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Symbolism in 'The Hobbit'

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Katelyn Watt Mrs. Meyerberg English IVCP 14 December 2015 Research Paper “God created war so that Americans would learn geography”, Mark Twain. War is a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. While death, is the action or fact of dying or being killed. Together, war and death can be combined as two of the most despised events that almost everyone fears. The Hobbit opens up with main character, Bilbo Baggins; a hobbit living a simple and peaceful life until a wizard, Gandalf comes to interrupt and change everything. Joining the two, the dwarves are also embarking on a great quest to reclaim their treasure from the dragon, Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters many challenges …show more content…

He underwent military training while at the university and took a draft deferment until after he graduated. In 1916 he enlisted with the 11th Battalion, stationed in Estaples, France. In comparison to The Hobbit, one side of their war consisted of Elves, Men, and Dwarves; while the other were Goblins and Wolves. The parallelism to the division of allied and Central powers is very defined. Like World War One, the novels battle rages without an end sight until the sixth army, the Eagles, enter to aid the Dwarves. Bilbo Baggins and Tolkien were both important aspects of their involvement in World War One and The Battle of Five Armies. Bilbo hid terrified in the mud- exactly how Tolkien must have felt fighting on the line in the trenches. Both were just ordinary men who did not want to go into a war or battle. In conclusion, the deaths, which pervade The Hobbit, parallel the deaths, which pervaded World War One. The Hobbit and the Battle of Five armies is a very clear replica of how those felt fighting in World War One. Tolkien exemplified many references to war in his novel that allowed his readers to feel and picture what it was really

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