THE HOBBIT
Summer Reading Essay
The Hobbit: A Discussion on Setting
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, readers are introduced to an imaginary world of dwarves, elves, hobbits and wizards who battle dragons, orcs, and other dark entities. There are two kinds of settings that Tolkien expresses in his masterpiece: the physical setting of Middle Earth that changes as the travellers trek from one region to the next, and the interior setting happening in the protagonist Bilbo Baggins’s mind as he ventures out of his comfort zone and realizes his true potential.
The Hobbit is set in "Middle-earth”, a fantasyland created by Tolkien. The book starts and ends in Hobbiton, a town in Middle Earth, a peaceful region usually unharmed by troubles elsewhere in the world. During the course of the book, the setting changes, moving east across the Misty Mountains and through the great forest of Mirkwood to the area around the Lonely Mountain, which includes the Desolation of Smaug, Lake-town, and the ruins of the town of Dale to face the devastating dragon. As the protagonist and his dwarf companions and Gandalf travel into lands "where people spoke strangely, and sung songs Bilbo had never heard before". And as they go farther and farther away from Bilbo's home, they find "dreary hills, rising higher and higher, dark with trees". The farther Bilbo goes into the unknown, the more the landscape reflects his discomfort, particularly the "old castles with an evil look". In addition, they meet new friends and enemies that either help or challenge their ultimate goal: to defeat Smaug.
Another setting is the interior setting happening in Bilbo’s mind as he challenges himself through various surroundings. Before Gandalf visits Bilbo and invites him on an adventure, Bilbo is a content hobbit who sees no need for change. However, going on the journey ignites an inner need of adventure in Bilbo. For example, when Bilbo reaches the Lonely Mountain, it is a sign of the end of the quest. It stands
The Hobbit: A Discussion on Setting
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, readers are introduced to an imaginary world of dwarves, elves, hobbits and wizards who battle dragons, orcs, and other dark entities. There are two kinds of settings that Tolkien expresses in his masterpiece: the physical setting of Middle Earth that changes as the travellers trek from one region to the next, and the interior setting happening in the protagonist Bilbo Baggins’s mind as he ventures out of his comfort zone and realizes his true potential.
The Hobbit is set in "Middle-earth”, a fantasyland created by Tolkien. The book starts and ends in Hobbiton, a town in Middle Earth, a peaceful region usually unharmed by troubles elsewhere in the world. During the course of the book, the setting changes, moving east across the Misty Mountains and through the great forest of Mirkwood to the area around the Lonely Mountain, which includes the Desolation of Smaug, Lake-town, and the ruins of the town of Dale to face the devastating dragon. As the protagonist and his dwarf companions and Gandalf travel into lands "where people spoke strangely, and sung songs Bilbo had never heard before". And as they go farther and farther away from Bilbo's home, they find "dreary hills, rising higher and higher, dark with trees". The farther Bilbo goes into the unknown, the more the landscape reflects his discomfort, particularly the "old castles with an evil look". In addition, they meet new friends and enemies that either help or challenge their ultimate goal: to defeat Smaug.
Another setting is the interior setting happening in Bilbo’s mind as he challenges himself through various surroundings. Before Gandalf visits Bilbo and invites him on an adventure, Bilbo is a content hobbit who sees no need for change. However, going on the journey ignites an inner need of adventure in Bilbo. For example, when Bilbo reaches the Lonely Mountain, it is a sign of the end of the quest. It stands