"Riddles in the Dark" is perhaps my favorite chapter in The Hobbit. It introduces the reader to the Ring, to Gollum, and to the event that set forth the events of The Lord of the Rings. Yet, never before had I deeply considered the role of ancient rules in the great riddle battle between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum. It seems somewhat odd that I would neglect such a detail. After all, had I been in Bilbo's shoes lost in the deep darkness of the mountains discovered only by a strange creature intent on devouring me whole, I do not believe I would have put my life on the line through answering riddles. For one, I am not very adept at answering or asking riddles, but also I would be in possession of a sword and might have used that first when approached by a mysterious creature in the bowels of a goblin pit. All this made me wonder why both Bilbo and Gollum were content to settle such a matter through a game and whether Bilbo himself would have held to the outcome had he failed to answer one of Gollum's questions.
Gollum himself was intent on breaking the rules of the game by failing to live up to his promise to show Bilbo out if he lost. When he could not answer Bilbo's famous question concerning pockets and their mysterious contents, Gollum resorted to what would have been cold-blooded murder had he the Ring in his possession. So while Gollum adhered to the rules during the game, when he had lost, he discarded them and would have carried on in his wicked ways had he the tools to do so.
Bilbo suspected this treachery and was prepared to respond should Gollum suddenly attack him, but I wonder what Bilbo would have done if he could not devise an answer to Gollum's last question. Would he have allowed himself to be eaten? If I were in Bilbo's shoes, would I? Absolutely not. Thus, could it be possible that both Bilbo and Gollum were prepared to break the ancient rules of riddling when they first agreed to such a game? I think this is highly likely unless both were firm in their belief that they would walk away victorious and were willing to put their lives--or dinner--on the line. Perhaps, though, Bilbo had an inkling that Gollum would live up to his word and show the hobbit out, though I believe Bilbo was overall distrustful of the creature, and such unwarranted trust would be terribly naive. Ultimately, Bilbo probably felt as though he had no other choice and did not wish to antagonize such a dangerous character who was bent on having hobbit for supper.
Whatever the explanation might be, I was glad that a new element was added to my enjoyment of this scene. I wonder what other subtleties lie within The Hobbit just waiting to come out into the light!
I think this analysis is excellent. I also, would never choose a battle of riddles to decide my fate, being pretty terrible at answering them. Nor would I allow myself to be eaten were I to lose such a battle regardless of any tradition. I do wonder what the outcome would have been had Gollum won the game. I very much doubt that Bilbo would have just given himself up to be devoured by the slinking creature he had just met in the darkness. However, what then would have been his solution? Would he have killed Gollum if he could? I don't know, it seems a very dishonorable thing to do. I cannot really see Bilbo just resorting to murder because he lost the game. The only solution I can really come up with would be the same as the current ending...Bilbo running for his life and ending up using the ring. In that case, would the outcome of the game really make a difference to the story?
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