The Problem With Greed in The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

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In life, we often get caught up in our desire for wealth and earthly possessions. This greed which we possess is none other than a product of the self-centered world in which we live. In the world of Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit By J.R.R Tolkien, many of the characters are corrupted by greed and selfish desires. Through these characters, the reader is able to learn of the consequences which come from selfish actions and the impact they can have on one’s life.

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We are also able to see the problems of our own world today as Tolkien drew much of his inspiration from the world around him. In The Hobbit, Tolkien touches on the problems of greed and the struggles that wealth can bring to ones life.

The characters of this story are constantly dealing with the consequences of their self-centered actions. Many of them come face to face with temptation and it becomes clear that they all share one thing in common, a desire for wealth.

J.R.R. Tolkien a Beginners Guide states, “The disputes over treasure in the hobbit indicate that elves, dwarves, and men, as well as wolves and goblins, can share the same greedy desires”( Andrew Blake, 21 ). The moral issue of greed in The Hobbit is a prominent theme which is essentially what drives the narrative onward. This issue becomes very evident in the actions of the Dwarves. The Dwarves in The Hobbit are not solely motivated by a desire for freedom from oppression, but are also driven by greed.

Their main goal is to recover the hoard of treasure guarded by Smaug in the depths of the Lonely Mountain. Even though the dwarves claim that their journey is also to regain their kingdom, it is evident that their main motivation is the treasure which they will acquire. The Dwarves worked in the mines for over one hundred years. In those years they never tried to regain their kingdom. It is not until the wizard confronts them with the promise of treasure and gold that they decide to go. The reader gets an idea of dwarves motifs from this quote in the novel, “There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don’t expect too much” (Tolkien, 231). The dwarves are not bad people in any sense. They are just easily swayed by the temptations of wealth and power. They are well aware of the value of money and gold, which makes it harder for them to resist obtaining riches. The nature of the dwarves is shown when the dragon, Smaug, is killed. There is a valuable lesson to be learned in the death of the dragon yet the dwarves do not recognize it. They should have learned about the consequences of greediness, instead they continued on their mission to acquire treasure.

Smaug, The dragon is one of the biggest pictures of greed in the book. His nature is described in this passage, “a most specially greedy, strong, and wicked worm called Smaug” (Tolkien 27). His craving for material wealth essentially destroyed his life. He is the quintessence of greed. Smaug collects treasure: it is his most valuable possession. It is worth so much to him that he is willing to kill for it. Even though he has no use for it, the thought of treasure and riches has consumed him. Smaug is also aware of the Dwarves greedy intentions and when Bilbo enters his chamber, he knows that the hobbit is motivated by the promise of treasure. Smaug knows when Bilbo has taken a tiny cup from his hoard of treasures because he keeps track of it all. He made enemies from his own lust and greed, which ultimately leads to his death at the hands of Bard the Bowman. Through the dragon, Tolkien displays to the reader that no good will come from acting out of self-interest. Smaug symbolizes what can happen when a person gives in to greed and becomes corrupted by it.

The next character who’s life is greatly affected by greed is Thorin Oakenshield. Thorin is the leader of the Dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. He is a brave and intelligent dwarf, who’s leadership was greatly respected. However, from the beginning, Thorin’s main objective was to become king and obtain all the treasure. His strong desire for riches, and his refusal to reunite with the elves, are both factors that contribute to the start of the war. Thorin displays his selfishness when dealing with demands from Bard the Bowman and Thranduil. They want a share of the treasure to be given to the wood-elves and the men of Lake-town. Thorin refuses to acknowledge their right to any of the hoard which is a great insight into the effect which greed has on him. This, along with a few other events, ultimately led to the battle of the five armies which then resulted in Thorin’s death. Before he died, he made peace with Bilbo and said this, “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” (Tolkien, 312). The motifs of Bilbo Baggins throughout the novel appear to be slightly different than those of his companions. The hobbits are the one group in the novel that do not seem to be as greatly driven by greed. Bilbo Baggins is very content with his life. He does not require much more than a clean house and a good meal. Readings on J.R.R Tolkien states, “Bilbo is much more interested, for instance, in keeping a tidy house, cooking a tempting meal, and keeping himself in pocket-handkerchiefs than he is in venturing boldly into the world to find what life has in store for him”(Greenhaven Press, 64). Bilbo’s wade into the world of temptation begins when, In the deepest tunnels of the Misty Mountains, he stumbles upon a ring. As it is odd for something of that nature to be in such a desolate and remote place, curiosity causes him to pocket the ring. Some might argue that Bilbo pocketed the ring out of greed. However, since he is a simple hobbit, he doesn’t really know greed. He is simply enthralled by its shiny nature.

The Ring is the driving force for the greed present in most of Tolkien’s work. It is a object of great value: it represents wealth. By passing the Ring down to Frodo in The Lord of The Rings, Bilbo shows that objects of great value can be given up without destroying our lives. Bilbos character is a representation of hope for anyone consumed with greed. Bilbo had great power when in possession of the ring yet he was not overcome by greed and his desire for dominance. Bilbo is content with what he owns and has not fallen into the trap of the ring’s power.
At first, When Bilbo was with the dwarves, he was not enthralled by their greedy intentions. However, the idea of treasure starts to become more appealing to him. This is where the Hobbit is slightly tempted by his own desire for treasures. When in the lonely mountain, Bilbo becomes aware of the value of the treasure, Tolkien states, “Bilbo had heard, tell and sing of dragon hoards before, but the splendor, the lust, the glory of the treasure had never yet come home to him. His heart was filled and pierced with enchantment and with the desire of the dwarves”(234). It was then that Bilbo first felt any lust towards gold and treasure.

However, he still only takes a small cup to bring back to the dwarves. We see in this passage that his reasons behind taking the cup were not entirely selfish, “I’ve done it! This will show them. ‘more like a grocer than a burglar ’indeed! Well we’ll hear no more of that”(Tolkien 234). Bilbo appears to be more motivated by his pride and proving that he is tough, rather than a desire for treasure. His motivation is not just to safely go back to Bag End, but to keep his integrity since he had already agreed to the plan. The only time he acts out of selfishness would be when he takes the Arkenstone for himself. However, Bilbo did not take very much at all compared the dwarves. Even though Bilbo may have been greedy by taking the stone, he ends up using the stone to prevent a battle. Bilbo also returns home with only two small chests of treasure, which he spends mostly on relatives and others. He does not grow attached to it and is very generous when it comes to giving it away. There are in fact many instances throughout the novel that explicitly show that Bilbo is not driven by greed. Bilbo desires to return home as soon as he can, yet he continues on the mission in order to help his companions and keep his promise. He ended up overcoming many difficult feats such as battling the spiders, freeing the Dwarves from the dungeons, and riding on the barrel, none of which could be considered a selfish act. If anything, Bilbo appears to be driven by a desire for adventure and keeping his promise to the dwarves.

Tolkien drew much of his inspiration from the world around him. The reader is also able to see parallels to society today throughout the novel. Located at the end of paragraph five is the quote, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world” (Tolkien, 312). Through this passage, Tolkien displays a message of how one should live life. In society today there is a big emphasis on material wealth and consumption. What Tolkien is saying is that wealth can be a burden. If people were to focus less on gaining material objects and riches and more on non-material things like relationships, family, and happiness, then the world would be a much happier place. Another place in the novel that Tolkien displays a message of the consequences of greed is through the dragon's death.

The dragon's death is a lesson on how greed can destroy one's life. No good will come from self-interest, the dragon ended up dead because of it. In real life, if someone lets selfishness take over it will corrupt them, just as it did the dragon. It will lead them down a path of destruction. It can be hard for one to reject the materialistic values of the world today. It is not long until the world destroys itself much as the dragon did.

Throughout this novel, the effects and consequences of greed are shown through the characters and the motifs behind their actions. The dwarves actions are all based on the greed that resides within them, it is the force that drives these stories’ narrative forward. Smaug’s selfishness leads to his destruction and the loss of all his precious belongings. Thorin Oakensheild is affected similarly, death becomes the result of his selfish actions. The Hobbits, although less so, still show selfishness, Bilbo being the least selfish of them all. Throughout the story Tolkien is able to show problems of the world today through the actions and words of the characters. Overall the story of the hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is one driven by greed and selfish desires.