Essay on THE HOBBIT, by J. R. R. Tolkien

According to Tzvetan Todorov, author of the book Introduction to Fantastic Literature, the fantastic, as a literary genre, does not last longer than a hesitation: this hesitation is common to both, readers and characters, who must decide whether what they perceive belongs or not to “reality”, as it exists in current opinion. At the end of the story, continues Todorov, the reader must make up his mind, if the character has not done it yet. If the reader chooses that the phenomena described in the story can be explained without violating the laws of reality, and these laws allow us to find an explanation, then we must say that that particular piece of literature belongs to the genre Todorov calls “the strange”. If, on the contrary, the reader chooses that it is necessary to accept new laws of Nature through which the phenomena can be explained, then we are in the genre Todorov calls “the marvelous”.
A novel such as THE HOBBIT, written by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien in 1937, whose protagonist is a Hobbit, that is, a fantastic creature, would obviously fall into the category of what Todorov calls “the marvelous” for, which laws of reality, as we know it, would help us to explain the existence of wizards, dwarves, hobbits, elves, orcs and other fantastic creatures? Moreover, how can we accept, within the logic of current opinion, the alliance of a wizard, thirteen dwarves and a hobbit in order to recuperate a mountain and a treasure that had been stolen from the dwarves’ forefathers by an even more fantastic creature, a dragon named Smaug?
Given the fact that THE HOBBIT is a fantasy novel written in the tradition of the fairy tale, trying to analyze to what extent the events or characters described in this story match Todorov’s ideas on the strange and the marvelous seems like an idle task. However, if we consider the quotation Todorov uses to finish his chapter about “the strange and the marvelous”, which was taken from Le miroir du merveilleux by Pierre Mabille, we can start considering our analysis a worthy task:
Beyond the amusement, the curiosity, and all the emotions that narrations, tales and legends give us, beyond the necessity for distraction or forgetfulness, or the search for pleasant and terrifying experiences, the real aim of the marvelous journey is…the deeper exploration of universal reality.
In other words, if we consider the characters in this novel as allegories of the different human races, and their deeds and their passions as a metaphor of what we are as a human race, then we start having more room to analyze how Todorov’s concepts can be applied to this particular novel because, even within the frames of the strange and the marvelous, Todorov discriminates among different levels of strange and different levels of marvelous, depending on the type of explanation that we find, if any, for what at first seemed supernatural. To review those categories and to find suitable examples in Tolkien’s THE HOBBIT will be the main purpose of this paper.
There are at least ten instances of magical moments in the Hobbit’s story that we can analyze to see to what extent they match Todorov’s concepts on the fantastic; that is, the strange and the marvelous. The first instance of supernatural events occurs in chapter two, when Gandalf, the wizard, disappears while the dwarves get themselves into trouble with the trolls. So far, the only evidence of his magical powers had been the light he made come from his staff in Bilbo’s home. But now, Gandalf hides and uses his voice to cause trouble between the trolls, delaying them long enough as to defeat them when the sun rises and turns the trolls into stone.
This passage would correspond to a sub-category that Todorov names “pure marvelous”, which he uses to classify those supernatural elements that do not provoke any particular reaction neither in the characters, nor in the implicit reader. He says that the distinguishing feature of the marvelous is not an attitude towards the events being described, but the nature of those events. It is true that Gandalf’s disappearing and his suddenly appearing voice provokes a reaction of confusion among the trolls, who fight among themselves as a result of Gandalf’s tricks, but for the readers it is accepted as a normal thing that a wizard should disappear and reappear at will. So we do not even try to explain his being invisible within the frames of reality, as we know it.
If we wanted to find an explanation for Gandalf’s ability to become invisible, then the passage would fall into what Todorov calls “the fantastic strange”, which is another sub-category of the fantastic in which the events that seemed supernatural during the narration, finally receive a rational explanation. But the trolls do not have time to consider that the confusing force that makes them fight is a wizard. Neither Tolkien tries to explain Gandalf’s abilities, nor do we readers search for an explanation of his powers. On the contrary, we accept a wizard’s powers are not to be explained by any means. Thus, we remain in the field of the “pure marvelous”.
Another passage of THE HOBBIT that belongs to the “pure marvelous” occurs when Gandalf disappears again after hearing Bilbo’s cry. Gandalf stays hidden in the shadows and sneaks along to the chamber of the great hall. When the Great Goblin decides to have the dwarves killed, Gandalf extinguishes the fire that lights the hall and kills the Great Goblin with a sword. Then, he shouts to the dwarves and Bilbo, and leads them into the deep tunnels with a pale light from his staff.
Gandalf’s light in his staff leads us to another sub-category of the marvelous, which Todorov calls “instrumental marvelous”. This concept is used to classify those events in which little gadgets appear, some technical advances that are impossible to exist in the described age, but which are, after all, possible. In this category we should include not only Gandalf’s staff, which would be nothing but a lantern in our days, but also, the swords that Gandalf and Thorin take from the cave of the trolls, and specially the magic ring that makes it possible for Bilbo to rescue his friends. This ring confers the bearer invisibility, and allows Bilbo to stay invisible for weeks while he wanders around the elves’ caverns until he comes up with a plan to rescue his friends.
Now, the ring that Bilbo finds is undoubtedly magic, since it makes the wearer invisible. But there are tacit side effects, however, which make people very upset when they lose it. Let us take Gollum as an example, he is enraged when he cannot find it, and even Bilbo feels an unexplained pang of loss when he thinks he has misplaced it. But Gollum’s story would be closer to that category Todorov calls the “pure strange”, which he uses to identify those events that can be explained by the laws of reason, but which are incredible, extraordinary, shocking, singular, disturbing or unbelievable. In this category we should include all characters in an exceptional situation, either in the external or in the psychological level.
It is true that, even until the end of the Hobbit’s novel we consider Gollum as a fantastic creature. It is until we read the second chapter of “The Fellowship of the Ring” that we learn that Gollum was originally a hobbit that committed murder against his friend Déagol in order to posses the ring. Then we understand why, after he had lived in a little dark cave for years, he suffered such a physical and internal transformation. Before knowing this, we consider Gollum a fantastic creature, just like the wizard and the hobbit. After knowing that, we classify Gollum among the “pure strange” characters, who stand for exceptions in Nature.
Now, I wonder if we could include Beorn’s story under this category. He is a man who is able to turn himself into a bear at will. He changes his physical form when facing danger. But since we are never given an explanation of why he is able to transform himself, I guess we should leave this character among the “pure marvelous” events which are not to be explained.
Another sub-category of the marvelous is known by Todorov as the “exotic marvelous”, and this concept is used to classify the events which are described as supernatural, without representing them as such. It is assumed that the implicit receiver is not familiar with the region where the events take place; therefore, there is no reason why we should question them. It implies a mixture of natural and supernatural events. In this category we could include the passage of the Mirkwood, with the stream of forgetfulness that makes Bombur forget all about his journey. We could argue that it is impossible that a person (or a dwarf) should forget everything after a dip in a river, but since we do not that place called Mirkwood we have no grounds to state that such thing is fantastic, thus we must accept the event as “exotic marvelous”. The same happens with the events described later in that chapter, the dwarves are teased by the elves every time they try to reach their banquet scenes. At first the dwarves do not know why the torches turn on and off. They are confused and lost to the point they think some sort of magic charms the place. This is only possible because of the fact that the dwarves do not know the place they are approaching, so they consider the events as marvelous, but later they learn it was only the elves’ strategy to confuse them.
The thrush, or magic bird, that flies all the way to Esgaroth and tells Bard how to kill the dragon could also be considered among those creatures belonging to an unknown land of which neither readers or characters know anything about. Therefore we classify him among the “exotic marvelous”, and we accept it as normal when we learn that the thrush tells Bard how to kill the dragon.
Under the category of what Todorov calls “the scientific marvelous”, to refer to supernatural events that can be explained in a rational way, but on the grounds of laws that current science does not accept, we could list the map to Lonely Mountain, which is inscribed with letters that show themselves only in the light of the moon at a certain time of the year. Here we could also enlist the secret entrance to the mountain, which would not open until the moonlight shone at the right day and time to show the keyhole, along with the doors of the caverns which would only open for elves. These scientific advances were probably fantastic when THE HOBBIT was first published, but in our days we know of invisible ink, of pyramids receiving a particular sun-light in specific dates of the year, and of doors that can be opened or closed as a response to a voice code. Therefore, we would not consider these events as fantastic, although within the frames of this particular fiction, they still seem as marvelous.

Essay on THE HOBBIT, by J. R. R. Tolkien
By Xavier Rosales Soto
November 15,2007
http://xavier-rosales.blogspot.com