When I was a child and went cycling with my friends, they would raise their legs and shoot down the hill; while I would anchor mine to the pavement and drag myself to the bottom. Eighteen years later, fear still haunts me. I used to escape it by drowning his agents with food or entertainment, but this feeling of hopelessness has left me in anguish. This pain pushed me to seek a remedy.
While I am still touched by sickness, I endure the rough path toward the cure. This journey is arduous. Many times I cried, and just as many rekindled my motivation.
The Hobbit was presented to me by a friend who listened to my hardship in the battle against uncertainty. I was hesitant at first, as I saw it was a children’s book. But I needed all the help I could get—and later on, I would discover the fearful child within me.
A world of fantasy and magic unfolded before me. Each sentence blurred the line between reality and imagination. At some point, my consciousness emerged into a new reality. The book turned out to be a simple but powerful call to free one’s potential from the shackles of fear, and in a way, a guide for it.
The Cave
The protagonist and the stage for the psychological drama is Bilbo Baggins. He is a hobbit: a short creature with pointy ears and furry feet. Bilbo lives in a cave, but not the kind of cave you imagine, a hobbit cave—which is more like a palace: marble floors, delicate carpets, handmade lamps, and fine dining. Bilbo is fifty years old, and his life cycles around eating, drinking, napping, entertaining, and sleeping.
One day, a wizard named Gandalf appears on his doorstep and incentives him to embark on an adventure to recover an old treasure from the grasp of a dragon named Smaug. He will accompany thirteen dwarves who once accumulated the stolen treasure. Bilbo, accustomed to the life of comfort and security, dismisses the calling. But after Gandalf nudges him—to put it mildly—a dormant part of himself awakens. A build-up leads to a swift moment where Bilbo decides to join the quest, and the convoy starts to make its way toward the Lone Mountain, where the treasure awaits.
The initial state of Bilbo is that of a child. He hides from the world—ergo the cave metaphor—and over-indulges in the pleasures of life. Independence and growth seem like separate entities as he shelters in a bubble created by his society.
Gandalf symbolizes the call for life. He knows there is much more to Bilbo than meets the eye and wishes for it to come out. This call wakes a latent part of Bilbo that conflicts with his current beliefs on his capabilities and life. But a spark of passion turns into a fire. And although it terrifies him, Bilbo decides to face uncertainty and fear.
The Path
They set foot in spring. At first, they horseback around blossoming grasslands, their food supply is high, and no adversity is in sight. Even in those pleasant times, we see that Bilbo is bewildered and afraid; he wishes to retreat because he forgot his handkerchief or to wash his clothes.
At some point, they transition into uncharted territories. Facing harsh weather, coarse sleeping conditions, and various enemies. Bilbo repeatedly wishes he was in his comfortable cave. He is untrained in the business of adventure, and his courage is still a seed. Reality forces him to deal with those situations, and through adversity, he develops strength and fortitude—even deriving joy from the challenge. The journey waters his seed of potential.
At first, pleasure rules Bilbo, which results in anxiety. But with time and experience, his comfort zone expands, his worldview changes, and his virtue establishes. Each adversity hones his capabilities and merit of soul. The enemies he faces resemble the sins that tempt the soul: goblins for greed, orcs for pride, wolves for envy, and Gollum for gluttony. Each seems hopeless but eventually squeezes more of what Bilbo has to offer. The journey prepares him to face the dragon.
The Dragon
Our troops reached the deserted Lone Mountain. The dwarves send Bilbo to retrieve the treasure, explicitly the Arkenstone. The dragon is far more intimidating than Bilbo’s previous encounters; he is ruthless and indestructible. Here too Bilbo wishes to turn back time. He cannot defeat the dragon alone. The battle was a prolonged effort of planning, practicing, and collaborating. But at last, the dragon took his final breath.
The dragon guarding the gold is an allegory to what lies in us. In all of us lies an untapped potential, a treasure of creativity, abundance, joy, and love. This treasure is the location of fulfillment and meaning. But this place is fortified by our fears. Reaching it requires courage and dedication. Like in the tale, we can have a fine, leisurely life leaving the treasure for the dragon, but that means we will never find out what our life could be and who we could become. We are kings without a kingdom.
The Treasure
The death of a dragon is not the end. The wealth leads Thorin (one of the dwarves, the heir to the throne) to a madness of greed and pride. Rumors about the dragon’s death and the reclaimed treasure roam the land; armies from all over wend to the Lone Mountain. A war between allies abrupts due to Thorin’s toxic power and stupidity. His friends are torn by their aversion to his behavior and loyalty to their kind. A combined insistence for agreement and division of the treasure with all—as Thorin promised—finally lead to peace.
Tolkien warns against the noxious hubris that the treasures tempt us with. Thorin falls into insanity and vanity, directing all his efforts to the accumulation of externalities, instead of what is truly meaningful. He acts with impatience and anger towards his friends and almost causes a war for not delivering on his word. Our treasure should be a source of love and compassion for others, not an excuse for snobbery and arrogance. The true meaning of the treasure lies not within its attainment but in its sharing.
Last Words: Our Own Adventure
The Hobbit is a simple and pleasant parable about emotional maturation. It feels like an old friend telling a story around a bonfire. We rediscover the importance of our idiosyncratic journeys against fear, and the treasure of tranquility, prosperity, and love. Like Gandalf, Tolkien wakes our inner adventurer, the part that wants to live and discover its potential. A great treasure lies within all of us, let us take the first step toward it.