In J. R. R. Tolkien’s
book, “The Hobbit”, J. R. R. Tolkien uses a variety of elements in this book,
including conflicts. Tolkien uses conflict by having it direct the story. An
excellent example of this the conflict between Thorin and the elf-king. The elf-king
believes that Thorin and the others are up to something when they stray too far
into his land, however, when he isn’t told anything about their quest, he
imprisons them, unknowingly helping them to get to their destination. This
conflict actually shows up later in the book when the elves team up with the
lake-men to attack the dwarves for their treasure. This conflict is resolved
when the goblins and wolves come in, forcing everyone to team up. This leads to
the next conflict between Bilbo’s group and the goblins. The goblins kidnap
Bilbo’s group, steal all of their supplies, and intend to kill all of them; in
retaliation, Bilbo and his friends kill their leader, the Great Goblin. This
conflict is important to the story because, without this conflict Bilbo
wouldn’t have found the invisibility ring in the goblin caves, the goblins
later surround the group, requiring eagles to bail them out, and the conflict
silently builds until it explodes in the Battle of Five Armies near the end. Of
course, that’s not even getting into the most important conflict in the story:
Bilbo’s group against Smaug. Smaug basically decimated Thorin’s homeland and
forced his family out, so now Thorin’s going to venture back to his homeland
and kill Smaug. This conflict is important because it is what sets the whole
story in motion. Smaug’s treasure is what drives Bilbo’s group on this quest.
This conflict is why the story is happening in the first place and why the
characters perform their actions even after Smaug’s death, such as the fight
over his treasure which is quickly turned into the Battle of Five Armies.
Conflicts are what decides the story in “The Hobbit” through Bilbo’s group vs.
the elf-king, Bilbo’s group vs. the goblins, and Bilbo’s group vs. Smaug. The
Hobbit would not be half the story it was without these powerful struggles.
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-Inchells. "No one messes with this hobbit". Cartoon. 20 May 2013. "No one messes with this hobbit". Tumblr.com. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
- Glenn, A. Johnathan. The Hobbit Conflict Chart. Chart. 1999. "The Hobbit as Beowulf Retold". Department of English. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
- Glenn, A. Johnathan. The Hobbit Conflict Chart. Chart. 1999. "The Hobbit as Beowulf Retold". Department of English. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.