Rachel Hebert-post one 10/10/12

       I am reading a book called The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein. It is the first book in The Lord of The Rings series all about a different world(or possibly a future one) where goblins, dragons, and especially hobbits exist. I probably about 2/5 through the book so far, and alot has happened. Bilbo (the main character that just so happens to be a hobbit) sets off on a journey with thirteen or fourteen dwarves and his friend Wizard Gandalf the Gray. They're heading to a dwarf town( I don't mean a small town, I mean a town that was inhabited by dwarves) taken over by Smaug, a really old dragon, that's sitting on alot of gold that they want. They've been in tiffs(I like that word) with goblins and trolls and other things alot bigger than them, but still made it out unscathed. I just finished the part in the book where Bilbo gets lost and meets Smeagol/Gollum which is a really long story, but I'll keep it brief.
        The book is really good so far, and I knew it would be because my sister and dad read it, and I knew most of what it was going to be like from The Lord Of The Rings and hearing them talk about it. I think the author wrote the book beacuse he probably had a whole bunch of ideas about mythical creatures and other things maybe since he was a kid and wanted to cram them all into a really good book about a Mystical world. And, using my sister as a source, he could have also wrote it because he was in World War One and there are theories that he used the different races in The Hobbit to reflect the different countries of the war.
         I definately think there is more than one theme in the story, but one of the most important to me is that a person...or hobbit can escape their stereotype-yeah, I used that word, and become just as good, or better that those who think him inferior.
         Of course ofr my favorte character I have to say Bilbo, becasue he's funny, adventurous, but also grounded. I also like Thorin, one of the dwarves, because he has a relatively normal name, and he's a leader-like dwarf.I think one of the main points that J.R.R. Tolkein is trying to get across is how much Bilbo grows by becoming more willing to do risky things and really become a hero.

"This thing all things devours:
  Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
  Gnaws iron, bites steel;
  Grinds hard stones to meal;
  Slays king, ruins town,
  And beats high mountain down"

This is a riddle that Gollum asks to Bilbo, and if he answers wrong, he dies. Of course, since he's the main character, he has to guess right, which he does, and lives. I think It's important to the storyline because it shows alot about how much both Bilbo and Gollum know.
        I don't really have any questions besides if they'll end up getting the treasure from Smaug and if there will be any fatalities.....except I already know that Bilbo won't die, because he's in the Lord of The Rings books, so yay!
                                                                                                                  By the way, the answer is time