The Hobbit 5 Paragraph Analysis

“Soon the goblins had a ring of smoke and flame all round the dwarves, a ring which they kept from spreading outwards; but it closed slowly until the running fire was licking the fuel piled under the trees. Smoke was in Bilbo’s eyes, he could feel the heat of the flames( even though he was so high up in the trees); and through the reek he could see the goblins dancing round and round in a circle like people round a midsummer bonfire. Outside the ring of dancing warriors stood the wolves at a respectful distance watching and waiting to devour the first person that dropped dead out of the treetops. Bilbo could hear the goblins beginning a horrible song, and with that the flames were under Gandalf the wizards tree. In a moment it caught the others and went up like a rocket, when it was just beneath Bilbo’s, he closed his eyes, ready to die when…” As it can be seen Biblo and company were in many tight spots throughout this adventure, and he could not have done it all on his own.

That is where Bilbo had to use the three themes of luck, courage and good sense to overcome evil and stay alive. The first way Bilbo overcomes evil is by luck. For example, when Bilbo is caught by the goblins and he awakens from his fall he finds a ring. Now this ring was no ordinary ring for it was a magical one that could turn a person invisible and without it the story might have been very different. This is because if Bilbo did not have it, then he would never have been able to escape from the evil creature Gollum and inturn escape from the hell which was the home of the evil and nasty goblins. Another time luck saved Bilbo and his friends, was when Bilbo and company were on the mountain and were looking for the hidden door that would lead them right to Smaug and the treasure. Here luck played a big part because if Bilbo had never happened to find the door then all the trouble that Bilbo and his friends had already gone through would have been for nothing.

Also, if Bilbo had been working, like his friends (the dwarves) then he may not have remembered Elrond’s predictions on how to open the hidden door, and then they would have missed the right time and the door would have been left shut for another year. A third time when luck played a big part in Bilbo’s adventure, was when Bilbo was telling his dwarf friends on the evil dragon, Smaug’s, week spot, a thrush happened to be sitting nearby and listening to the entire conversation. This was a very fortunate thing because when the dwarves were all wondering where the dragon was, and what he was doing, the dragon was on his way to wipe out an entire town of men. And that was where that same old thrush told one of the town’s best warriors how to defeat the dragon, just before he launched his last arrow, which in turn killed the dragon, saved the town (not to mention that entire land) and it saved the dwarves the trouble of having to do it themselves.

So as explained, Bilbo did not get through his journey all on his own but fate had a major thing to do with it and so did courage. The second way Bilbo overcomes evil is by courage. For example, when Bilbo was abducted by the goblins and was lost in their underground tunnels, he ran into a mysterious creature known as Gollum. Gollum was a very creepy and shaggy looking creature with a hunch, and when Bilbo accidentally ran into him, Gollum told him that if he passed all of his riddles he would tell Bilbo the way out. This is where it took not just courage but also determination, on Bilbo’s part, to go up and actually confront Gollum, because Gollum also said that if Bilbo lost then he would eat him. A second way that courage helped Bilbo stay alive and overcome evil, was when Bilbo found his friends tied up and poisoned by giant spiders. Here Bilbo needed to draw upon his courage because when he found his friends tied up he had to first devise a plan on how to lure all those spiders (that could crush him in an instant) away from the place where his friends/companions were tied up.

Now when Bilbo, being so small, had 20 huge spiders chasing after him, it was a scary thing and even still he wasn’t done, for then he had to get past another that was left behind to guard. Another place where Bilbo really needed his courage, was when he was first sent (alone) to see if Smaug even existed down in the heart of the mountain. This might as well have been the place where his courage would have faltered, because now he was actually going to try to find a beast that no one had ever even dared to even to look upon. But miraculously he went on and saw the beast (alive, healthy and sleeping) that he and his friends had come to slay, and he even stole a piece of his treasure that rightfully belonged to the dwarves. So these were a few examples on how Bilbo did not only have fate on his side but his own will power and wits. The third, and final way Bilbo overcame evil was by using good sense. For example, when Bilbo was being chased by all those big and nasty spiders that wanted to kill him, he slipped on his magic ring and turned invisible.

This was a sign of common sense, because since those spiders had eight or more eyes, they had a more advanced sense of sight, but with Bilbo being invisible they had to rely on hearing and smell. (Neither of which were as attuned as their sense of sight) Also, if Bilbo had been visible, then, with all the ruckus and sound he was making, he would have been more prone to be caught not just by the spiders but by other evil creatures that lived in Mirkwood. Another scene where Bilbo showed extraordinary use of good sense was when he went back down the secret passage for second time to meet with Smaug and this time confront, talk, and hear what he had to say. Here Bilbo displayed his good sense by talking to the evil dragon in a very calm and respectful tone so as to not anger him but to also let him know that he and his friends meant business. And by doing so he actually got Smaug to expose a weak spot in his defense and let him see exactly where a he or anyone must strike to wound or kill him.

A third time where Bilbo displayed his cleverness and brightness was when he gave the Arkenstone to the elves and the lake men so as to help them bargain with the dwarves. Here Bilbo really showed how smart he was because, though he knew that war between the two sides was inevitable, he thought that by giving one side an advantage he would make the war shorter and have less casualties. It also showed how much of a loving and caring person Bilbo really was, that he would jeopardize his own life and friendship just to keep the world a peaceful place with no greediness or hate. And here is where we end our story on how Bilbo used good sense to accomplish things no one ever thought a hobbit could do. “Just at that moment the Lord of the Eagles swept down from high above the treetops, seized Bilbo and Gandalf in his talons, and was gone. There was a howl of anger and surprise from the goblins.

Loud cried the Lord of the Eagles, and waves of the great birds that were with him, swept down like huge black shadows and seized Bilbo’s companions. The wolves yammered and gnashed their teeth; the goblins yelled and stamped with rage, and flung their heavy spears in vain. Over them swooped the eagles; the dark rush of their beating wings smote them to the floor or drove them far away; their talons tore at goblin faces. Soon the light of the burning was faint below, a red twinkle on the black floor; and they were high up in the sky, rising all the time in strong sweeping circles. Bilbo never forgot that flight for as long as he lived.” So as this passage has already said multiple times, Bilbo and his companions had three major helpers and assistants on their path to victory, and shall they never be forgotten as: luck, courage, and good sense.