J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is much more than a prequel of “The Lord Of The Rings” (LOTR). The Hobbit is a coming of age story. Tolkien uses irony and moral dilemma to portray what it’s like growing up and warn to younger generation of trouble to come. The premise of the book is very similar to that of LOTR, where Gandalf entrusts a hobbit with the ring, knowing their small size and peaceful nature will make them easy to control when they’re inevitably corrupted by the ring.

“Courage is found in unlikely places”. Hobbits are more than happy to live comfortable, uneventful lives. Tolkien makes it very easy to sympathize with Bilbo as he is, same as the reader, being dragged into a world unbeknownst to him. This choice of protagonist makes for seamless exposition and gives us someone we know we can trust.

Bilbo embarks on his journey as a thief. This is counter-nature to Bilbo because, as most hobbits, he will do anything to avoid conflict. Unknown to the Hobbits their community only survives because of the Rangers who patrol the Shire. The inhabitants live in a sphere of childlike naivety.

Before being able to do undeniable moral good, (setting into action the sequence of events which leads to the destruction of the ring in LOTR), Bilbo first needs to break bad, and sacrifice his moral code for an eventual greater good. The philosopher “Koren Kierkegaard” calls this concept “The Teleological Suspension of the Ethical”. I found this particularly interesting as I myself have a hard time striking the balance between being too harsh with people and being a pushover.

Bilbo proves himself useful, saving his crew on multiple occasions making of lies and his wit. He manages to buy enough time to save the dwarves when captured by the trolls. He later tricks Smeagle and steals the ring. This moment is, i would argue, the most consequential of the book, and yet it seems Bilbo is at his worst, deceiving Smeagle and being closest to falling victim to the temptation of the ring. (He makes the conscious decision to not tell the dwarfs or Gandalf he has the ring).

“Their spirits rose as they went down and down”. The Hobbit, although rich in language features, is quite accessible and fun which makes it perfect for a younger audience. Tolkien as many other writers of the genre uses the fantastic to convey deeper themes. At some point in all our lives we embark on our own adventure. The dragon represents our challenges, the ring our temptations and all of Bilbo’s character arc is about discovering oneself as a result of overcoming these challenges.