Hello all,
Many times recently it has been brought up that The Hobbit develops what a Hobbit is, and then explicitly what they aren't by having Bilbo act very Tookish. It has got me thinking about how this is a foil of Thorin's development. Thorin begins to change and falls into the bad habits of dwarves around gold, and treasures, slowly falling before our eyes. On the other hand, Bilbo's entire arc is about going against the grain for development, becoming brave, strong, clever.
I think this is another great example of Tolkein using known literary techniques to help add a layer of meta-character relationships within his story. Both characters start with an inkling of their actions - which leads to drastic change within themselves, lives, and behaviors. I think this allows readers to become excited when they recognize this especially in younger audiences. This doesn't make this necessarily immature or simplistic though - using devices that many generations can enjoy and recognize simply gives the story greater length in life as well as accessibility.
I suppose that's all,
Elendil
I had never thought of Thorin's descent into madness as becoming more like a dwarf. That is a really interesting idea. I wonder if he would have been more respected by other dwarves because he was more like them. This is also a technique Tolkien uses to demonstrate peer pressure, for example, Bilbo's tookish side is smothered because he lives around a bunch of respectable hobbits. I wonder if Thorin wasn't taken as seriously by his fellow dwarves (before the quest) because he wasn't as greedy or prideful as Thor had been.
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