{"id":636,"date":"2011-11-09T06:00:48","date_gmt":"2011-11-09T14:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=636"},"modified":"2011-11-02T18:53:57","modified_gmt":"2011-11-03T01:53:57","slug":"mark-reads-the-hobbit-chapter-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/11\/mark-reads-the-hobbit-chapter-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Hobbit’: Chapter 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the thirteenth chapter of The Hobbit<\/em>, Bilbo and the dwarves are puzzled by the apparent disappearance of Smaug and the method in which they’ll escape from inside the mountain. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Hobbit<\/em>.<\/p>\n

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: NOT AT HOME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, this is so much fun. I’m truly starting to understand why this book is beloved by millions of people. There are so many things that fantasy and science fiction must<\/em> have borrowed from The Hobbit<\/em>! I don’t even know how sure I am of this, but the way that Tolkien uses suspense and physical geography\/arrangement to build that is just brilliant<\/em>. This was published in 1937<\/em>. And I am still entertained by it!<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, though; this shit is creepy<\/em>. There are no new creatures introduced in this chapter, though I became anxious at the thought that there might<\/em> be something else down in Smaug’s lair or perhaps on the path out of it. Of course, that sort of doesn’t make any sense. Smaug is a lonely creature by choice; he doesn’t seem to want to share his lair with any other living being. His own greed prevents that.<\/p>\n

It seems that Smaug isn’t concerned with any of that right now. He must care about revenge a lot<\/em>, because he doesn’t return to the cave as quickly as the group expected. I am worried that if these characters do make a clean escape, they’ll discover that the Lake men were obliterated. That’ll be awkward, right? Even so, what makes this chapter so thrilling is that the idea of Smaug returning at any point hangs over these characters. I simply waited for it to happen, expecting the next paragraph to begin with, “And then, to their dismay, they heard a terrifying roar\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6”<\/p>\n

Hell, that’s what I anticipated from this! The dwarves thought they were trapped in the cave, and Bilbo ends up venturing down into Smaug’s lair with the ring on, only to trip and fall right down into the treasure pile. Ouch<\/em>, by the way. That can’t feel good at all. In the pitch-black, the only thing that Bilbo can see is a faint glowing in the distance. He ends up getting a small “pine-torch” from the dwarves to continue searching about the place. One of my favorite parts of chapter thirteen is each point when Tolkien slightly shifts the perspective of the narration. Up until he gets the pine-torch, we see everything through Bilbo’s eyes, but then Tolkien switches to the dwarves as they watch Bilbo’s tiny light get smaller and smaller. It’s a great affect, one that detaches us from the action in a way to make us uncertain of what happens next.<\/p>\n

Bilbo discovers that the glow he’d seen is from the Arkenstone, the gem that Thorin had spoke about lovingly in the last chapter. It’s just as splendid and magnificent as Thorin described, so of course Bilbo decides to take it<\/em>. That’s a good idea! The dwarves certainly won’t notice this at all! Hell, it’s even acknowledged in the text:<\/p>\n

“Now I am a burglar indeed!” thought he. “But I suppose I must tell the dwarves about it–some time. They did say I could pick choose my own share; and I think I would choose this, if they took all the rest!” All the same he had an uncomfortable feeling that the picking and choosing had not really been meant to include this marvelous gem, and that trouble would yet come of it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Dude, your own narrator thinks this is a bad idea<\/em>. Okay, I jest, but seriously. That’s not going to end well. In the meantime, though, Bilbo continues to explore the space after pocketing the Arkenstone. After a little bat fright, the dwarves all come down to help Bilbo (ABOUT TIME GOD<\/em>), and are immediately distracted by the piles of treasure. Look, I won’t apologize for thinking this is one of the funniest things in this whole book, even if this isn’t what Tolkien wanted. Honestly, though, think about it: Bilbo cries out for help, the dwarves arrive, and they start digging through treasure. Just like that<\/em>. Nevermind about Bilbo! Okay, so it isn’t exactly<\/em> like that, but I was amused. And I admit that it was kind of adorable that Thorin gives Bilbo a coat of mail, even if it probably won’t be of any help to him.<\/p>\n
This tiny moment of joy only served to make me more<\/em> nervous than ever before, though. The dwarves were distracted. Even when Bilbo suggest that they should figure out what to do next, Thorin is just a bit too<\/em> confident about knowing exactly where to go. To be fair, this palace used<\/em> to belong to him and his fellow dwarves, so I understand his familiarity. But I felt that Tolkien was setting up these characters to be distracted to the point of vulnerability. So with every step they take on their way out of the old palace, I went back to believing that Smaug would arrive in the next paragraph.<\/p>\n
That’s really the trick of a good story, especially one like this. The author has<\/em> to get you to believe something will happen, or at least anticipate a specific outcome. This all feels like a set-up, doesn’t it? The group ascends stairways, walks quickly down long passages, and Thorin proves that he really does<\/em> remember every turn out of the palace. And I still believe that disaster is just ten seconds behind them. They make it to the chamber of Thror, where a bunch of bones and skulls (which I can only imagine belong to the dwarves who used to live her, which jesus christ<\/em>) are spread about the space.<\/p>\n
But no Smaug. They find the Running River. Actually, the very start<\/em> of it. But no Smaug. They find the road that leads out the Gate to Dale. And they take it. And there’s still<\/em> no Smaug.<\/p>\n
Whoa. They\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6they made it out? Holy shit. WELL-PLAYED, TOLKIEN. I don’t feel like this is anti-climactic, either, because of what happens after<\/em> this. The group plans to march five hours to an old lookout post to rest and eat so as not to be in direct danger from Smaug. The walk itself is rather uneventful, too, even with the threat of Smaug’s return haunting them all. It’s when they arrive at the lookout to make camp for the night that Tolkien reminds us that this journey is far from being over:<\/p>\n
In all their talk they came perpetually back to one thing: where was Smaug? They looked West and there was nothing, and East there was nothing, and in the South there was no sign of the dragon, but there was a gathering of very many birds. At that they gazed and wondered; but they were no nearer to understanding it, when the first cold stars came out.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It is<\/em> perplexing that Smaug would stay away from his cave for such a long time, especially since he knows that Bilbo and the dwarves were there.<\/p>\n
IT’S A TRAP. oh god it has to be, RIGHT?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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