Book review: The Hobbit Point of view is who tells the story: the main character
ID: 117145 • Letter: B
Question
Book review: The Hobbit
Point of view is who tells the story: the main character, some other characters, or an impersonal and objective teller? Is there any information given about the narrator’s gender, class, age or race?
The setting is when and where the story happens. Here you might want to answer questions like: Where does the story take place? Does it take place in another country or an imaginary place? Does it take place a long time ago or now? How is the story told? Is it told chronologically, from the end to the beginning, or are there flashes backward (and forward)?
Characters are who the story is about. The main character is called the protagonist. Tell who the protagonist is and answer questions like: Who are the other important characters? Do they help or hinder the protagonist? How are they described? Do they change during the course of the novel?
Theme is why the story is written. It is about the main idea of the book. Some examples of theme can be friendship, family, jealousy, etc. Tell what the writer will convey to the reader.
Plot is what happens in the story. Tell what the story is mostly about and answer questions like: What is the main event or conflict? What is the cause of the conflict and how is it solved? Try not to simply retell the story or give away the ending.
Explanation / Answer
A book full of adventure, heroism, song and laughter, featuring landscapes that are quintessentially English - the Shire the Hobbits inhabit could easily be an England of yesteryear. But soon the Shire is left behind and Bilbo, our reluctant hero, encounters Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Eagles and Wizards as the party passes through Rivendell, The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood on their way to the Lonely Mountain, in order to take back treasure stolen by the great dragon Smaug.
It particular note for bedtime readers: scary scenes in the pitch-blackness when Bilbo the hobbit is threatened by goblins and trolls in caves, and a very creepy scene with Gollum, who keeps thinking about how he'd like to eat Bilbo. The dwarves and Bilbo are captured a few times, whipped once, almost cooked once, and strung upside down to be eaten later. Swords and arrows kill in a big battle that includes some sad deaths. Few truly gory details except a goblin head and a wolf skin propped up on a gate. And there are fights with big spiders and evil wolves. Dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo love their drink and making smoke rings from their pipes. This classic adventure brings out the best in the little hobbit at its center: bravery, loyalty, cunning, and the guts to take a stand against friends blinded by greed so he can help bring about peace.
One of the most appealing aspects of The Hobbit is that we can all find our inner-Hobbit; the part of us that wants nothing by an easy and confortable life. But there is still something inside all of us that perks up at the thought of adventure and a journey into the unknown and I think this is why The Hobbit is such a firm favourite and fondly remembered by all who read it