Hobbit Lessons: A Map for Life's Unexpected Journeys - Softcover

Brown, Devin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1426776020 ISBN 13: 9781426776021

Publisher: Abingdon Press, 2013

Synopsis

Lessons on joy, friendship, dedication, sacrifice, and more will appeal to Hobbit fans, parents, teachers, librarians, graduates—and anyone looking for a creative way to explore timeless life lessons and important values of faith.

Millions of fans worldwide have been attracted to The Hobbit for its unique combination of high adventure and profound truths. Tapping the excitement around the highly-anticipated Hobbit movie trilogy, Tolkien-scholar, Devin Brown, now presents a fast-paced and easy-to-follow presentation of timeless spiritual messages to help navigate your journey. Peppered with illustrations throughout, Hobbit Lessons offers troll-sized portions of relevance and regular nuggets of good Hobbit sense. The result is a collection of tangible bites of wisdom that are not only deeply moving but also great fun.

About this title

About the Author

Devin Brown is a Lilly Scholar and a Professor of English at Asbury University where he teaches a class on Lewis and Tolkien. He is the author of The Christian World of the Hobbit and Hobbit Lessons, both published by Abingdon Press. He has spoken at Lewis and Tolkien conferences in the UK and the U.S. Devin has published numerous essays on Lewis and Tolkien, including those written for CSLewis.com, ChristianityToday.com, SamaritansPurse.org, and BeliefNet.com. Devin earned a PhD at the University of South Carolina and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

HOBBIT LESSONS

A Map for Life's Unexpected Journeys

By Devin Brown

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2013 Devin Brown
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4267-7602-1

Contents

A LETTER TO READERS........................................................
1
PROLOGUE A Story of Long Ago..............................................
5
CHAPTER 1 When Adventure Comes Knocking, Let It In (Even If It Makes You 
Late for Dinner)...........................................................
13
CHAPTER 2 Have Your Friends' Backs (Someone Has Yours)....................
35
CHAPTER 3 Be Fond of Waistcoats, Pocket Handkerchiefs, and Even 
Arkenstones (Just Don't Let Them Become Too Precious)......................
61
CHAPTER 4 Remember Not All That Is Gold Glitters (In Fact, Life's Real 
Treasures Are Quite Ordinary Looking)......................................
85
CHAPTER 5 Recognize You Are Only a Little Fellow in a Wide World (But 
Still an Important Part of a Larger Story).................................
103
EPILOGUE Find the Enchantment All Around You (Even If You Are Not a 
Wizard)....................................................................
125

CHAPTER 1

WHEN ADVENTURE COMES KNOCKING,LET IT IN

(Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner)

* * *

I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.—The Hobbit, Chapter One

Adventures come in many forms, but they alwaysmean something new for us. And what isnew is always somewhat mysterious. Sometimes wecan see adventures coming down the road to us longbefore they arrive—the adventure of starting highschool or going off to college, the adventure of a newjob, the adventures of becoming engaged and gettingmarried, the adventure of becoming a parent.

But sometimes adventures appear with no warning,when we least expect them. In the opening pagesof The Hobbit, adventure seems to be the last thingon Bilbo Baggins's mind.

As Bilbo stepped out his front door after breakfastto take in the glorious day, the sun was shining,the birds were singing, and the grass was growing.Stretching out on the seat by his door, he lit his pipeand sent a perfectly round smoke ring rising lazily upinto the blue sky above him.

He had no idea that adventure was about to comeknocking.

Adventures in books and movies are loads of fun.As we read about someone else's adventures or watchthem unfold on the silver screen, we are ushered intoa world of excitement without ever having to leaveour comfortable armchair. But who of us really wantsan adventure in our own life? We may say we do. Wemay even think we do. But look at how we typicallyreact when something interrupts our regular routineor requires us to do more than we normally do orbe more than we normally are. On a day when weare running late, just the printer running out of inkor forgetting that we needed to get gas can bring usclose to a meltdown. A morning when we can't findour homework, our keys, our phone, or our whateveris more than enough drama for us.

So while we might like to think of ourselves as theadventurous type, truth be told, like Bilbo, most of usprefer to have our lives be quite predictable, to haveeverything completely under control, and to know exactlywhere whatever it is we are looking for is at alltimes.

Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner

"Adventures?" replies Bilbo to Gandalf, who hasshown up on his doorstep looking for someone tojoin thirteen dwarves on a quest to take back theirtreasure from the ferocious dragon who currently hasit. "Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Makeyou late for dinner!"

And so in the opening chapter of The Hobbit,we meet Bilbo Baggins—by anyone's definition, anunlikely candidate for a quest. Someone who doesnot like being disturbed. Someone who likes to becomfortable or, more accurately, hates to be uncomfortable.Someone who likes to have his dinneron time.

Someone who looks more a grocer than a burglar.

Someone who, despite the fact that he has bigfurry feet and lives in a hobbit-hole in the imaginaryworld of Middle-earth, is remarkably like us.

Not only does Bilbo like having his meals ontime, thank you very much, he, like all hobbits, likeshaving six of them a day whenever possible. Andwhen we meet him living his comfortable, undisturbed,predictable life at the start of chapter one, itis always possible.

"Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you,"Bilbo tells Gandalf. "Not today. Good morning! Butplease come to tea—any time you like! Why not tomorrow?Come tomorrow! Good bye!"

And with that Bilbo closes his perfectly roundgreen door with its shiny yellow brass knob in the exactmiddle, completely shutting out (or so he believes)the call to adventure he has just been issued.

Gandalf Tea Wednesday.

This is what Bilbo should have written down. Butbeing somewhat rattled by his encounter with thewizard on his doorstep and even more so by Gandalf'sabsurd invitation, Mr. Baggins feels the need fora second breakfast—and which of us wouldn't?—tocalm his nerves and help him return to his ordinaryroutine. But even after Bilbo treats himself to anothercake or two, he is still too flustered to remember torecord his engagement in the Engagement Tablet heuses for such things.

"Dwalin at your service!"

"Balin at your service!"

The next afternoon, hungry dwarves begin toshow up at teatime, like hungry dwarves at teatime.In one sense, simply accommodating Gandalf and thethirteen unexpected dwarves is an adventure in itselffor Mr. Baggins, for while he likes visitors, we aretold that he likes to know them before they arriveand prefers to ask them himself. Nevertheless he risesto the unanticipated occasion and makes room in hislittle hobbit-hole for the entire company and sets offto find something from his cupboards and cellar toshare.

As Bilbo begins to throw together this and that,we are given a hint of the great provender which lineshis pantries. Tea and tea-cakes come out, of course,but as more (and more) dwarves appear, the hobbitalso produces beer and seed-cakes, coffee and butteredscones, raspberry jam and apple tarts, mincepies and cheese, pork pies and salad, ale and eggs,and to top it all off—cold chicken and pickles.

So what is Tolkien's point here about good food(and the good cheer that goes with it)? One thingTolkien is not saying is that we should all renouncethe pleasures of the table and live on nothing but ahandful of brown rice and a couple of beans each day.

Quite the contrary.

Tolkien makes it clear that good food shared withgood friends is an essential part of a good life. In fact,in Thorin's dying words to Bilbo, Tolkien will havethe dwarf tell the hobbit: "If more of us valued foodand cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would bea merrier world." By contrast, Tolkien's narrator willtell us that one of the characteristics of goblins, whoembody the opposite of all that is right and good, isthat they hate everybody and everything.

We could say that the importance of hospitality isone of Tolkien's most important lessons—one that weneed to be reminded of today. Beginning with the unexpectedparty in chapter one with its tea cakes, seedcakes,and all the rest, Bilbo will share a good mealwith all of the good people (and occasionally good animals)of Middle-earth that he meets. With each of thestops he makes, he eats his way across Middle-earth:from the refined hospitality of the elves in Rivendell,to the late night supper (of rabbits, hares, and a smallsheep) roasted on the rock shelf of the eagles, to thevegetarian meals (of bread, butter, honey, and clottedcream) in Beorn's hall, to the warm welcome and feastingthe company is greeted with at Lake-town.

With its 144 guests and its weeks and weeks ofpreparation, the long-expected party Bilbo throws atthe start of The Fellowship of the Ring is even moremerry (and its food even more plentiful) than the unexpectedone at the beginning of The Hobbit. In theopening chapter, we find this description of the hospitalityat Bilbo's great birthday celebration:

When every guest had been welcomed and was finallyinside the gate, there were songs, dances, music, games,and of course, food and drink. There were three officialmeals: lunch, tea, and dinner (or supper). Butlunch and tea were marked chiefly by the fact that atthose times all the guests were sitting down and eatingtogether. At other times there were merely lots of peopleeating and drinking—continuously from elevensesuntil six-thirty, when the fireworks started.

Over and over, Tolkien reminds us that a love andcelebration of the good things of creation—and thisincludes good food—is a crucial part of life. This isseen in the time and care with which he describes themany delicious meals the hobbits enjoy. In fact, thecase could be made that Tolkien devotes as much timeto the good things the hobbits eat and drink (or wishthey could eat and drink) as he does to the battles theyfight. We also find Tolkien's celebration of food in themouth-watering chapter titles he uses, titles such as"Roast Mutton," "A Short Cut to Mushrooms," and"Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit."

A love and celebration of the good things of creation—andthis includes good food—is a crucial partof life.

When adventure comes knocking, let it in—eventhough it may make you late for dinner.

How can these two principles Tolkien has for usbe reconciled?

Tolkien's answer is that there is nothing inherentlywrong with a fixed routine or a predictable life.

There is nothing wrong with wanting meals to be ontime. The problem comes when these desires becomeso excessive they shut out everything else—as Bilbodoes when he shuts his hobbit-hole door on Gandalf.We could say that Bilbo's problem is that he lives in aworld that is bounded and limited by the need to beon time for dinner.

If something is going to make him late for dinner,he's not doing it.

In today's world, we might think of someone whostarts every day—no exceptions—with getting theircoffee. Someone who would be put out, really put out,if something prevented them from getting it exactly theway they wanted, exactly when they wanted it.

We might also think of someone who can't bear tobe away from their laptop for more than a few minutes.Or someone for whom being out of cell phonerange counts as a real hardship.

Know anyone like that?

When adventure comes knocking, let it in (even ifit makes you late for dinner).

Even If Part of You Says Not To

One of the first things we are told about Bilbo isthat there is more to him than meets the eye. PlainMr. Baggins of Bag End is not nearly as plain as heappears. Not by a long shot.

One side of him, which Tolkien refers to as hisBaggins side, shuts the door on Gandalf and says no toadventure. But he also has, buried (quite) deep downinside of him, a Took side, a part of him that has beenwaiting a long time for the chance to come out.

And this adventure will be just the thing to do it.

We are all very familiar with the Baggins side ofBilbo, because we all have one. This is the voice in usthat says:

Don't risk losing what you already have. Play itsafe.

Change is highly over-rated (and usually quitemessy). Stay in your Comfort Zone.

Adventures are unsettling. Put on your slippersand make some waffles!

If you know that voice, Tolkien has good news foryou. Lots of it.

First, there is nothing wrong with Bilbo, or anyof us, being cautious. In fact, there are a number oftimes where Bilbo's Baggins side is critically needed,times where his good hobbit sense saves them all.

Second, more good news. As we will see, in theend Bilbo does not so much conquer his Baggins sideas he redeems it by putting it in proper balance withhis Took side—so that both voices have a say. As wewill see, when Bilbo returns home in the end, he doesnot give up the comforts he has loved—his tea kettleand tea cakes, his fancy waistcoats, or his pockethandkerchiefs. In fact, he will enjoy them even more,once they are in their proper place.

Third, Tolkien tells us that deep down in even themost timid hobbit—and by this he means the mosttimid human as well—there is a seed of courage justready for the opportunity to sprout. This seed is presentin all the Bagginses, Boffins, Tooks, Brandybucks,Grubbs, Chubbs, Burrowses, and Hornblowers—andin all of us. And the adventure that will bring this seedto life is just around the corner.

Finally, Tolkien suggests that the status quo—stayingright where we are—might not be as wonderfulas we perceive it to be. It is clear that the Bagginsside of Bilbo's family tree has been in a rut for a longtime. ("And what's wrong with being in a rut?" theywould ask.) Through his fiction, Tolkien reminds usthat life is far bigger and far more wonderful than weknow—if only we will open the door to it and not putboundaries or limits on what we think we can do.

Tolkien uses a revealing phrase in his discussionof these two sides that Bilbo has. He tells us that Bilbowas not quite so prosy as he liked to believe. At thestart of the story, Bilbo prides himself on being verybusiness-like (we might say grocer-like). He likes tothink of himself as someone who has little or no usefor the imagination or flights of fancy because he livesin the real world, the world of facts written down inprose. But, Tolkien reminds us, a life without poetry,a life where choices are always practical and businesslike,leaves out the best parts.

"I have come that they might have life, and haveit more abundantly," Jesus stated. When we meetBilbo in chapter one, he has life—one that is alwayssafe, comfortable, and predictable. He is living, buthe is not living abundantly. We might say that he isliving on the wrong side of the comma. One part ofBilbo says to stay on that side. This part says that heshould be content with merely living.

Fortunately part of him says the exact opposite.

So what is it that helps bring out the adventurousside of Bilbo, the side that has been asleep or ignoredfor so long? Tolkien reports that after the bountifulmeal is finished, Thorin calls for some music. Andthen by the flickering firelight, first one and then another—thedwarves begin to sing.

The dwarves' haunting song, which featuresso prominently in both the book and the film, tellshow they must set out before the break of day on adark and dangerous quest that will take them overthe Misty Mountains to dungeons deep and cavernsold. As the dwarves sing of the far-off lands of theirancestral home, we are told that something happensto Bilbo. A whole other world is opened up to him.And he is swept away to dark lands under strangeskies, to a place very different from his comfortablehobbit-hole. It is then, Tolkien tells us, that the realmagic happens.

Something Tookish wakes up inside Bilbo.

Part of the song the dwarves sing tells of the marveloustreasure that once was theirs—pale enchantedgold, gems on sword hilts, objects cunningly wroughtlong ago. And as they sing, Bilbo feels the love ofbeautiful things spring into flame and move throughhim. But this kindling of a love of jeweled crownsand gleaming cups is not the prime effect of the song.Suddenly a desire to see great mountains wells up insidehim. He yearns to hear the wind in the pines andto stand beside majestic waterfalls—to carry a swordinstead of a walking stick. Most of all he is filled witha hunger to do what he has never done before andexplore places he has never seen.

The dwarves' song awakens in Bilbo a longing tobecome the hobbit he was meant to be. And while inone sense the song seems to cast a spell over him, itwould be more accurate to say that it breaks a spell—thespell of fear that has kept Bilbo from doing anythingnew or anything that might not be consideredsafe.

If it is a dwarf song that wakes up this otherside of Bilbo, the side that wants to do more and bemore, what is it that wakes up the adventurous side inyou—your own inner Took—and keeps you from alwaysbeing only practical and businesslike? Maybe itis your favorite playlist coming through the earbuds.Or a fresh breeze on the first day of spring. Maybeyou are stirred by a favorite scripture verse or a favoritehymn. Or rustling leaves in the autumn wind.Or simply the encouragement of family or friendssaying, "You can do it!" While each of us may havea different answer to this question, Tolkien certainlyintends for us feel what Bilbo feels here and simply tobe moved by Bilbo's own experience.

When adventure comes knocking, let it in (even ifpart of you says not to).

Despite What the NeighborsMight Think

If there is one voice in each of us that says to playit safe and a second voice that urges us to do just theopposite and say yes to adventure, there is a third voicethat wants to be heard. Certainly Bilbo hears it at thestart of the story and hears it very loudly. This is thevoice that says, "But what will the neighbors think?"

Tolkien's narrator tells us in chapter one that theTook side of Bilbo's family—because of the way theywould go bouncing off on adventures every now andthen rather than staying home in their comfy hobbit-holeslike everyone else—was not as respectable asthe Baggins side. In the Shire, as in our own world,conventionality and conformity are valued by thosewho see themselves as the judges of what constitutessuitable behavior. Any kind of departure from what isconsidered normal or proper is frowned upon.

How deep is Bilbo's concern for what the neighborsmight think? At the start of the story, it is quitedeep, so deep it nearly keeps him from saying yes toGandalf's invitation to adventure. Tolkien makes apoint of telling us that when Thorin addresses himas their fellow conspirator and calls him a mostexcellent and audacious hobbit, Bilbo is so completelyflummoxed, he opens his mouth but no wordscome out.

Conspirator? Audacious? What would the neighborssay!

"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure,and found himself doing and saying things altogetherunexpected," Tolkien reports on the openingpage. He then adds, "He may have lost the neighbours'respect, but he gained—well, you will seewhether he gained anything in the end."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from HOBBIT LESSONS by Devin Brown. Copyright © 2013 Devin Brown. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1426776020
• ISBN 13: 9781426776021
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144