How He Wrote

Writing is a journey in itself. When authors write a novel, the novel goes through a series of stages and revisions. The original novel can be very different from the published novel. One novel that went through a series of revisions and stages is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. This novel is also different than most novels because although going through a series of changes while the author was writing it, it also went through a revision to better coincide with The Lord of the Rings, which Tolkien wrote at a much later date.

The Hobbit was originally a narrative story that he told to his children. When it came to writing the full story down, once he decided to publish The Hobbit, Tolkien borrowed ideas from his other writings; stories or narratives that he told to his children. Ultimately the published book was very different from the narrative story.

Different authors use different strategies for writing their books. In The Hobbit, Tolkien let the narrator conduct the story rather than the characters. In other words it was told more from a narrative perspective unlike The Lord of the Rings, in which was conducted by the characters. The characters wrote the story, instead of the narrator. The Hobbit seemed as if the story happened a long time ago, while The Lord of the Rings was happening at that moment and time.

As with any writer, each of their drafts of a novel can be significantly different. The names of the main characters or sub-characters can change along with minor sub-plots but the main theme remains true. This occurs repeatedly in The Hobbit, especially when he had to modify the novel to fit with The Lord of the Rings.

In the original drafts of The Hobbit, Gandalf and Beorn have completely different names. Gandalf goes by Bladorthin and Beorn goes by Medwed. Not until the book is actually published are the names changed. Apart from minor name changes, there are a few sub-plot changes. Tolkien originally wanted the arrival to be very different than it occurred in the published book. He wanted the dwarves and the hobbit to ride away towards the Mountain but in the final published book, Tolkien had them running away from the elven rivermen and thus go to a human town instead where they could seek refuge. After a short rest they buy equipment and then seek the Mountain.

Another change of the original draft was that Bilbo was initially supposed to kill Smaug the dragon. This would have given The Hobbit more of an epic theme such as “Beowulf” or like most adventure stories. Bilbo was supposed to kill the dragon as it was sleeping, but it later changed to a bowman named Bard. The mood of the novel and the events that occur in the novel give the book a more children’s story attitude rather than an epic tale like The Lord of the Rings. While The Hobbit is more of a tale of luck, The Lord of the Rings is more of a tale of hardship, strength, and courage. This follows more of an epic story.

One of the greatest changes was that the great battle at the end of the book was not supposed to take place at the Lonely Mountain and the dwarves didn’t take a part in it. In this early draft, Bilbo parts from the dwarves after the death of the dragon and joins the wood elves and woodmen in a battle against goblins and wargs, in which the are aided by a troop of bears and Beorn or Medwed. This would in turn be the epic climactic battle of five armies, humans, elves, goblins, wargs, and bears. The motivations for this battle were also different. One of which was to avenge the Great Goblin’s death. Also at one point Gandalf or Bladorthin appears after the battle. There is also no mention at all of the eagles coming. And in the publication of the book, the eagles do appear and Bilbo is knocked out by a rock or boulder. In another draft, Bilbo doesn’t go to the battle, the battle comes to him. This battle took place near the river Anduin, between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains.

When Tolkien was writing The Lord of the Rings, he had to make The Hobbit more compatible with his new book. This is where one of the greatest changes occurred. He had to make changes to a published book instead of an earlier draft. In the original book Bilbo still found the ring that Gollum had, but instead of Gollum leading Bilbo out of the caves for solving the riddles, Gollum was going to give him his ring. Bilbo eventually figured out that the ring that Gollum would give him is the same ring that was in his pocket. And even if Gollum had found the ring to give to Bilbo, it would still have been his. But because Gollum can’t find the ring, Bilbo asks Gollum to lead him out of the cave.

Because so many readers can get their hands on so many different versions and drafts of Tolkien’s writings, and such vastness of slightly connected books, the stories form a mythology. From two different stories of creation to the coming of men, elves, and dwarves, to the attempt to destroy Middle-Earth it is difficult to form a linear timeline. But that is what mythology is. It is a collection of stories. Tolkien wrote what appears to be a short history of Middle-Earth but left some gaps open which create the mythology.

Many of Tolkien’s ideas come from Celtic or Norse mythology. And some believe that he received a lot of his ideas from World War I. Many believe that The Lord of the Rings relates to World War I but Tolkien hated allegory. Tolkien stated in an article that, “As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical... It was written long before the foreshadow of 1939 had yet become a threat of inevitable disaster, and from that point the story would have developed along essentially the same lines, if that disaster had been averted"( Books and Writers, 2003). In other words, the book has nothing to do with World War II, and that the book would be exactly the same if the war would not have happened. In other words he wanted to appeal to his readers in a non-allegorical way. He wanted to lure his readers in his own way; by being the first fantasy author.

Tolkien set the ground work for many fantasy authors. He generated an entirely new genre of literature. He created an entirely new world, and through this other fantasy authors dabbled in his works bringing about their own creations. However, their roots still lie with Tolkien. Because fantasy literature can bring things to readers that other literature cannot, Tolkien set a new standard for readers. Teens and children can relate to fantasy easier and be a part of it, and most of all they could relate it to themselves.

One thing that made Tolkien’s works more appealing to the present day audience is that unlike most epic stories, the audience could put themselves into the story easier. Tolkien wrote modified epic stories. For instance, instead of having a huge, stout, and, bold hero, he created a short, fat, and cowardly hero. This hero eventually found courage and all he needed was a kick out of his front door. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien comes out of the clichéd epic story and proves that even the smallest people can achieve great things. He also proved that hardy people or that brave and courageous people can fall down and are susceptible to things. And if one does fall down, he or she can always get back up again. To many people this doesn’t mean a whole lot, but to some young adult or teen that gets picked on in school, this could mean everything. Through these books, children everywhere get inspiration to get the courage to stand up to their aggressors. And this is why fantasy literature is so big and important, because the reader grows from it.