"Cliff Notes - the hobbit & the lord of rings" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolkien J.R.R)

NOTE: Beorn is a typical hero of the old legends. He is self-assured and seldom polite. He's also extremely fierce, almost bloodthirsty, as shown by the goblin head on the post outside his house. Unlike the ancient heroes, however, Beorn seems to belong more to the world of animals than to the world of men. He speaks with his animals, who are friends rather than possessions. He associates with bears and can turn into one himself. On the other hand, he tries to avoid people, never liking more than one visitor at a time. In The Lord of the Rings you'll find other characters who, like Beorn, are closely associated with nature.

The company reaches Mirkwood in four days. The dwarves want to keep the ponies, but Gandalf insists they be sent back. Then Gandalf says goodbye, and Bilbo and the dwarves are on their own.

As the band travels through the eerie forest of Mirkwood, Bilbo has an opportunity to convincingly prove his worth to the others. At one point, he becomes separated from the band. A giant spider attacks him and--alone and in the dark--he kills it with his sword. This serves as an initiation for Bilbo, and, proud of his victory, he finally names his sword; he calls it Sting.

Feeling bolder, Bilbo searches for his friends, only to find them prisoners of the spiders. Using his ring to become invisible, he sings insulting songs about the spiders and frees enough of the band so they can fight their way to safety. This is the first time Bilbo has made up a song, and it's the beginning of his transition into the heroic world, where the use of songs and the naming of swords are commonplace.

Bilbo has won the respect of the dwarves. Even though he has had to reveal the secret of the ring, they admire his courage and ingenuity in using it. They begin to look to him for help, just as they used to look to Gandalf. Then suddenly they realize Thorin is missing. It's too dark to look for him, so they go to sleep with this new trouble on their minds.

We learn that Thorin has been captured by Wood-elves, who, though good, are not friendly to dwarves. Knowing their king is greedy for treasure, Thorin refuses to answer his questions and is imprisoned.

As they wander in the forest the next evening, the rest of the dwarves are captured by the Wood-elves. Bilbo evades capture by slipping on his ring. The captives are taken to the king's palace and imprisoned when they refuse to answer questions. Bilbo, invisible, wanders around the palace. Ironically, he now lives up to his role as burglar, sneaking around and stealing food. He finds the imprisoned dwarves, who are quite confident the hobbit will rescue them. Bilbo isn't so hopeful and wishes that Gandalf were around. But with growing maturity, he realizes that if the dwarves are to be rescued, he must do it himself. You can see that Bilbo has grown from a helpless, foolish hobbit into someone who can take responsibility not only for himself, but for the lives of others. And yet Bilbo is also dependent on the dwarves; he wouldn't know where to go or what to do without them.

With a great deal of luck and ingenuity, Bilbo manages to free his friends, then packs them into empty barrels, which the elves throw into a stream that runs under the palace. They all float off down the stream, with Bilbo clinging to an empty barrel.

NOTE: Much is made of Bilbo's luck in this chapter. Yet it was not merely luck that made him successful: Bilbo was prepared to take advantage of his luck. Throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, watch for other instances where luck serves to help individuals who are already trying to help themselves.

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT: CHAPTERS 10-13

Bilbo and the dwarves are helped by the people of Lake-town, which lies in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain. The adventurers at last reach the mountain, and Bilbo comes face to face with the dragon Smaug.

*

The barrels, along with Bilbo and the dwarves, have floated down the river to Lake-town, in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain where Smaug the dragon lives. The arrival of the dwarves, after Bilbo frees them from the barrels, sparks great excitement. The town had been very prosperous before the coming of Smaug, and old songs predict that good times would return with the dwarves. People begin to sing the old songs and say that the prophecy will be fulfilled. Treated like heroes, the dwarves are given a large house and good food, and are wildly cheered in public.

The warm reception the dwarves receive may seem odd to you. After all, they haven't done anything yet. But traditionally there is a certain type of hero who is rewarded before the deed. This is the person who is about to undertake a great task for the sake of his people, and who is as likely to dies in the attempt as to return successfully. The first U.S. astronauts in the late 1950s were such heroes, receiving great fame and adulation before the first mission was ever launched.

The dwarves at last depart for the Lonely Mountain with ponies and supplies provided by the town. They are given a warm send-off and everyone is in high spirits--everyone, that is, except Bilbo, who's very unhappy at the thought of approaching Smaug's lair. This is reminiscent of Gandalf, who is wise enough to be aware of dangers even when everyone else forgets them.

The land around the Lonely Mountain has been desolated by the dragon. The dwarves are grim and sad as they remember how beautiful it once was. Yet, as their spirits droop, Bilbo's seem to lift. He studies Thorin's map and convinces the dwarves to search for the secret door. At last they find it, far up the mountain's slope, but they lose hope again when they fail to open the door. They blame Bilbo (since he's the burglar) and consider sending him through the front gate of the dragon's lair.

Once again it's Bilbo who takes charge and solves their problems. He remembers the secret runes (mysterious writing) that Elrond had discovered on the map, Just as the runes said, the last ray of the sun reveals the keyhole to the secret door, and at last the way is open.

You see how much the dwarves have come to rely on Bilbo. He has in effect become their leader. Yet does he get the respect due a leader? Why do you think the dwarves treat him the way they do?

In chapter 12, Bilbo twice ventures down the secret passage to the lair of Smaug. The first time, the dwarves send him, saying that it's time for him to be the burglar. This is similar to the scene in chapter 2, where they send him to investigate the trolls' fire. But there are several important differences between the two episodes that clearly show the changes in Bilbo. He is now more assertive with the dwarves, pointing out that he's already won his share of the treasure by rescuing them twice. But he says he'll go anyway--he's begun to trust his luck more--and dares any of the dwarves to come with him. Do you agree with the narrator's defense of the dwarves' refusal to go with him (except for Balin, who goes part of the way) that it's Bilbo's job for which he'll be paid very well?

Bilbo is terrified but determined to see things through. When he hears the rumbling of the dragon's breath, he pauses for a moment. Facing his fear and going on despite it is the bravest thing he's ever done. This sort of courage is the basis of Tolkien's idea of heroism, which he sees as something internal, rather than as the doing of great deeds. Once Bilbo reaches Smaug's lair, he successfully steals a cup from the dragon's hoard and carries it back with him. (Compare this to his bungling in the scene with the trolls.)

Smaug awakes to discover the cup is missing. He goes on a rampage, searching the mountainside for the thief. Some of the dwarves risk their lives to rescue two of their company who had stayed with the ponies further down the mountain. What do you think Tolkien is trying to tell you through this act of heroism by the dwarves? Is there a limit to the dwarves' kind of heroism?

Bilbo goes down to the dragon's lair once again--but this time on his own initiative. He has a conversation with the wily Smaug and holds his own admirably. Smaug is the essence of politeness, yet full of veiled threat. Bilbo intrigues him with riddles by giving himself many names that refer to his adventures. Barrel-rider, for example, refers to his escape from the Wood-elves. (This kind of name-giving is a common habit among heroes of legend and folklore.) Smaug tries to plant suspicions in Bilbo's mind against the dwarves, but the hobbit remains true to his friends. Is all that Smaug says untrue? Bilbo cleverly tricks Smaug into revealing a bare spot in his armor of gems. With a parting taunt Bilbo leaves, getting his hair and heels singed for his boldness.

NOTE: DRAGONS IN LEGEND AND LITERATURE Smaug has been compared most often to Fafnir, a dragon from the Scandinavian legends, and to the dragon in Beowulf. Both these famous dragons brood over a treasure, Fafnir in a cave, and the other in a castle. The hero Sigurd comes seeking Fafnir's treasure, and the dragon engages him first in conversation. A wily talker like Smaug, Fafnir manages to raise suspicions in Sigurd's mind about the trustworthiness of his companions. Fafnir is killed when Sigurd hides in a hole and thrusts his sword into the dragon's soft belly. The fire-breathing dragon in Beowulf ravages the countryside in a rage after a thief steals a single cup from his great hoard. Beowulf, as leader of his people, undertakes the task of killing this menace. He succeeds but is mortally wounded by the dragon.

Tolkien drew on both these stories in The Hobbit. He also drew on the common association of dragons with the destruction of landscapes (the desolation by Smaug), with the possession of one vulnerable spot, with the insatiable desire for material possessions, and with evil (some dragons were thought to be the Devil himself).

Bilbo tells his tale to the dwarves, while a thrush listens nearby. Remember this bird, because it will become an important part of the plot in chapter 14. Bilbo grows increasingly uneasy about the dragon, and at his insistence the company hides in the secret passage. They shut the door--just in time, for Smaug attacks the doorway. They're trapped, but at least they're still alive. Meanwhile Smaug, satisfied he's taken care of the intruders, departs for Lake-town.