Destiny and Free Will

           On the question of destiny and free will in The Hobbit, Tolkien appears to follow the general idea of these concepts in previous works such as Oedipus Rex or in Christian theology: that of destiny given free will. That is, fate and free will are not mutual exclusive; instead, the free will of individuals can lead to different paths that ultimately lead to the conclusion of destiny. The destination is (somewhat) certain, but the journey is not at all written.

            One big example of this is when, despite Gandalf's constant warnings, the dwarves and Bilbo stray off the path. This leads to a chain of events that lead to the barrel travel to Lake Town. Now, the party had free will to stray off or on the path, and according to even the wise (Gandalf and Beorn) had supposed staying on the path was right and straying certain demise. However, events showed the river was the only path remaining to them to take, which meant that destiny lead them to the right destination, despite free will's straying from the path.

            However, other events show that destiny does not cheapen one's free will. As evidenced by Bard, destiny is nothing without free will. For example, in The Hobbit, it is noted during the attack of Smaug that: "But there was still a company of archers that held their ground among the burning houses. Their captain was Bard...." (228). Yes, without the seemingly coincidental message from the thrush Bard would probably not have defeated the dragon. However, it was within Bard's free will to stay and fight or retreat. That is the strength of free will within fate. Even if the thrush had not told him, even if the dwarves had not even come woken up the dragon, if Bard was confronted with a situation that required defending his home to the bitter end he would choose to defend it of his own free will.

            Finally, there is Thorin. Even in the narrative Tolkien notes that, "Some began to sing snatches of old songs concerning the return of the King under the Mountain; that it was Thror's grandson not Thror himself that had come back did not bother them at all" (182). If it was not for the free will of Thorin and his choice of giving in to his greed, he would indeed have become King under the Mountain for a long time. Instead, it is Dain who ultimately ends up the one returning the mountain to its full glory. Destiny is certainly not as clear cut as some would make it, and it is ultimately free will within the path towards destiny's end that fills in the gaps of the story.