Bilbo’s Journey: The Hidden Meaning in the Hobbit

by Joseph Pearce

Publisher:

Saint Benedict Press

, 2012

Overview

In Bilbo’s Journey, go beyond the dragons, dwarves, and elves to discover the surprisingly deep meaning of J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic novel The Hobbit.

Bilbo’s quest to find and slay the dragon Smaug is a riveting tale of daring and heroism, but as renowned Tolkien scholar Joseph Pearce shows, it’s not simply Bilbo’s journey—it’s our journey too. It’s the Christian journey of self-sacrifice out of love for others and abandonment to providence and grace.

In Bilbo’s Journey, you will relive the excitement of Tolkien’s classic tale, while discovering the profound Christian meaning that makes The Hobbit a truly timeless adventure.

With Logos Bible Software, it’s easier than ever to use this valuable resource. Bilbo’s Journey integrates seamlessly with your digital library, so you can access this resource from your desktop, tablet, or smartphone. All Scripture references link directly to the text of the Bible, making your study both scripturally sound and rewarding.

Key Features

• Discusses the Christian meaning in The Hobbit
• Explores moral and anagogical applicability

Contents

• Bilbo’s Pilgrimage
• An Unexpected Parting
• Trusting in “Luck”
• The Cleverness of Orcs
• Gollum and the Ring
• Bilbo Comes of Age
• The Return of the King
• Above All Shadows Rides the Sun
• Dragon Sickness
• Dragon Pride Precedeth a Fall
• Bilbo the Peacemaker
• Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

Top Highlights

“The paradoxical consequence of the dragon sickness is that the things possessed possess the possessor” (Page 8)

“The more truly we can see life as a fairytale,’ said the great G. K. Chesterton, ‘the more clearly the tale resolves itself into war with the dragon who is wasting fairyland.’” (Page 6)

“On the one hand, grace is always available to those who seek it and ask for it, biasing ‘fortune’ in the direction of goodness; yet, on the other hand, the fallenness of nature means that man’s natural tendency is towards concupiscence and its destructive consequences. If we don’t ask for help, we are bound to fall. It is in this choice, rooted in the gift and responsibility of free will, that the struggle with evil is won or lost. The will must willingly cooperate with grace or, in its failure to do so, must inevitably fall into evil. Far from the struggle being a ‘mere posturing in a rigged boat,’ it is a dangerous adventure in a perilous realm.” (Page 7)

“in parallel with Frodo’s journey from the Shire to Mount Doom, is a mirror of Everyman’s journey through life” (Page 3)

“The more detached the bearer is from his possession, the less possessed is he by it.” (Page 8)

Product Details

• Title: Bilbo’s Journey: The Hidden Meaning in the Hobbit
• Author: Joseph Pearce
• Publisher: St. Benedict Press
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 120

About Joseph Pearce

Joseph Pearce (born 1961) is an English-born writer, and as of 2004 Writer in Residence and Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida; previously he had a comparable position, from 2001, at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is known for a number of literary biographies, many of Catholic figures.