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

The travelers are captured by goblins in the Misty Mountains. In the goblin tunnels, Bilbo finds a magic ring and meets its previous owner, Gollum. With the help of the ring, Bilbo escapes the tunnels and rejoins his friends.

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Days later, Thorin and the company cross the Misty Mountains and are attacked by goblins. All but Gandalf are captured and carried through a maze of tunnels into the heart of the mountain. Tolkien tells you that the goblins are "cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted," and in his description of them you can see the beginnings of his concept of evil. Their hatred of others is an important part of evil. They deny others free will by enslaving them, and they create nothing of beauty. Tolkien also makes an association here between evil and technology, particularly the technology of war--"the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once."

NOTE: TOLKIEN'S USE OF SONG One of the purposes of songs in The Hobbit is to characterize the different races. In chapter I, the dwarves' song expresses their love for treasure. The elves' song in chapter 3 expresses their gaiety. The song that the goblins sing is reminiscent of pirates and reveals their cruelty. The many one-syllable words and exclamation points give it a savage rhythm that Tolkien echoes in the narrative and in the speech of the Great Goblin.

Once again, Gandalf comes to the rescue. He kills the Great Goblin and leads Bilbo and the dwarves down the tunnels. Notice how Tolkien uses personification to describe Gandalf's sword. It "burned with a rage" at the presence of goblins and now gleams "bright as blue flame for delight" in killing their leader.

The angry goblins chase after their escaping prisoners. In the confusion, Bilbo falls, bumps his head, and is knocked unconscious.

When he wakes up, Bilbo finds himself alone in the dark. While groping around blindly, he comes upon a ring and slips it into his pocket. Tolkien tells you that this is a turning point in Bilbo's career, but doesn't say why.

Bilbo searches in his pockets for matches to light his pipe. He doesn't find them but does come upon his sword, which he draws out. This action is highly significant, for while smoking a pipe just then would have been both stupid and hobbitlike, the decision to draw his sword could be a sign of Bilbo's growing independence. He sets off down the tunnel and at an underground lake meets Gollum, one of Tolkien's most unforgettable creations.

It is Gollum's speech that is most remarkable. He hisses as he talks, and calls himself "we" and "my precious." He never speaks directly to Bilbo; he talks to himself and refers to Bilbo as "it." This way of speaking shows the selfishness of evil: Gollum treats Bilbo as an object--a potential meal--rather than as an individual with free will. In accordance with Tolkien's theme that nothing starts out evil, Gollum was once a sun-loving creature like Bilbo. For some reason not yet disclosed to the reader, Gollum was driven from his home and eventually found his way to the lake in the middle of the mountain. (You will learn more about Gollum's life, such as how he came to the underground lake, in The Lord of the Rings.)

NOTE: RIDDLE GAMES Back in the times when people first told the legends of King Arthur and Siegfried the dragon-killer, they didn't have as much in the way of entertainment as we do today. Instead, they had to entertain themselves. One way they did this was by playing riddle games. The first person who failed to answer a riddle lost the game. Riddle games were so popular that they became a common feature in folklore and legend. In these legendary games the stakes were often high: the loser would forfeit a valuable magical treasure or even his life. Tolkien drew directly on these stories when he devised the riddle game between Gollum and Bilbo. In this case, if Bilbo loses, Gollum will eat him. Fortunately, Bilbo manages to stump Gollum with an unorthodox riddle: "What have I got in my pocket?" (This leads some people to question whether Bilbo won the game fairly.) The other riddles that appear in this scene are old standards, not only in Middle-earth but also in our own world. In fact, many of these riddles were favorites of the ancient Norse and Anglo-Saxons, and can be found in their writings that have been preserved through the centuries.

The ring that Bilbo discovered belongs to Gollum, who lost it hunting goblins in the tunnel. Gollum is obsessed with his ring, calling it by the name he uses for himself: "my precious." He lets out a horrible screech when he realizes it's gone and Bilbo has it. He rushes toward Bilbo in a murderous rage. Bilbo flees, and the ring somehow slips onto his finger.

As he runs down the dark tunnel, Bilbo trips and falls, but Gollum continues past him. Realizing the ring has made him invisible, Bilbo uses it to escape Gollum and slip out the goblins' back door. Gollum shrieks after Bilbo: "Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it for ever!" Is Bilbo a thief? Do you feel any sympathy for Gollum? Why or why not?

NOTE: RESPONSIBLE USE OF POWER The ring represents great power. Gollum used it to sneak up on goblins and kill them, and had planned to use it in the same way to kill Bilbo. Bilbo could also have used the ring against Gollum, but instead he jumps over Gollum's head and runs away. He does this both out of sympathy for Gollum and because of his sense of fair play. Do you think he's foolish to take such a chance?

Bilbo emerges from the goblin tunnels and realizes that he's come through all the way to the other side of the mountain. Alone, with no idea what has happened to his friends, he decides to go back into the tunnels to find them. just then he hears the voices of his companions. Since he's wearing the ring, the others can't see him. As he approaches, the dwarves are saying that they don't want to go back to find Bilbo, while Gandalf is insisting that they must. Bilbo takes off his ring and suddenly appears, surprising them all.

Here Tolkien shows you Bilbo as morally superior to the dwarves. He was willing to go back into the tunnels alone to try to find them, but they prefer to leave him to the goblins rather than to risk getting caught themselves. You may say that the dwarves are just being realistic and that Bilbo is naively idealistic. How does this relate to Tolkien's theme that you must do what is right, no matter what the consequences?

Bilbo tells about his encounter with Gollum but doesn't mention the ring. The dwarves are greatly impressed. Gandalf gives Bilbo a queer look, as if he suspects Bilbo hasn't told the whole truth.

Knowing the goblins will pursue once night falls, the adventurers travel well into the night. They stop at last, but soon hear the howling of wolves. As they scramble into trees, a pack of wolves run into the clearing.

These are no ordinary wolves. They are Wargs, allies of the goblins, and Bilbo and his friends are trapped.

Far away, the Lord of the Eagles hears the commotion and with his followers decides to investigate.

Meanwhile, the goblins arrive in the clearing. Gandalf prepares to jump down among them and kill as many as he can before he dies. Just then, the eagles arrive and carry Bilbo and the others off to their home on the mountain peak. There the eagles bring them food: animals, which the dwarves prepare and cook. Tolkien again emphasizes how out of place Bilbo is with the dwarves. He doesn't know how to skin and cut up meat; he's used to having it delivered by the butcher!

^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT: CHAPTERS 7-9

After enjoying the hospitality of Beorn, the shape-changer, Bilbo and the dwarves travel through Mirkwood Forest. Bilbo has an opportunity to prove himself by twice coming to the dwarves' rescue.

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The next morning, the eagles deliver the travelers to the top of a great rock near the house of someone named Beorn. Gandalf warns the company that Beorn, a very great man, is easily angered; they must be very polite to him.

Beorn, whom Gandalf describes as part bear, part man, gives the group food and advice for their journey: They will have to travel through the terrible forest of Mirkwood, but should stay on the path and not drink or bathe in the water of a certain stream. He also gives them ponies but asks that they be returned when the travelers reach the edge of the woods.