Skalsky 1 Isaac Skalsky Mr.

Reynolds College Composition May 25, 2012 Loyalty, Corruption, and Fate in Middle Earth John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is one of the most remembered authors of the twentieth century. Tolkien was born on January 3, 2012 to Arthur and Mabel Tolkien in South Africa. His mother moved to Birmingham, England after the death of his father. He spent his childhood there. He later became a professor at Oxford for twenty years. He was a writer, poet, and university professor. He is credited for writing, what some would call, the greatest epic of our time The Lord of the Rings. He studied many languages and used his knowledge to create multiple languages for his books. His other works include The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. He was also a member of the Inklings, a group of authors and publishers surrounded around C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. At the meetings, the group would share and criticize each others unpublished work. Tolkien was also a devout Roman Catholic. Tolkien died two years after his wife on September 2, 1973. Tolkiens works have been said to be the greatest works of the twentieth century. The Hobbit and the first volume of the Lord of the Rings, (The Fellowship of the Ring) are some of the most read novels in the world. In both The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien conveys the themes of loyalty, corruption, and fate. The Hobbit is the tale of a fifty year old hobbit, who lives in a hole called Bag End. His peace and comfort is interrupted when the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves visit Bilbo. Their leader, Thorin Oakenshield, asks Bilbo to come with on a trip to take back the treasure that is his inheritance from the dragon Smaug. Thorin even offers him a share in the treasure. Bilbo half-

Skalsky 2 heartedly agrees and takes off on with them. On the way to the dragons lair, the party runs into many obstacles including trolls. Three trolls capture the dwarves but Bilbo and Gandalf escape. Gandalf uses magic to make the trolls argue and they lose track of time. At dawn, the trolls turn to stone and the dwarves are able to be freed by Gandalf and Bilbo. The group searches the trolls belongings and their cave, and Gandalf and Thorin each take a sword for themselves. Bilbo also grabs a small blade for himself. Soon the adventure continues on its course and they stop briefly in Rivendell. Once the party continues on from there, all but Gandalf are captured by goblins in the Misty Mountains. The goblin king is about to execute the group when Gandalf shows up, saves them by slaying the king. Bilbo has been knocked unconscious in the caves. He wakes up alone and he gropes through the tunnels. His hand then runs across a ring. He puts it in his pocket and wanders to an underground lake where he runs into a slimy creature named Gollum. Gollum is a vile creature that tries to eat Bilbo, but Bilbo slides on the ring and becomes invisible. Gollum leads the invisible Bilbo right to the exit and Bilbo runs to catch up with Gandalf and the dwarves. The party faces many more dangers on their journey from wargs, elves, and giant spiders. When Bilbo saves the group from the spiders, he names his sword Sting. Once the party gets to Smaugs lair, Bilbo sneaks in and steals a cup to prove his worthiness to the dwarves. Smaug is angered and he goes out and raises the nearby town of Dale. In Dale, Smaug is shot by Bard, a human townsperson. With Smaug dead, Thorin has the dwarves fortify the entrance because the elves and humans arrive wanting a share in the treasure as compensation for their town. Thorin refuses, but soon an army of wargs and goblins upon the groups. Bilbo, the dwarves, the humans, and the elves are forced to band together as a force of good to fight off the evil creatures. The good races win but Thorin is fatally wounded. With his

Skalsky 3 dying breaths he tells Bilbo that if there were more people like the hobbits, the world would be a better place. Bilbo takes his share of the treasure and he and Gandalf return to Bag End. The Fellowship of the Ring is the sequel to The Hobbit even though The Hobbit is not part of the Lord of the Rings epic. The story begins with the friendly face of Bilbo Baggins preparing for his eleventy-first birthday party. It has been many years since The Hobbit concluded and Bilbo has chosen his nephew, Frodo Baggins, as his heir. At the party, Bilbo is giving a speech and ends it with his disappearance as he slips on the ring he took from Gollum in The Hobbit. At this, he quickly collects the things he will bring with him and takes his leave from Bag End and the Shire. Before he goes however, he suddenly changes his mind about leaving the Ring to Frodo. However, after a brief confrontation with Gandalf, he puts the ring on the mantle and sets out. Frodo receives all of Bag End and the Ring and lives happily for more than thirty years. He never uses the ring because of a cryptic warning from Gandalf. When Frodo is in his fifties, Gandalf returns gravely and explains all about Frodos ring. He casts it into the fire proving that it is the one ring to rule them all. . . and in the darkness bind them (Fellowship 49). Frodo hears the history of the ring and that Sauron plans to search the Shire for it. Frodo decides that he must leave the Shire to protect his fellow hobbits and keep the ring from Sauron. Gandalf and Frodo plan the departure for Frodos next birthday in the fall. Gandalf chooses Sam Gamgee to accompany Frodo. Gandalf then leaves, promising to return before Frodos birthday. When Gandalf doesnt return, Frodo and Sam leave with their friends Merry and Pippin, who refuse to be left behind. They soon discover they are being followed by black riders. The party attempts to avoid the Black Riders by going through the Old Forest. On the edge of the forest, the group runs into Tom Bombadil. He is the oldest being in Middle Earth with unknown origins. He has power over almost all things in nature. He shelters the group for a time and then sends

Skalsky 4 them on their way to Bree. In Bree, the group stays at the Prancing Pony and they meet a man named Aragorn going by the alias Strider. He helps the group avoid multiple attacks by the Black Riders and accompanies them to Rivendell. He also helps Frodo after Frodo is stabbed by a cursed dagger that the Black Riders carry. At the river crossing near Rivendell, Frodo is overcome by his wound and wakes up many days later in Rivendell. Many influential people of Middle Earth are in Rivendell at this time, seemingly by fate. A council is held with all the influential beings and it is decided that the Ring needs to be destroyed. They also decide that Frodo will be the ring bearer and he will have a fellowship to help him get the ring to The Cracks of Doom. Nine total go with the fellowship, including Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, and Aragorn. After a few months of relaxation, the party sets out to find many dangers and hardships in their way. Frodo and the eight travel through the underground city of Moria. The city has been abandoned by the dwarves for many years and its now inhabited by evil beasts including a balrog, an evil demon. Gandalf fights with the balrog only to fall into a mineshaft and die. The party escapes the mountain without Gandalf. They stop in Lothlrien and meet Lady Galadriel, an elven queen with great power. After leaving the elves, Boromir attacks Frodo and tries to take the Ring because he wants to use it against Sauron. Upon escaping Boromir, Frodo decides that he needs to continue alone because the Ring will continue to corrupt the party. Sam expects Frodos plan so he heads Frodo off and the story ends with Sam and Frodo sneaking away from the rest of the group to head to Mordor. . . alone. In The Hobbit loyalty plays a major part in important situations. Early in the story, the dwarves and Bilbo do not get along. The dwarves only bring him because of Gandalfs insistence. Bilbo and the dwarves slowly grow on each other as the story progresses. Bilbos first act of loyalty comes at an odd moment. In the Mirkwood Forest, Bilbo and the Dwarves have

Skalsky 5 been captured by the evil spiders. Once Bilbo frees himself, he is unsure what to do. He does not know where the others are and Gandalf left them days ago to go fight the Necromancer. When he stumbles upon more spiders he sees that the dwarves are hung from trees and the spiders are about to kill the dwarves. Bilbo comes in and saves the group by killing or scaring off the spiders, and cutting the dwarves out of the trees. This is Bilbos first act of loyalty. He could easily run for safety and return home after freeing himself. He even thinks of the path to safety. He stood a long while wondering in what direction the path lay, and in what direction he should go first to look for the dwarves (Hobbit 167). He could forget about the dwarves and the adventure but he searches them out. He puts his own life on the line to save those that he hardly knows or trusts. Because of his efforts, he bonds with the dwarves and they start to get along better and trust each other more. Novels For Students says that Bilbo eventually gains [the dwarves] respect with his cleverness, courage and wisdom (The Hobbit 101). This truth is evident in this chapter of the story. Bilbo again conveys his loyalty to the dwarves in another rescue attempt. Not long after the spider incident, the dwarves are stumbling through the woods when wood-elves jump out with bows and spears. The dwarves halt and do not even attempt a fight or escape because they were in a state that they were actually glad to be captured due to their hunger, thirst, and weariness (Hobbit 182). Bilbo however quickly slips on his ring and gets out of the way so he can avoid capture. The dwarves are taken prisoner and when they refuse to tell the king about the reason they are in the forest, they are thrown in jail cells. Bilbo wanders through the woods for many days unable to find the path. He eventually breaks into the elves store rooms so he can eat because he is starving. Then he has to make a choice. I am a burglar that cant get away, but must go on miserably burgling the same house day after day, he thought. This is the dreariest

Skalsky 6 and dullest part of all this wretched, tiresome, uncomfortable adventure! I wish I was back in my hobbit-hole by my own warm fireside with the lamp shining! (Hobbit 186). He can either search again for the path and return home or help the others and push on. Out of loyalty, Bilbo sneaks into the castle and runs from room to room and finds the dwarves. He then conveys messages through the keyholes of their cells. He makes a plan to break them out and then shoved them in barrels and float them down the river to Lake-town. To do this was an amazing feat for not only Bilbo, but for any hobbit. First of all, his instincts told him to leave and go home, to find a way home to comfort, but he disregarded them so that he could save his companions. Also he has to once again sneak around and risk detection. If the king of the elves finds him, he will be furious and probably kill Bilbo. It is through saving the dwarves again that Bilbo earns their trust and loyalty. He learns that the dwarves. . . are loyal and brave friends (The Hobbit 101). He does everything he has to regardless of comfort out of loyalty to his friends and Thorin, his leader. Bilbos last bout of loyalty is not actually to Thorin and the Dwarves. He is loyal to his good nature. After the party banishes Smaug, he is killed by a man named Bard in Dale. Before Bard is able to shoot Smaug with an arrow though, Smaug swoops down and sets the city ablaze. He destroys Esgaroth and then once Bard kills him, the men and elves of the city travel up the mountain and try to talk to Thorin. Bard consults him and asks for compensation for the city. He says that it is Thorins fault that Smaug attacked and that the dwarves should share the treasure to help rebuild the city. Thorin is insulted and says that he will have nothing to do with the people. He says that the treasurer is rightfully his and he will only share with his companions. Bilbo agrees with Bard and thinks that Thorin is being unreasonable. Earlier, Bilbo grabbed the Arkenstone. It is a gem of more beauty than any other stone in Middle Earth. He took it as his

Skalsky 7 share even though he knows it was Thorins most coveted item in the treasure. Bilbo does not tell Thorin he has it and continues to keep it a secret until he sneaks out of the cave and gives it to Bard so he can use it as a bargaining chip against Thorin. Thorin is furious with Bilbo. Bilbo shows more courage now than anytime before. Loyalty to his good nature became more important than the loyalty to his friends which shows great character in Bilbo. JK Rowling said it best in Harry Potter And the Sorcerers Stone, There are all kinds of courage, said Dumbledore, smiling. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends (306). Bilbo stands up and takes the criticism from his friends. He does not try to act like he didnt do it. He does not lie. He fesses up and takes the dwarves harsh reactions. His loyalty to good nature is even acknowledged in Thorins dying breaths after the Battle of Five Armies. There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly west. Some courage and some wisdom blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world (Hobbit 301). Thorin finally realizes that loyalty to good nature and kindness could make the world so much better. The Fellowship of the Ring also shows loyalty time and time again through hobbits in Middle Earth. Once Frodo learns of the Rings origin, he realizes he needs to leave the Shire and protect his friends, family, and fellow hobbits. He makes his arrangements with his friend Sam.When he is about to leave, he is having trouble saying goodbye to his friends other than Sam because Sam is joining him. He doesnt know how to explain to them why he is leaving and that they can not come with. As he is stumbling through his words, Frodos friend Merry pipes up and says [Frodo], you are miserable because you dont know how to say good-bye (Fellowship 101). Frodo is surprised that his friends Merry, Pippin, and Fatty all know about his plans. Sam steps forward as an informer, and Merry and Pippin tell Frodo that they are coming

Skalsky 8 with, no matter what he says. Fatty plans on staying behind to take care of Frodos house and make it look as if he is still there. This is just as dangerous of a job because the group knows someone will come looking for Frodo and find Fatty. Frodo even says But I could not allow it. I decided that long ago, too. You speak of danger but you do not understand. . . I am flying into deadly peril. Merry responds simply with Of course we understand. That is why we have decided to come (Fellowship 102). Frodo is touched by the loyalty of his friends all taking up huge burdens to help him. He cannot argue with this response so he accepts two more onto his journey and the four set off early the next morning. Novels for Students says in The Lord of the Rings, Friendship is not to be underestimated, for though the allies are fewer than the armies of the Dark Lord, they are bound in love and loyalty (124). Even Gandalf sees the usefulness of the bond between the hobbits and their loyalty. He says, . . . in this matter it would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom (Fellowship 269). Loyalty plays a major part in Merry and Pippins choice to accompany Bilbo. It is true friendship that drives such loyalty. Sam is the pinnacle of loyalty in The Fellowship of the Ring. He not only follows Frodo obsessively but he also is in panic whenever he cannot help Frodo. Sam even calls Frodo his master from time to time. This is first seen when the group runs into the elves on the road to Buckland. When the elves and hobbits are staying the night in the woods, Sam curls up and sleeps on Frodos feet so he does not have to leave Frodos side. Then, loyalty appears again after the hobbits arrive at Rivendell. Frodo is badly injured and sleeps for many days in Elronds house, and Sam barely ever leaves his side. Gandalf says so when Frodo finally awakes. The biggest testament to Sams devotion and loyalty to Frodo is his choice to accompany Frodo into Mordor and to the Cracks of Doom. Frodo chooses to abandon the group and proceed on to the

Skalsky 9 Rings doom on his own because he knows how the ring corrupts those around it. The group stops on the bank of a river. They are setting up camp when Boromir himself, the man traveling with the fellowship, tries to kill Bilbo for the Ring. Boromir wants the ring to wield against Sauron. The fight happens off the camp an hour into the woods, so no one else in the fellowship realizes what really happens. When Sam realizes Frodo disappeared after Boromir returned, he frantically starts to think of where and why. He realizes that Frodo is going on alone to the Cracks of Doom. Sam could not live knowing his master would be alone on this journey, so he sprints back to the boats they showed up in. Frodo originally tries to escape Sam without detection but saves Sam when he starts drowning in the river. Frodo agrees to let Sam join him. He even is happy that Sam showed up. But Im glad, Sam. I cannot tell you how glad. Come along! It is plain that we were meant to go together (Fellowship 397). Kurt Bruner writes in Finding God in The Lord of the Rings that Regardless of what dangers lay ahead, they were going to face them together (48). The two grab some more food and clothes from their packs and sailed down the river to an unknown fate. Tolkien not only employed this loyalty through the people of Middle Earth, but oddly enough, also through an animal. Gandalf has just convinced Elrond to allow Merry and Pippin to be apart of the fellowship. They refused to be left behind and Gandalf believes that their loyalty and friendship with Frodo will prove more beneficial than the strength or wisdom of any elf, dwarf, or human. Elrond, somewhat reluctantly, agrees to the arrangement and sends Merry and Pippin with the fellowship. Furthermore, none other than Bill, the pony from Bree, finds the party as they are about to depart and intends on joining them. That animal can nearly talk [Sam] said, and would if he stayed here much longer. He gave me a look as plain as Mr. Pippin could speak it: if you dont let me go with you, Sam, Ill follow you on my own (Fellowship

Skalsky 10 273). Sam is quite fond of Bill and says he should really stay behind. Bill just nudges Sam and waits for the party to fill his saddlebags. This is not Bills first act of loyalty. After Frodo was hurt by the Ringwraiths, Bill bore Frodo a long distance all the way to Rivendell. This is also an example of loyalty by the hobbits and Aragorn. They willingly emptied Bills packs so he could carry Frodo, and then took the extra burden on themselves. Bill is also a symbol of hope in this story. Bill is mistreated by Bill Ferny. He is almost starved to death when the company buys him. They ironically name him after his previous master. With very little help, the pony starts reviving and coming to life. Without much food, the starved look leaves him and he becomes very happy. Bill is an emblem of hope in the simple fact that amongst all this hell, he is happy for what he has. Bill Ferny is in league with Sauron, so Bill the pony knows what it is like to be on Saurons side of the fence. It takes everyone working together, everyone a hero, to outsmart and defeat evil (The Lord of the Rings 124). Bill really makes the statement of everyone true to an unexpected degree by being loyal to Frodo and company and by assisting the fellowship. The Hobbit conveys the theme of corruption. Gollum is a prime character to show corruption. Gollum lived on a slimy island of rock in the middle of the lake. . . Bless us and splash us, my preciousss! (Hobbit 83). He has been underground for many many years. The narrator tells the reader this as Gollum and Bilbo are playing the riddle game. The reader also discover that Gollum constantly refers to himself in the third person and talks to his precious. The reader does not know what his precious is until he goes to find his birthday present from the days he used to live in the sun. It is a ring. The narrator tells the reader it is a magic ring he used to wear all the time. It makes the wearer invisible. Gollum goes to retrieve his precious and finds that it is missing. He thinks about Bilbos last riddle What have I got in my pocket? and realizes that, to his horror, Bilbo has his precious ring (Hobbit 89). Gollum chases Bilbo who

Skalsky 11 falls and slips the ring on. It makes him invisible and Gollum runs right by him. He follows Gollum and Gollum eventually leads him out of the tunnels and caves. The reader can see how much the ring has corrupted Gollum and how Gollum has been reduced to this gross, slimy state. It has not only corrupted his mind, but also his behavior. The narrator tells the reader that Gollum once lived out in the sun. The Ring has brought him into hiding and the depths of solitude. Robert Fosters A Guide to Middle Earth states that Gollum hid in the Misty Mountains, falling more and more under the control of the Ring until 2941, when he lost it (114). Gollum also says that he has had the Ring for ages and ages. This shows that the Ring has gave him an abnormally long life. His eating habits have become almost cannibalistic. He is eating creatures that seem so close to his species, such as hobbits and goblins. Gollum has clearly been corrupted by the Ring. Another character who has been corrupted is Smaug. Many readers do not think much of Smaug or his history. Smaug has been described as the greatest dragon of his time. In 2770, hearing of the wealth of Erebor, Smaug destroyed Dale and drove the Dwarves away from the Kingdom under the Mountain. For nearly 200 year he gloried in his treasure (Foster 237). The first time Smaug appears, is when Bilbo is sneaking around trying to find his weaknesses and other useful tips for helping Thorin retake his throne. Bilbo first arrives and assumes that Smaug is asleep. He wears his ring as a precaution and then Smaug announces that he can smell, hear, and feel Bilbo breathe. They spend a long time riddling with each other and then Bilbo leaves, but takes the Arkenstone and a chalice as he goes. Smaug is infuriated when he realizes the treasures are gone and goes out and raises the town of Dale. In Dale, a man living their named Bard takes his bow and shoots the soft spot in Smaugs stomach and kills him. Smaug was the greatest dragon for hundreds of years. He was even wise when he told Bilbo about the dwarves.

Skalsky 12 I suppose [the dwarves] are skulking outside, and your job is to do all the dangerous work and get what you can when Im not looking-for them? And you will get a fair share? Dont you believe it! If you get off alive you will be lucky (Hobbit 236). This testament foreshadows the backstabbing nature of Thorin after he reclaims the treasure. For Smaug, a wise dragon, to live in isolation for two hundred years after being the greatest dragon in all of Middle Earth, is a major change. This is all from the greed and corruption caused by the treasure under the mountain. Thorin himself is an emblem of corruption. He goes through this whole adventure only to get to the mountain and become what he destroyed. When Smaug does not return to the treasure, the dwarves enter the treasure room and Thorin immediately starts hoarding the treasure like Smaug. He does hold up his bargain with his companions and shares, but when the people of Esgaroth show up looking for compensation for their town, Thorin rudely turns them away and barricades the entrances. He also is in desperate search of the Arkenstone that he does not know Bilbo took. Then the men and elves of Esgaroth get angry are about to start attacking the entrance to the mountain when goblins and wargs show up to fight for the treasure. Thorins cruelty is showing his corruption when he sees what is now his treasure. In Master of MiddleEarth, Paul Kocher comments on the way Thorin acted towards the people of Esgaroth and Dale. Kocher states that Thorins refusal is characterized as dwarfish lust for gold fevered by brooding on the dragons hoard (22). Thorin himself said nothing we will give, not even a loafs worth, (Hobbit 276). Thorin became the new Smaug for the people of Dale. He was corrupted by his own treasure. The Fellowship of the Ring has even more extreme examples of corruption. In the very first chapter, the friendly face of Bilbo is throwing a party for his eleventy-first birthday. He has invited many many guests of all different races. Mainly hobbits show up and everyone is excited

Skalsky 13 for Gandalfs firework display. The direct family members of Bilbo, however, are invited to a special, private dinner one night. On this night, Bilbo gives a short speech explaining his choice of Frodo as his heir. He ends the speech by putting on his magic ring and disappearing in front of the whole gathered assembly. He then goes back into his house and collects a few things to take with him because he plans on traveling again and never returning to Bag End. When he is about to leave Gandalf arrives and reminds Bilbo that he was going to leave the ring behind as well. Bilbo all of a sudden doesnt want to be parted from the ring. When Gandalf says that he must leave it behind Bilbo becomes cross and starts arguing with Gandalf. Gandalf too becomes angry and tells Bilbo to Do as you promised: Give it up! Well if you want my ring for yourself, say so! cried Bilbo. But you wont get it. I wont give my precious away, I tell you (Fellowship 33). This point shows that the ring has corrupted Bilbo enough to make him get mad at Gandalf and to have the Gollum-like tendency to call the Ring my precious. Luckily for Bilbo, this was about as deep as the Rings evil got to him. Randel Helms says in his book Tolkiens World, Bilbo is touched by the Ring according to his nature and is moved to lie about how he got it but is otherwise unaffected except that he grows no older (34-35). Even still, the Ring changed Bilbo. Later in the story, in Rivendell, Frodo and Bilbo are reunited and when Bilbo asks to see the Ring, it is as if the whole world has froze and all Bilbo wants is to take the Ring back. This shows the everlasting effect of the Ring on Bilbos character. Many people are corrupted by the Ring. Saruman and Boromir included. Saruman the White is the head wizard in The Fellowship of the Ring. He is thought to be among the wisest and most powerful of the whole order of wizards. Gandalf never made it to Hobbiton before Frodos departure. The pair do not meet up again until Rivendell. Then Gandalf tells his story and why he never made it back to Bag End. It turns out that Gandalf is summoned to Sarumans

Skalsky 14 tower to meet with him. The past many years, Saruman has always said that the Ring would never return, and it is nothing to worry about. When Gandalf arrives at his tower, Saruman spins Gandalf a tale of ruling all of Middle Earth together. We he repeatedly says. We will rule together. Gandalf looks at his superior in disgust because he realizes that the Ring has corrupted his leader and that Saruman is just power hungry now. He then says, Saruman, only one hand at a time can wield the One, and you know that well, so do not bother to say we! (Fellowship 253). Saruman is infuriated and locks Gandalf in a tower too high to use magic to get himself down. Gandalf waits there many months and eventually he sees one of the great eagles flying by. He summons the eagle and tells him his situation. The eagle then bears him away from Sarumans tower and Gandalf goes as fast as he can to Rivendell where he hopes to find Frodo already there, safe. It is obvious that the once great and wise Saruman has been corrupted by the Ring. In Rivendell there is a man named Boromir. Boromir is the son of the ruler in Gondor. He accompanies the fellowship on their way to Mordor. He has always thought the best way to end Sauron would be to use the Ring against him. The Rings power corrupts him and he eventually attacks Frodo for the ring. The spell of the Ring, which has tempted him at least since Lrien, proved too great for him and he tried to kill Frodo (Foster 35). Both of these examples show the Rings ability to corrupt anyone. Many characters throughout the story resist the Ring and refuse to accept it from Frodo even though they would be able to get it to the Cracks of Doom easier. The One Ring is the Ring of Power, and it destroys everyone who tries to possess it (The Lord of the Rings 123). These characters are all too wise to even allow the Ring the chance to tempt them. When Frodo offers the ring to Gandalf, he tells Frodo that it is not wise to trust something so powerful with one already so powerful. Tom Bombadil also avoids the Ring even though its power of

Skalsky 15 invisibility does not work on him. He is still wise enough to know that he will be corrupted by power if he tries to use the Ring. He has a passion for his life and Goldberry, his wife, so he tells Frodo that it is not his place to take the Ring. Aragorn and Elrond both have the same reasons for telling Frodo no when he offers it to them. When the fellowship gets to Lothlrien, they meet the Queen Galadriel. She is the most powerful in all of Middle Earth. She is also very wise and very beautiful. She has a looking glass that shows her the past, present, and future, but she never knows for sure which it is showing. She bears one of the three elven rings of power. She gave the fellowship many gifts when they visited her, and Frodo offered her the ring as well. I will give you the One Ring, if you ask for it. It is too great a matter for me [said Frodo]. Galadriel laughed with a sudden clear laugh, . . .many long years I have pondered what I might do, should the great ring come into my hands, and behold! Galadriel ends with, I pass the test (Fellowship 356). Galadriel was referring to the test of the ring. She resists because of her wisdom. She is able to see that even she is not powerful enough to resist corruption. Fate seems to be a force in Middle Earth that many people are aware of. In The Hobbit, the reader sees that fate seems to have stepped in and made Gandalf choose Bilbo for the adventure. Gandalf arrives at Bilbos home at Bag End and explains who he is and that he is looking for someone to go on an adventure. Bilbo tells him that it is unlikely he will find anyone who is looking for an adventure in Hobbiton. When Gandalf asks Bilbo to join him on his expedition, Bilbo is frazzled and declines. He sends Gandalf away but invites him for tea the following day. The next day there is a knock at the door; Bilbo opens it to find two dwarfs instead of Gandalf. He is surprised to find that, over the next hour, twelve more dwarves arrive. Bilbo finds his cupboards being depleted when Gandalf finally arrives and explains that the adventure will be with this crew of dwarves. The dwarves are skeptical about bringing a hobbit

Skalsky 16 but Gandalf reassures them You asked me to find the fourteenth man for your expedition, and I choose Mr. Baggins. Just let anyone say I choose wrong the man. . . and [you can] have all the bad luck you like (Hobbit 27). Bilbo resists adamantly until the dwarves sing a song of adventure, treasure, and glory. Then Bilbo adventurous side peeks out, he accepts the invitation and is hired on as a burglar. It could be said that Gandalf choose Bilbo because he knew of Bilbos family history and he knew that his mothers Took blood ran in Bilbos veins. The Tooks are an adventurous family of hobbits and in Middle Earth, heritage decides a characters personality. Even though Gandalf knows this, the idea of bringing a hobbit on a dangerous adventure such as trying to take the treasure from Smaug, is ridiculous. Gandalf implies that fate partly determined the course of Bilbos adventure (The Hobbit 101). Fate guided Gandalf to Bilbo and helped him persuade the dwarves to choose him as the fourteenth member of the company. Fate also leads Bilbo to the Ring. He wakes up from being unconscious in the Misty Mountains when he realizes he is lost among the tunnels. Bilbo starts wandering around and he eventually slips and finds the Ring in the dark. [Bilbo] crawled a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel (Hobbit 79). He does not exactly know what it is, so he puts it in his pocket for later investigation. It is this ring that makes his whole adventure possible. Without it, he would have never escaped Gollum. When the dwarves were captured by spiders, he would not have been able to save them. Assuming that they had survived those encounters, Bilbo would not have been able to hide from the elves when they captured the dwarves. Also, the Ring kept him out of Smaugs sight when he was exploring the great dragons lair. It seems as if the Ring was meant to be Bilbos to help him on his quest. Fate seems evident in Bilbos finding of the Ring because the likelihood of him

Skalsky 17 slipping and crawling on the floor right over the exact spot that Gollum dropped the Ring is very bad. While many events in the novel seem to occur by chance, especially Bilbos discovery of the ring of power that grants him invisibility, the character ostensibly are ruled by fate (The Hobbit 100). Fate always seems to be changing Middle Earth. Fate also had a hand in changing Bilbos personality. After Gandalf has left the party in the Mirkwood Forest, they disregard his warnings and walk off the path. The group falls into a deep sleep. When Bilbo wakes, he finds himself being wrapped up in spiders web by a massive spider. He wiggles his hand loose and cuts himself out of the web with the sword he took from the trolls cave. Then he has a short battle with the spider itself and kills it with a stab to the eye. In this instant, Bilbo has finally done something on his own. He won that battle without Gandalf and without the dwarves. He decides to mark this point in his life by naming his sword Sting. The change in the swords name symbolizes the change in Bilbo himself. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach (Hobbit 167). Without doing this act, Bilbo would have never been able to accomplish the things he did in the rest of this adventure and his life. In The Master of the Rings by Susan Ang, the author writes, The sequence with the spiders, during which the dagger Sting is used and acquires its name, appears to act as a rite of passage for Bilbo. It is a moment in his progress towards heroic status (52). This truly is a right of passage set up by fate. Fate gives Bilbo this life changing moment to have the power to evade the elves, face Smaug, and fight in the Battle of Five armies. The Fellowship of the Ring is littered even more with examples of fate and its effect on Middle Earth. In the second chapter, Gandalf has returned to see Frodo many years after Bilbos departure. Gandalf and Frodo spend all night talking and catching up. Frodo finds out much about the world outside the Shire. The next morning, Gandalf gets to the reason why he actually

Skalsky 18 came to see Frodo. He has come to explain the Ring. Gandalf starts by explaining a little about rings of power. He tells Frodo that there were twenty at one point. Now there are for sure sixteen left, and one of them can control the others. He then asks Frodo to see the Ring and, to Frodos displeasure, throws it into the hottest part of the fire. In a minute he takes it out and finds that the heat has not even made the gold warm. The only change is a small elfin lettering that now is visible on the Ring. Gandalf reads it and it confirms that this ring is the One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them (Fellowship 49). Gandalf then goes into a short history of this specific ring and he tells Frodo that people will probably come to the Shire looking for him and the Ring. Frodo is frustrated and asks Gandalf why Bilbo should have been the one to find it. Gandalf replies that I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it (Fellowship 55). Here the readers sees works of fate. The Ring passes through many hands after Sauron loses. It is clear that the Ring sees no use for Gollum anymore and needs a way out of hiding. It needs to get out of the Misty Mountains and back into the sunlight where a new (or previous) master could wield it. Fate has another plan and sends the Ring, Bilbo Baggins. He was meant to have it by fate. Then Bilbo passes it on, for it is now Frodos turn to have it. It becomes evident in the second chapter. . .that the workings of Providence will be basic to the narrative when Gandalf tells Frodo he was meant to have the Ring (Helms 82). Frodo is meant to take it and be the Ring Bearer. The appearance of Tom Bombadil on the edge of the Old Forest is yet another example of fate in The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin have been walking for days on end through the Old Forest. The party has been following a river for some time. They are almost out the other side when they all get very drowsy. This sudden drowsiness puts Pippin,

Skalsky 19 Merry, and the Ponies to sleep almost immediately. Frodo finds the drowsiness odd, but he soon becomes too tired to question it and falls asleep as well. Sam is tired as well but is skeptical enough to walk back the direction they had came. A few yards away, his head all of a sudden becomes clear again and he is fully awake. Then he hears a splash, and he runs to the banks of the river where Frodo was sitting. Frodo is being held into the water by a tree root. Sam turns around to find that Merry and Pippin have both been encased by the trees trunk. He hurries to get Frodo out of the water, and the pair are stumped on how to get their friends out of the tree. Merry and Pippin start screaming for help, but all seems hopeless. Frodo and Sam start yelling for help even though they know no one is in hearing distance. Suddenly, a big jolly man by the name of Tom Bombadil arrives of his own accord. He did not even hear the hobbits yelling. Upon hearing what has happened, he hurries to the tree and says, You let them out Old Man Willow! What be you a-thinking of? You should not be waking. Eat earth! Dig deep! Drink water! Go to sleep! Bombadil is talking! (Fellowship 118). Then the tree cracks open and Tom is able to pull the hobbits out. Fate most definitely has a power here. Tom did not hear the despairing hobbits, yet he was there at the precise moment that they needed him. Toms appearance is purely providential, necessary because the hobbits have yet to grow sufficiently to help themselves and because his instructions are vital to the continuation of the quest (Helms 86). Providence can be translated as fate in this quote. Fate is the reason Tom came hopping along the path because the hobbit's journey could not end there. When the council in Rivendell is held, it is clear that fate brings people to the meeting. Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, and Aragorn have been traveling as fast as they can to get to Rivendell before Frodos wound kills him. When they get there, Frodo spends many days recovering under Elronds care. When Frodo finally comes to, Gandalf is waiting there and he

Skalsky 20 explains a little of what has happened in the last week or so while Frodo was unconscious. When Frodo asks why Gandalf never made it to Hobbiton before Frodo left on his expedition, Gandalf tells him that he will have to wait to hear the tale until the council is held. After Frodo gets up, there is a huge feast held for him. The evening is filled with song and dance and the reunion of Frodo and Bilbo. The next morning, Elrond holds a council. At the council are representatives from all over Middle Earth. Strangely though, the majority of attendants were not invited and are seemingly in Rivendell by coincidence. Elrond himself says, I have not called you to me, strangers from distant lands. You have come and are here met, in this very nick of time (Fellowship 236). Each member of the council has something important to share with the rest of the council. Believe rather that it is ordered that we, who sit here, and none others, must now find counsel for the peril of the world (Fellowship 236). Elrond is sure that it is not actually coincidence that those present have all arrived at the same time. His second quote states that the members of the council were chosen by fate to defeat the evil of Sauron. In Master of MiddleEarth, Paul H. Kocher states that nothing could be plainer than Elronds rejection here of chance as the cause of the Council, however much on the surface it may seem to be so (37). It is obvious that fate has brought the group together. Tolkien conveys this message through Elrond because of Elronds wisdom and high standing. The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring share so much more than characters and setting. Many themes can be connected between the two great novels. Among these are loyalty, corruption, and fate. Loyalty is apparent in both novels mainly through hobbits. It is a very hobbit-like quality to be loyal. It is possibly the reason why hobbits are chosen as the protagonists in Tolkiens works. Corruption is evident in mainly the Ring itself, but also in power. The main reasons people of any world, novel, or story become corrupt is

Skalsky 21 because they are enticed by power, domination, and riches. In other words, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Ring is a symbol of power and from that power, domination. In other places, riches corrupt those such as Thorin and his fellow dwarves. However, fate has a way of punishing those who have been corrupted. Fate brings Thorin to his death. Fate brings Saurons downfall by bringing together the powers of Middle Earth to send the Ring to its doom. Fate also saves the lives of Merry and Pippin. It brings the Ring to Smeagol (also called Gollum) and then to Bilbo. Bilbo turns the ring over to Frodo because Frodo was meant to have it as well. Loyalty, corruption, and fate are the dominating forces in Middle Earth. Tolkiens work is brilliant and effective. He will continue to be one of the most read authors through the twenty-first century.

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Works Cited Ang, Susan. The Master of the Rings. Duxford, Cambridge: Totem Books, 2002. Print. Bruner, Kurt, and Jim Ware. Finding God in the Lord of the Rings. Wheaton, Illinois:Tyndale Publishers, Inc., 2011. Print. Foster, Robert. A Guide to Middle-Earth. New York: Ballantine Books, 1971. Print. Helms, Randel. Tolkiens World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. Print. The Hobbit. Novels for Students. Eds. Marie Napierkowski and Deborah Stanley. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 94-113. Print. Kocher, Paul. Master of Middle-Earth. New York: Ballantine Books, 1972. Print. The Lord of the Rings. Novels for Students. Eds. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 113-130. Print. Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1997. Print. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Print. ---. The Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1966. Print.