BILBO’S ADVENTURE,

PART 2THEO 226

13-10-2015

SAMUEL FARRUGIA

RIDDLES IN THE DARK

RIDDLES IN THE DARK

RIDDLES IN THE DARK

RIDDLES IN THE DARK

RIDDLES IN THE DARK

A FINE BIT OF BURGLARING

A FINE BIT OF BURGLARING

DEALING WITH A DRAGON

DEALING WITH A DRAGON

THE ARKENSTONE

THE TREASURE OF THE DWARVES

THE DESTRUCTION OF LAKETOWN

THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES

THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES

THE DEATH OF THORIN

THE JOURNEY HOME

A CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATION OF THE HOBBIT

• « At its deepest level of meaning…The Hobbit is a pilgrimage of grace, in which…Bilbo Baggins becomes grown-up in the most important sense, which is the growth in wisdom and virtue. Throughout the course of his adventure…the hobbit develops the habit of virtue and grows in sanctity. »

• -- Joseph Pearce, Bilbo’s Journey: discovering the hidden meaning of the hobbit, Charlotte: Saint Benedict Press, 2012, p. 3.

THE INVISIBLE HAND OF PROVIDENCE

• “luck”: evidence of purpose and meaning in the cosmos; the presence of a providence that rewards virtue and punishes vice.

• The dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo arrive in Rivendell on a midsummer’s eve with a crescent moon, the precise kind of day necessary for the runes of their map to be read, which will allow them to know how to find the secret passage into the Lonely Mountain (Erebor). Elrond, the elvish master of Rivendell, is one of few people in Middle-earth who is able to interpret moon runes. Everything comes together just right so that the dwarves can continue with their quest to recapture their lost treasure…

THE INVISIBLE HAND OF PROVIDENCE(A GAME OF RIDDLES)

Alive without breath,As cold as death:

Never thirsty, ever drinking,All in mail never clinking.

Bilbo takes his time answering this riddle, so Gollum begins to get out of his boat to attack Bilbo; in doing so, he causes a fish to jump out of the lake onto Bilbo’s foot, thus giving away the answer.

This thing all things devours:Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays kings, ruins town,And beats high mountain down.

Again, Bilbo has difficulty solving the riddle and again Gollum reacts too quickly. As Bilbo hears Gollum approaching him in the darkness, he tries to ask for more time, but all he ends up saying is « Time! », which is of course the answer to the riddle.

DETACHMENT

• At the beginning of the story, Bilbo is very attached to his possessions, to the comforts of his hobbit-hole. His possessions possess him! In this sense, Bilbo is like Smaug, the dragon, who sits on top of his treasure under the Lonely Mountain, even though he has no real use for it. In order to learn detachment from material possessions, Bilbo must be forced out of his comfort zone in order to return at the end of his journey (pilgrimage) and reclaim his belongings (just like the dwarves did!). However, unlike the dwarves, Bilbo has learned the proper relationship to possessions, and is thus perceived as being no longer « respectable » by his neighbours. Bilbo, however, doesn’t mind and remains, in fact, in a state of contentment to the end of his days.

DETACHMENT

• Dragon sickness: this is a dangerous, over-attachment to treasure (material possessions) that haunts different characters in the story, especially Thorin, king of the dwarves. Thorin’s attachment to the treasure of Erebor (the « desire of dwarves ») provokes the elves and the people of Laketown to go to war against him, and he is only saved by the attack of the Goblins and wolves, which forces the elves, the men and the dwarves to unite to combat their common enemies. In the end, Thorin and his two nephews die in the battle and they do not end up being able to enjoy their newly-liberated kingdom. Thorin’s cousin, Dain, becomes King of Erebor. However, Smaug was destroyed, as were most of the Goblins of that region, providing peace for many years.

DETACHMENT“I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me …Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun… So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy …”

Ecclesiastes 2.18-26

THE « HERO ARCHETYPE » IN CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE

• Jesus must face the temptation in the desert and remain true to his calling.

• The calling of the disciples by Jesus

• A leader calls 12 men to follow him as he journeys to the city of Jerusalem to meet his fate. All kinds of adventures occur along the way and the 12 « followers » are constantly challenged to work as a team, to overcome their fears and doubts and to trust that Jesus knows what he is doing and that things are going to work out for the best, no matter what happens.

• The apostle Peter in Luke-Acts

• Simon, a simple fisherman who believes that he is unworthy of Jesus’ attention and later denies even knowing who Jesus is when it becomes dangerous to be identified as one of his followers, « evolves » into the leader of the early Christian community, boldly proclaiming the Christian message and confronting the religious authorities of the day in spite of opposition, persecution, imprisonment and threats of death.

The Hero's Journey Outline (Joseph Campbell)

1.   THE ORDINARY WORLD.2.   THE CALL TO ADVENTURE .3.    REFUSAL OF THE CALL .4.    MEETING WITH THE MENTOR.5.    CROSSING THE THRESHOLD.6.    TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES.7.    APPROACH.8.   THE ORDEAL.9.    THE REWARD.10.  THE ROAD BACK.11. TRANSFORMATION BY HIS/HER EXPERIENCE .12.   RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.