The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Created by Napatsorn TreesapSpeculative fiction or “what-if” books alter the possibility or reality in the society in the present time, and make the conjecture happened as the consequence, in which the fictional world and conjecture are the elements of the speculative fictions. Thus, fantasy is considered as one of the genres in speculative fiction. Supernatural and magical elements in the fictional world
are featured in fantasy, and some authors might use the setting in the real world with imaginative or fantastical elements such as imaginative universes, creatures, and races (“Master Class,” 2020). As a result, The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is one of the novels categorized in the fantasy genre, for it contains supernatural and magical elements such as the setting and the characters.
The theme in The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark (chapter 5) is human nature which is emphasized by the portrayal of the characters: Bilbo Baggins and Gollum, and the point of view in the story.
The character “Gollum” has actions that symbolize the instinct of human beings. The behaviors of Gollum show the instinct of humans, in which his actions were trying to satisfy his needs without considering what is right or wrong such as the desire of killing Bil bo, curiosity, fear, anger, love, and insecurity.
In contrast, Bilbo Baggins is the character that symbolizes the civilized person who is still concerned about what actions are right or wrong. The moral could be seen at the end of the chapter when Bilbo could control himself not to kill Gollum when he was trying to go out of the cave, for he thought it was not a fair fight for Gollum.
To compare these two characters actions together, it shows clearly on reflecting human nature because all humans also have their own instinct inherently, and when a difficult situation happened in life, humans tend to not concerned about what actions are considered good and bad. They just do anything that could make them survive as the same as
Gollum that he was hunting food to make him alive for another day without thinking that killing others is wrong. Additionally, for Bilbo, he was like a civilized person who behaves in a proper manner. He still has the ability to control his own actions. Therefore, the two characters: Bilbo Baggins and Gollum enhance the interpretation of the theme “human nature.”
Moreover, the point of view that the author used to write the story is the third person point of view. Using the third-person point of view allows the readers to
observe two different lives and actions from the different characters, and this point of view helps the readers see clearly on Gollum’s and Bilbo’s actions that both
of them behave differently. Hence, the point of view also emphasizes the theme “human nature” in The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark.
This story creates an understanding of the contemporary aspect such as social. As “human nature” is the theme of this chapter, it helps to understand the different kinds of people. Gollum was alone in the dark cave. He mostly talked to himself because he had no friends, so other people might think that he was hard-hearted and did not know about helping others while Bilbo lived at the peaceful, and warm hobbit house that
The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark is very worth reading, for it contains a meaningful message to the present audience to understand human nature better, and to understand each other more tend to reduce the conflict between people. Additionally, the language in this chapter is very beautiful, imaginative, and poetic. You also will be surprised by the entertainment that this book gives to you, not only this chapter, but the whole story in the book. If you want to escape from the real world, I highly recommend The Hobbit as one of your lists to read and feel the endless imagination.
surrounded by many friends and family, so he might be more socialized, and knew what is right or wrong than Gollum that had to live alone in the cold cave that he felt insecure. It is like children, no one is born to be evil and good on the first day, so many factors force people to become who they are. Hence, The Hobbit helps the understanding of the contemporary aspect such as social.
If the ring is Gollum’s precious, then, this book is my precious.