The Hobbit – Favorite Moments

It was not easy to keep my promise from the last post, but I did refrain from any writing until I finished reading The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Shamefully, this was the first time I read the book. Not surprsingly, this classic was wonderful. This post is dedicated to highlighting some of my favorite parts in the story. If you haven’t read The Hobbit, beware of spoilers ahead.

One excellent line from the book that stuck in my head “no great leap for a man, but a leap in the dark ” (The Hobbit revised publication, by J.R.R. Tolkien, pg 87).
This was said about a literal leap in the dark that Bilbo was bravely taking to escape an enemy. It resounded with me strongly because I thought of how sometimes in life we take chances that may not really be known or truly understood by others, but that we know are meaningful. These kinds of moments when we take leaps that only we know we are taking can prove to be some of the most defining times in our lives (just as in The Hobbit, I do feel this particular leap of Bilbo’s was one of his bravest acts from which he gained confidence).

Though this was by no means the only comical moment in the tale, I chuckled out loud when Bilbo said this to the dwarves “come along back to your nice cells and I will lock you in again, and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan” (The Hobbit revised publication, by J.R.R. Tolkien, pg179).
This was a “good for Bilbo” moment and the line is just so witty.

Many important morals and lessons are worked into this children’s book, but one that made me particularly fond of Bilbo was his attitude toward the treasure. He had proven that he cared about important life matters like fairness and peace over his care for wealth previously, but toward the end of the book he said something additional on the subject that I really liked. He said after refusing to accept some treasure offered to him “but really it is a relief to me. How on earth should I have got all that treasure home without war and murder all along the way, I don’t know. And I don’t know what I should have done with it when I got home. I am sure it is better in your hands” (The Hobbit revised publication, by J.R.R. Tolkien, pg 293).
So not only did he prove his desire for peace over the treasure, but he shows great wisdom and humility with his statement that he wouldn’t have had anything useful to do with treasure therefore it was better off in the hands of someone trustworthy.

There were many more moments that had me laughing or my imagination leaping with wonder, but these are what I sorted out to share.

Today I will leave with some questions relating to Bilbo’s experienes that I invite you to answer. Was there a time you can recall that you took a brave leap in the dark like Bilbo? Also, I would love to hear your favorite moments from The Hobbit if you care to share.

Keep imagining,
Emilyann