. The dwarves call for reinforcements because they hear elves and others are coming to claim a share, and are willing to wage a war over that. Tolkien shows us that an unruly lust for money tends to lead to both ruthless decisions and loss of life through the band of dwarves[AH5].
A rasher example of the harsh effects greed can have on life come from the mountain cave dweller, Gollum. Tolkien uses Gollum to portray how far gone one can become from living for so long with greed and lust for riches. Gollum is a wretch, a loner, and a character obsessed over a single ring, who often has conversations with himself, identifying himself as precious. When a disoriented Bilbo meets Gollum at a lake within a mountain, Bilbo is struggling to find a way out of the mountain. Gollum engages Bilbo in a battle of riddles, and after losing the battle, goes to find the ring he is obsessed with so that he may turn invisible and destroy Bilbo anyways. Upon venturing back to his small island home, Gollum is distraught to find that the ring is missing and emits a piercing shriek. He then continues on to madness, arguing with himself, balling, and struggling to figure out where his ring is while convincing himself that Bilbo must have taken it. As Bilbo escapes, Gollum curses the Bagginses forever, accusing them of thievery and horrible doings. Tolkien’s use of Gollum shows us that a life based upon a lust will lead to nothing but loneliness and eventual madness[AH6].
The wretched and obsessive Gollum demonstrates how greed can wither away a person’s entire being; however, the epitome of greed in Tolkien’s novel is represented by the dragon Smaug. Dragons are creatures who spend their lives collecting gold and valuables, although they have absolutely no use for them. Smaug is the dragon who the dwarves seek to destroy, as this dragon lays upon a mountain of their riches and is the reason the old dwarf kingdom was lost. He lives by a rule of a pure greed and lust, senselessly killing and stealing without a care for anything in his way, leading to much destruction and many horrifying events. Tolkien uses Smaug to show us that greed of this intensity will certainly lead to death. When Bilbo manages to break into the lonely mountain and steal just a single cup from the dragon, Smaug becomes insanely upset and flustered over the loss of this piece of wealth, and leaves his cave to search for it. As he is leaving, an arrow is thrust into his chest, and Smaug is finally killed, fulfilling the dwarfs’ mission. Smaug was only able to be shot because he had left his cavern, and only left is cavern because of his filthy obsession with the wealth surrounding him. The greed that Smaug had allowed to build up inside of himself was the greatest reason why he was killed, showing us that greed will almost always lead to an early burial[AH7].
Tolkien also shows us that a life without greed will be much more positive and fulfilling than a life entangled in it. One character exemplary of this quality is the wizard Gandalf. Gandalf often disappears for a period of time, but always reappears at the last minute with a way to save his fellow adventurers. Gandalf also worked to put together the entire band that would assault Smaug and recover the dwarfs’ belongings. As Gandalf is so selfless and helpful, so too we see that he is one of the most powerful characters in the story, holding the ability to cast spells and the like, as well as the oldest character, having lived a long and prosperous life. Tolkien uses Gandalf very effectively to display that living a selfless life will always pay off greatly in the end.
The power of greed is shown everywhere throughout Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit. Whether by causing a person to completely rot away from the world, a dragon’s death, or an ill decision, Tolkien effectively uses the fantastic to show us that the treachery of greed is a ruining and ending quality for one to possess, and should be avoided at all costs.
To be added: In depth discussion of secondary sources, specific quotes from text for examples, discussion of elves and their depiction of greed/selflessness, discussion of happy ending for those who overcome greed.
Works Cited
Larimore, Chris. “The Problem of Green in JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit…” Plaza: Dialouges in Language and Literature, North America, 02.05.2012. Web. 27.02.13.
Sorensen, Jennifer. “Greed and Materialism in the Hobbit.” Little-Hypotenuse. 2003. Web. 27.02.13.
Stein, Ruth. “The Changing Styles in Dragons…” Elementary English, Vol 45, No. 2. Pp. 179- 183. 02.1968. Web. 27.02.13.
Tolkien, J. R. R.The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966. Print.
[AH1]Your writing style is very strong (clear, concise language, nice flow of ideas…). I also like the way you’re building this paper up from close readings – that is a strong literary analysis technique. Now you may want to think about CONTEXT – making this close reading of greed significant by building in CONTEXT (perhaps consider greed in Beowulf or the role of greed in WWI). You may also want to consider reorganizing. It seems you have two types of greed: one is a personal vice, the other is a national/nationalistic vice. Bilbo/Gollum seem to embody one kind of greed and the dwarves/Smaug seem to represent another. Consider regrouping the paper like that and examining the differences/similarities between these two different “registers” of greed.
[AH2]Consider inserting a definition of greed here (perhaps from the OED). How is that distinct from other vices?
[AH3]Very nice intro – I like how it transitions smoothly to a thesis. Good job.
[AH4]Very interesting analysis! Include page numbers within your summary, but otherwise, EXCELLENT!
[AH5]This paragraph is not as concrete as your previous one – I think this should be developed into a FEW paragraphs with specific examples.
[AH6]Perhaps pair this paragraph with your discussion of Bilbo – talk about how Gollum is a FOIL for Bilbo (a reflection of what he may become if he does not reign in his greed).
[AH7]I think you may want to pair Smaug and the dwarves in your discussion. Unlike the personal greed of Bilbo & Gollum, their greed brings war. This is VERY important. And it could be linked to both the epic poem Beowulf and to Tolkien’s own experiences in WWI. (this would allow you to contextualize the argument). Tolkien saw a generation lost to their forefather’s greed (for land, money…).