The Hobbit: Good vs Evil
Tolkien creates his worlds as if they're black and white from an objective perspective. The elves are good people and the wargs are bad. He lays this template for his world and for the most part, that's the way things carry out. What's nuanced about it though is the hypocrisy created from the conflicting morals of Bilbo's companions.
The Dwarves never begin their journey intending to defeat the evil that is Smaug, they were in it for the gold from the beginning. It is the treasure that fuels much of their choices, not the morality of right vs wrong. Revenge may be a factor in what first made the dwarves eager, but it is the treasure that ultimately corrupted Thorin and the dwarves.
Ultimately the eyes of the reader are through Bilbo Baggins, who is the moral compass of the story and is the one who experiences these grey areas of morality in Middle Earth. Ironically he was thrust into this fight and was hesitant, but through this coming of age quest, and experiencing the world for himself, he has developed into a brave, worldly being. It is also this theme of home that Tolkien plays on, with many characters being without permanent homes, and exploring various different household settings. In an adventure novel, home is always comforting and where you want to end up. The truly moral characters fight for homes of their own in the Hobbit, as settling in and relaxing from the actions of violence going all around are what's truly important to the moral characters.
The Hobbit sheds light on right and wrong, hypocrisy, bravery, and loyalty. Solid foundations to a timeless story.
The Dwarves never begin their journey intending to defeat the evil that is Smaug, they were in it for the gold from the beginning. It is the treasure that fuels much of their choices, not the morality of right vs wrong. Revenge may be a factor in what first made the dwarves eager, but it is the treasure that ultimately corrupted Thorin and the dwarves.
Ultimately the eyes of the reader are through Bilbo Baggins, who is the moral compass of the story and is the one who experiences these grey areas of morality in Middle Earth. Ironically he was thrust into this fight and was hesitant, but through this coming of age quest, and experiencing the world for himself, he has developed into a brave, worldly being. It is also this theme of home that Tolkien plays on, with many characters being without permanent homes, and exploring various different household settings. In an adventure novel, home is always comforting and where you want to end up. The truly moral characters fight for homes of their own in the Hobbit, as settling in and relaxing from the actions of violence going all around are what's truly important to the moral characters.
The Hobbit sheds light on right and wrong, hypocrisy, bravery, and loyalty. Solid foundations to a timeless story.
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