WWI themes in ‘The Hobbit’
Tolkien’s experience in the Great War impacted Bilbo’s story too and allowed ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to be the masterpiece it is.
I will admit that I’m very, very interested in how Tolkien’s experience in WWI reflects in his work.
Tolkien’s stories — and his masterpiece The Lord of the Rings maybe more so than all the others — can be read in many different ways. There are so many themes we can afford to choose the one that most speaks to us, knowing that it’s only one of many.
I think that already in ‘The Hobbit’, some of Tolkien’s WWI themes emerged.
My theme of choice is WWI and its connection to WWII. Ever since I became interested in the Great War — which happened independently from my love for Tolkien but then channelled into it — I cannot read The Lord of the Rings without seeing unnumbered references to that war.
But while the influence of WWI on The Lord of the Rings is generally acknowledged, the same is not true for The Hobbit. Yet I think that already in The Hobbit, some of these WWI themes emerged.
