Greed and Generosity: Dichotomy in 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Hobbit, by Jr Tolkien has two primary styles throughout the book: Greed, and Generosity. This essay describes how greed can alter any person, no matter how brave or brave they are. In the hobbit, Bilbo is portrayed as a fat middle-aged man, and that "He looks more like a grocer than a robber." Thorin Oakenshield appears like a hero in the book, yet, unlike Thorin and the dwarves, Bilbo isn't impacted by greed at all in the book. This essay explains minutes where both, Generosity and Greed are revealed.

Beorn is a great example of kindness in The Hobbit.

Beorn is a shape shifter, who survives on the borders of Mirkwood. He took Bilbo and the dwarves in when they needed a place to rest, despite the fact that he didn't quite trust them. He offered them shelter, products, and a location to sleep. Beorn belongs to the battle of 5 armies, where he defended them. He was willing to direct them on their way to Mirkwood.

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And he cautioned them about the important things in Mirkwood, what not to consume, what not to drink, and what to prevent.

Smaug is, by far, the most selfish and greedy character in the entire book, he is a miser, a sadist, and a greedy psychopath. He treats eliminating like a sport and enjoys it. He is intelligent and convincing. Smaug is ready to eliminate entire civilisations, simply to contribute to his gold.

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And whenever anything is missing out on, he understands "I smell you, burglar." He eats anybody who comes too close to his gold. When Bilbo takes a goblet, Smaug presumes that he is a lake-towner and ruins the Lake town. He is eliminated by Bard, a grim faced guy from lake-town. On the other hand, all Bilbo wants is peace.

When a fight was going on between Thorin Oakenshield, The Elvenking, and the Lake-towners, Bilbo provided the other side the Arkenstone to use as reasoning. The fight of 5 armies is started anyhow, Thorin, Fili, and Kili all die, proving that greed can kill you. In the hobbit, Bilbo isn't an ideal hero like Thorin. However he isn't impacted by greed, like Thorin. Gollum is overcome by greed and fixation with "His precious." (the invisibility ring). With time, greed has changed golem, from a water hobbit, to a slimy underground beast. He is a loner and a phony.

You feel sorry for him, yet, you don’t like him. Gollum has no friends and has long forgotten what the outside world looks like, he has a strange appetite, of Goblins, Raw fish and anyone who strays far enough from the path. Bilbo comes across Gollum when he is inside the Goblin’s sanctuary, he takes gollum’s ring and finds an exit, this is when he realises that the ring provides invisibility. To sum things up, both greed, and generosity are portrayed a lot throughout the hobbit. Greed being portrayed through: Gollum, Smaug, and Thorin. And generosity being shown through: Bilbo, Beorn, and Gandalf.

Updated: Nov 30, 2023
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Greed and Generosity: Dichotomy in 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien. (2016, Dec 12). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/themes-of-the-hobbit-essay

Greed and Generosity: Dichotomy in 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien essay
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