READING RESPONSE: THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R TOLKIEN

I am on the last few chapters of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the book has been amazing. I left off where Bilbo and the dwarfs had narrowly escaped the rock creatures in a heated battle and had taken shelter in a damp cave, where they were once again captured by goblins. This chapter was a critical moment in the book, as it was when Bilbo first encountered Gollum, a strange creature obsessed with a magical yet evil ring that could turn the wearer invisible. Bilbo finds himself with the ring, and the journey continues. A lot has happened since this chapter; the crew has been lost in a forest, captured by elves, and almost killed multiple times. In the part I am currently reading, the dwarfs have discovered the secret passage in the mountain, leading to the treasure Smaug has been hiding. The dwarfs send Bilbo, their burglar, to scout out any immediate danger.

As I predicted, Bilbo's character has completely changed, before he started out on this great adventure, he was a simple hobbit. He wanted nothing to do with adventures, all he desired was to sit in his hobbit hole and eat four meals a day. When he was first given the opportunity of an adventure, he shied away, not wanting to risk his life for a bit of treasure. When he finally agreed to go with the dwarfs, he completely changed. I think after going through many near death situations such as trolls, goblins, and other nasty creatures, he started to see things as a thrill, rather than something to be terrified of.

The author of this book, J.R.R. Tolkien is an amazing writer. He is well known for his creativity and skill of writing fantasy books, such as the lord of the rings trilogy, but I believe his strongest piece of writing is The Hobbit. He lures the reader in with clear descriptions of magical and otherworldly places. He gives each character a distinct personality, so one could recognize every dwarf. This book is incredible, and I highly recommend it.