The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Sense of Self Book)

For years I've wandered what all the excitement is about over J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit. Don't get me wrong, I love all the Lord of the Rings movies. Really love them. A lot. And I am an avid reader, enjoying the type of fantasy and wonder offered in a series like this. But several times I sat down and began to read, feeling no connection or even grabbing effect from the first few pages. So, I would put the book down and try again later. This time, however, I was hooked. I loved it from the first word. Page 1 got me and took me on an adventure right along with the scared senseless (and selfless) Bilbo Baggins, the little hobbit who was conflicted within himself about which "part" of himself to follow that he nearly missed the adventure that showed him who he was. I was taken on a wild ride through different lands, met innumerable amounts of creatures (both pleasant and vile), saved villages, made harrowing escapes, solved riddles, slayed dragons and then went back again to the sweet, calm, quiet life of The Shire. What grabbed me this time was the character of Bilbo himself. A small creature who liked his safe, expected, comfortable life was thrown into the fire and found he never really knew himself at all. I love the way this book, in it's unique way, mirrors how we find ourselves in life. It is never an easy process. We are put through the ringer. We get burned. We want to go home to the familiarity and comfort there. But that is how people remain stagnant. No growth happens out of the comfortable. Only more comfort and laziness does. Tolkien here shows us that when adventure and an old friend show up on your door step, ask for help and demand you take an extraordinary adventure with them that you do it! Bilbo never would have found himself if he did not run out the door that morning after a pack of crazy dwarves hell bent of taking back their treasure. Bilbo transformed from a regular hobbit into the unique person he was all along inside through this adventure. And though it was hard, he understood himself and his capabilities better because he finally put them to the test and came out on the other side. When Bilbo returned to his Hobbit hole, though it was all the same, everything was also different because he himself was different. While finding treasure, he found himself. And so did everyone else! Bilbo goes through a massive transformation from beginning to end and has the benefit of retracing his steps to get a chance to reflect on all the change he had gone through. Bilbo found that it was all about the journey itself and what he took away from that. I think that might be why he entitles his book/life story "There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale" rather than something like "How a Small Burglar made a Big Difference in Slaying A Dragon". He realized it was all about the journey. About getting there and back again because in doing so he found himself. It's a hobbit's tale. It's Bilbo's tale. Because it is him that truly made it back again.

Original photo by Brogan James c. all rights reserved

This photo represents some of the essence of hobbits in the black and mild (representing a pipe and pipe tobacco) with a burning candle (tobacco scented) that represents the comfort of Bilbo's life and also the refining effect fire (through the adventure to slay the dragon) had on helping him discover who he really was.