Ladnier i Brianna Ladnier Mrs. E. Richardson British Literature 13 November 2017 Irony in the Hobbit s Heroism Thesis: By J.R.R. Tolkien s use of situational, verbal, and dramatic irony, Bilbo Baggins proves himself an unconventional hero who takes the hero s journey to prove his unforeseen valiant nature. I. Situational irony A. Bilbo Baggins 1. His failure to sign the paper 2. His refusal to give Thorin the Arkenstone B. The dwarves 1. Traveled for keyhole not to appear 2. Contracted the dragon s sickness II. Verbal irony A. Narrator 1. The Expected 2. The Unexpected B. Other characters 1. Gandalf s asking for a little glass of red wine 2. Bilbo s lying to the dragon III. Dramatic irony A. Only readers as aware 1. Bilbo s acceptance of the journey 2. Bilbo s survival B. Only readers and another party as aware 1. Bilbo s ring 2. Bilbo s comment to the trolls
Ladnier 1 Brianna Ladnier Mrs. E. Richardson British Literature 13 November 2017 Irony in the Hobbit s Heroism In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, a quiet, humble character, finds himself ambushed by thirteen dwarves who propose a dangerous quest. Once they invade his home, the dwarves begin requesting Bilbo s attendance as their burglar for their journey s success. Throughout the adventure, the company seems consistently to find themselves facing certain death, but the least likely character, none other than Bilbo Baggins himself, ironically tends to save the entire group. By J.R.R. Tolkien s use of situational, verbal, and dramatic irony, Bilbo Baggins proves himself an unconventional hero who takes the hero s journey to prove his unforeseen valiant nature. In order to begin analyzing specific usages of irony in The Hobbit, it is beneficial to observe J.R.R. Tolkien s trends and consistencies in his humorous works. Therefore, his manipulation of irony is useful to fully understand before discussing the significance of its place inside of The Hobbit. Critic S.R. Walker claims, But the irony is so profoundly ingrained its nuances elude elucidation. In fact the irony is so deeply ensconced that many discerning readers are convinced it isn t there at all: He did not write in a largely ironic tone. Thus Tolkien s work represents much of what the modernists and after them (postmodernists) simply detest (119). Although the purposes underlying the humor may be difficult to interpret or are hidden, Walker s claim for the ironies in Tolkien's book being largely undetected is arguable. Many deeper ironies inside the novel might be undetected by the average reader; however, a majority of the ironies
Ladnier 2 Tolkien s book are specifically constructed so a large range of interested readers can grasp his concepts, including his target audience of children. Bloom also asserts, the humor is used throughout the work in ways that are quite different from Tolkien s use of humor in his other works. These three elements--the fantastic, the prosaic, and the humorous--are derived from Tolkien s understanding in 1930 of how to best communicate with his chosen audience of children (17). Harold Bloom discusses the difference between those evident ironies in The Hobbit and the rest of Tolkien s books. He notices there are several elements Tolkien uses throughout the story. Although Bloom does continue to report and endorse the three different elements of Tolkien s humor, the most crucial element of Bloom s argument is Tolkien s intention of humor for a young audience. It remains crucial to realize and understand The Hobbit as a children s book. Its intent for a younger audience allows readers to discern and interpret Tolkien s original meaning in more depth due to the fact one would not write the same type of humor in a children s book as he would an adult novel. The Hobbit s consistent use of situational irony allows for a dramatic revelation and turn of events that accentuates Bilbo s character transformation. At the beginning of the Hobbit s journey, he is faced with the decision of the acceptance or refusal of taking the journey in the first place. Readers originally witness Bilbo s refusal, further establishing the Hobbit from the Shire as a cowardly character. However, after arising the next day, Indeed he was really relieved after all to think that they had all gone without him, and without bothering to wake him up ( but with never a thank-you he thought); and yet in a way he could not help feeling just a trifle disappointed. The feeling surprised him (Tolkien 62). The readers originally know Bilbo as a quaint, cowardly man; however, this is the first instance readers witness the adventurous,
Ladnier 3 heroic nature suppressed inside the Hobbit. Readers notice the obvious adjustment and Bilbo s character and begin to anticipate Bilbo Baggins s becoming the hero Middle Earth needs. Once the story progresses past the adventure and the assumed-to-be-climactic death of Smaug, readers anticipate all will be resolved as Thorin takes to the throne. However, the sickness of greed begins to swell inside Thorin s heart. Despite the camaraderie formed over the course of the adventure and Bilbo s tendency to consistently save his friends, the Hobbit ironically does not award Thorin with the journey s objective, the Arkenstone. Instead, Bilbo hands over the prized stone to Thorin s archnemesis, Thranduil, and the murderer of Smaug, Bard. Thorin now believes Bilbo, one of his most loyal companions, has simply betrayed him, so Bilbo s action here defies all that he has previously done in his numerous rescues of the dwarves. The situational irony behind this situation not only accentuates the newly formed initiative Bilbo has decided to take, but also emphasizes the amount of power and control over every situation Bilbo truly yields. Although Bilbo tends to find himself in ironic situations he induces, the dwarves also contribute to these events to bring more light on Bilbo s hidden heroism. For instance, whenever the dwarves arrive at the location of the secret door, they soon discover an absence of a place for the key to be inserted. The narrator promptly acknowledges, No sign was there of post or lintel or threshold, nor any sign of bar or bolt or key-hole; yet they did not doubt that they had found the door at last. Not only is it ironic their entire adventure has been leading up to this final, failed action, but the solution to this problem is also ironic. The originally perceived courageous, intelligent, heroic dwarves attempts to open the secret door fail.they use traits one may perceive as heroic, such as strength, but they never have patience. Meanwhile the originally timid Hobbit remains determined to resist allowing the journey to be fruitless. Finally, the narrator
Ladnier 4 proclaims, Suddenly Bilbo understood. Forgetting all danger he stood on the ledge and hailed the dwarves, shouting and waving (335). At that moment, Bilbo finds the keyhole due to his patience and intelligence. This situation not only proves that Bilbo has the trait of determination found in a hero, but it also is yet another example of situational irony. While the Hobbit has the least reward out of finding the keyhole, he remains the most determined to refuse giving up on the adventure. Another instance of situational irony proving the Hobbit s heroic characteristics is once again Thorin s rapidly evolving greed. As mentioned previously, Bilbo s refusal to surrender the Arkenstone is an example of situational irony, but the more apparent and impactful irony to Bilbo s character development is simply Thorin s contraction of such debilitating greed. Thorin selflessly puts his life on the line countless times in hopes of earning the mountain back for his people and uniting the Dwarven people once more. However, the moment he traverses into the mountain he originally sought after with good intentions, greed begins to consume his previously generous personality. Thorin barks, But none of our gold shall thieves take or the violent carry off while we are alive. If you would earn our thanks still more, bring us news of any that draw near (415). This declaration is made after Thorin is advised to makes peace with the people of Laketown and the Elves by offering them some of the mountain s fortune they contributed obtaining. However, Thorin sharply refuses with words dipped in malice. Readers can clearly see the sharp change in the generosity of Thorin, and they can also see the apparent irony. The Hobbit observes Thorin s alternate personality, and he decides to spring into action and depart from Thorin s leadership. Although situational irony assists to create awareness of a significant number of changes in Bilbo s character, it is not the sole source of irony. In fact, verbal irony can bring out subtle
Ladnier 5 personality changes in the Hobbit, compiling yet more evidence towards the argument of Bilbo s growing heroism. The narrator uses some instances of verbal irony to emphasize the humor behind the sudden and dramatic complete change of the Hobbit s personality. For example, the narrator begins to discuss the normal expected routines of the young hobbit s life, as melancholy as they may seem. The narrator also emphasizes how the Hobbit remains to live a life where unexpected events never occur. This, of course, is humorously stated due to the complete opposite being true as Bilbo will demonstrate an extremely unexpected character shift into a hero. As previously mentioned, Bilbo s sole actions are not the only contributor to The Hobbit s emphasis on Bilbo s heroism. The most knowledgeable of the group, Gandalf, sees the heroism inherent in Bilbo before all the others; however, his most famous instances of verbal ironies are more difficult to interpret due to their hidden meanings. For instance, there is an occasion where Gandalf discusses his drink preferences with one of the dwarves. Gandalf proclaims, What s that? Tea! No thank you! A little red wine, I think for me (34). Gandalf is a towering wizard who easily trumps everyone around him with a staggering height, yet he asks for a comically small glass of wine. As ironic and humorous the situation is, it draws attention to an interesting phenomenon. Height can often be seen a physical representation of how readers originally view the ranking of each character in the story. Readers are originally swayed to envision Gandalf as a powerful wizard who trumps those around him during the journey as superior in all aspects, ranging from power to intelligence. The next tallest would of course be the dwarves, who are significantly shorter than Gandalf, but still wonderfully portrayed as heroic, determined characters. Lastly comes the diminutive Bilbo, who is often illustrated as timid and unthreatening in the beginning. However, as the story progresses, readers see this
Ladnier 6 ranking becoming completely reversed. Bilbo Baggins becomes the greatest of heroes as he evolves to save and protect his friends. Next comes the dwarves who fight through unimaginable troubles for what they believe is right. Lastly comes Gandalf who tended to stay out of the lines of battle. Verbal irony is utilized the length of the book; however, Bilbo s remarks to Smaug as he attempts to con the dragon out of the Arkenstone and his life remains one of the strongest reflections on his progression in heroism. Dazzlingly marvellous! Perfect! Flawless! Staggering! exclaimed Bilbo aloud, but what he thought inside was: Old fool! Why, there is a large patch in the hollow of his left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell (362). Bilbo lies through his teeth at a gigantic and unimaginably powerful dragon. The Hobbit from the Shire would have simply quivered and fell to his knees before such danger, yet Bilbo remains grounded as he attempts to finish the journey he began so long ago. Both situational and verbal irony inside contribute to the character progression of the main character, Bilbo Baggins, but one particularly interesting type of irony commonly used to draw emphasis to heroism in the novel is dramatic irony. The Hobbit uses dramatic irony a multitude of ways in order to truly accentuate Bilbo s heroism and the characteristics that typically follow. An interesting and compelling way this is developed is by the information the narrator tends to allow only the readers to know. One instance of this is Bilbo s acceptance of the journey in the first place. Readers infer Biblo will eventually accept the dwarves and Gandalf s offer due to the continuation of the book. If Bilbo simply declined their offer and truly decided it best to avoid the adventure, the book would end after a few chapters instead of continuing so long. Readers are aware of this, and they begin to infer the overall progression of Bilbo as a character.
Ladnier 7 Another aspect of inference readers often take due to the significant length of the novel is Bilbo s survival. There are several situations in which one could envision the Hobbit s end; however, Bilbo consistently prevails with his developing leadership. The readers know he would not die in the situations such as the terrible trolls, gruesome Golem, or surly spiders due to the novel s continuation. However, the characters are not aware of this in the moment, so only the readers truly anticipate Bilbo s approaching heroism. Although situations where only the reader is aware of the outcome are abundant, there are also several instances where the readers and a character are aware of some aspect until it is revealed to the rest of the characters.although there are an abundance of these instances occurring throughout the entire book, there are few situations where it is used to truly draw attention to the heroism of Bilbo Baggins. The most prominent example of this is Bilbo s shiny golden ring. Readers are aware he is in ownership of such ring, however Bilbo originally decides to keep this artifact a secret. Although he eventually reveals his magical item later in the story, Bilbo takes an intuitive choice as a hero to wait until the time is right before revealing such magic to others. Another aspect of the irony in the ring riddle is the later revelation of its hidden powers. Bilbo being the sole wielder of these powers brings the attention to the ever growing power behind the Hobbit. Although some see J.R.R. Tolkien s clever use of this irony an amazing contribution to the overall irony developing Bilbo s character, some believe this choice was a mistake. There is a particular scene many of those who believe in the accidental irony focus on that involves the riddle preceding Bilbo s pocket riddle. Corey Olson asserts, And yet the greatest irony of the Pocket question is an irony unintended by Tolkien in 1937. Bilbo can think of no response to the Time riddle, but as it turns out, his last question would indeed serve as a
Ladnier 8 kind of rebuttal to it (106). Olson continues to explain the ring s abilities to bend the forces of time and grant immortality to those who own it. He also explains the relevance of this situation reflects the time riddle preceding it as a remarkable coincidence. Olson believes the riddle of the ring was a simple happy accident, and it does not reflect on J.R.R. Tolkien s efforts to dramatize the Hobbit s progression. However, each of the riddles had to be carefully suggested and written. Many of the riddles Gollum chooses reflect his everyday thinking and his surroundings, as one could assume that is all he thinks about. Gollum s obsession with the ring is unmistakable; therefore, one of the riddles had to involve one of the most important things to him, the magical, golden ring. Continuing on the topic of dramatic irony, another instance is the moment Bilbo finds himself as well as his friends faced with a horrible confrontation with a group of foul, hungry trolls that wish to devour them. Confronted in a dire situation, Bilbo s instinctual, heroic characteristics spring him into action as he coordinates and executes a plan to save the group. A critic asserts, A use of dramatic irony is when Bilbo says Please don t cook me, kind sirs!...i ll cook beautifully for you!...this works to show that Bilbo is afraid to be killed by the trolls, and answered that he had a companion, but then answered truthfully no. As a result, Bilbo lies to the trolls to avoid being killed (Mason). If readers did not infer Bilbo s survival due to the length of the novel, this scene could be seen as a sure end to the group s adventure. However, Bilbo begins distinguishing himself and saves everyone. Bilbo Baggins s personality traits at the beginning of The Hobbit could be described as sheepish, cowardly, and average. However, as the story progresses readers witness Bilbo s dramatic character shift to a more courageous, determined, and selfless hobbit as he takes this unexpected hero s journey. J.R.R. Tolkien eloquently demonstrates this character progression
Ladnier 9 with the usage of three different ironies: situational, verbal, and dramatic. In using those elements of humor, he enables readers to truly understand and reflect on Bilbo Baggins as an unconventional hero.
Ladnier 10 Works Cited Bloom, Harold. J.R.R. Tolkien. Infobase, 2008. Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?id=xsj645bbokac&pg=pa17&dq=j.r.r.+tolkien+hum or&hl=en&sa=x&ved=0ahukewii77blzk_xahvfj1qkhd6nctuq6aeimzad#v=onep age&q&f=false. Accessed 8 November 2017. Mason, Joel The Hobbit - Novel Analysis March 2009, 1 Jan. 1970, thehobbit-novelanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/03/. Olson, Corey. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Houghton, 2012. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit. Houghton, 2012. Walker, S.R. The Power of Tolkien s Prose: Middle-Earth s Magical Style. Springer, 2009. Google Books, https:books.google.com/books?id=zaq_aaaaqbaj&pg=pa119&dq=tol kien+irony&hl=en&sa=x&ved=0ahukewikkvubyq_xahxg4imkhezpczkq6aeilz AC#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed 8 November 2017.