Essay On Identity In The Hobbit

John Rundle

Honors English 11

Hobbit Essay

Identity in The Hobbit The Hobbit is a book that focuses a lot on race and the characters backround. It defines a character and plays huge role in some of the events that happen in the book. Each race has its own distinct qualities that make them who they are. Without these identity factors, the Hobbit would not be the great story that it is. First, I am going to talk about two Races, the Dwarves and the Elves. The Elves are distinctly known for being a very “good” race. They are very genuine and there are no evil or bad Elves. All the Elves are kind and genuine. Another “good” race, but less mentioned, are the eagles. They help the travelers, and are even the deciding factor in the final battle at the end. Another race are the Dwarves. They are all nearly identical, with barely any distinctions between them. All of the Dwarves are obsessed with wealth

They are, in my opinion, by far the most interesting race in the entire book. They are all very kind people who love to eat. Baking, cooking, eating, and drinking are their favorite things to do. They love visitors and are very content with how they live. The most respectable Hobbits don’t go on any adventures or do anything out of the ordinary. This is where family becomes a factor in the hobbits’ behavior. Half of Bilbo (the Baggins side), tells him to not go on any adventures or partake an anything dangerous. This is how he lived most of his young life. The other half (the Took side), is very adventurous and not at all respected by the other Hobbits. I believe the Hobbits are the only race in the book where their family roots play a big part in their behavior.

Family and race are two huge themes in The Hobbit. They define each character and differentiate the races tremendously. I think the only race strongly affected by their family history are the hobbits. This is a big theme that I think the author shows very well in this