Tomorrow is Bilbo’s and Frodo’s birthdays, but today is the 83rd anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit (1937). I first encountered The Hobbit through the 1977 TV animated movie (which, coincidentally, premiered on 27 November, two days before I was born), and through that to the books. I cannot understate the impact The Hobbit has had on my life. Through it I discovered The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s other writings.
This combined with my love of history, of maps, and of mythology, and led to me majoring in History and minoring in English at Howard Payne University. It led me to become a teacher, and hopefully spread that love of learning to my students, that we may all gain empathy and understanding from our study of both.
Tolkien’s writings, and literature in general, taught me the value of diversity, the impact of the smallest, the love of nature, and the hope of eucatastrophe (the sudden turning when least expected). His works contain joy and sorrow and reflect the reality of the co-existence of these in our lives.
Here is one of my favorite passages:
“Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. ‘Farewell, King under the Mountain!’ he said. ‘This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils — that has been more than any Baggins deserves.’
“‘No!’ said Thorin. ‘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. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!'”
