#ThereAndBackAgain Readalong
Gollum: Evolution of a Character Too Important to Remain in the Dark
The Hobbit — Ch. 5 Riddles in the Dark. After writing The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien wrote this chapter from The Hobbit anew
Is Riddle in the Dark the best chapter in The Hobbit? To me, it might be.
Today, it is probably the most momentous chapter in the book, but it took a lot of labour to get it there.
It’s a mysterious, visceral, enigmatic episode and so, fittingly, it all happens in the dark.
Separated from his companions, for the first time since he started the adventure, Bilbo finds himself alone with no idea where his friends are and if they will ever find him again.
It’s a dark, unknown place. Terrifying. Still, as Bilbo says, “Go back? No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” And in so doing, Bilbo shows his true braveness. Going, alone and with no hope for help, toward the unknown.
As he goes forward in the darkness under the mountain, Bilbo finds a ring.
