{"id":638,"date":"2011-11-10T06:00:33","date_gmt":"2011-11-10T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=638"},"modified":"2011-11-04T19:53:08","modified_gmt":"2011-11-05T02:53:08","slug":"mark-reads-the-hobbit-chapter-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/11\/mark-reads-the-hobbit-chapter-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Hobbit’: Chapter 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fourteenth chapter of The Hobbit<\/em>, I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Hobbit<\/em>.<\/p>\n

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: FIRE AND WATER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well. WELL. THIS IS REALLY COOL. Like, this is genuinely my favorite chapter so far, both because it’s so surprising and because of the purpose it serves at this point in the narrative. This book has always followed Bilbo Baggins, never straying very far from him when it would focus on another character. It’s why chapter fourteen caught me by surprise: there’s not a single line of narration here that is from Bilbo’s point of view.<\/p>\n

The primary question that this chapter answers is, “Where the hell<\/em> did Smaug go, and why is it taking him so long to return to roast Bilbo and the dwarves?” For the most part,\u00c2\u00a0The Hobbit<\/em> only uses violence sparingly, and when it does, it’s sort of glossed over. Which is fine, by the way, since this is intended to be like a fairy tale of sorts. There’s nothing particularly gory or detailed in this part of the book, either, but as Tolkien begins to describes what happens in Esgaroth, he doesn’t sugarcoat how horrific and creepy this situation is. It all starts with a sign: flashes of light from the Lonely Mountain appear in the distant horizon.<\/p>\n

“Perhaps the King under the Mountain is forging gold,” said another. “It is long since he went North. It is time the songs began to prove themselves again.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
YEAH, IN WHAT WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN<\/em>. Do you genuinely believe this? What creature lives in the mountain than can create something large enough to produce light that can be seen that far away? Oh, a dragon, you say? THEN PERHAPS IT IS A DRAGON<\/em>.<\/p>\n
But other people in Esgaroth totally believe this! Because obviously some King under the mountain will suddenly give away his gold by sending it down a river because treasure floats<\/em>. Okay, I’m being ridiculous. I can’t get over the idea that people would think golden treasure would float down a river. It’s not ever really spelled out, but I imagine that the men who decided to rush out of their homes in a gleeful hope that gold would come floating down to them never really made it out of town:<\/p>\n
Before long, so great was his speed, they could see him as a spark of fire rushing towards them and growing ever huger and more bright, and not the most foolish doubted that the prophecies had gone rather wrong.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
YEAH THIS IS REALLY UNSETTLING TO ME. I mean…how can anyone<\/em> survive this? This is what Tolkien does so well with the arrival of Smaug: he describes the sheer physical size and power of him by showing us how he affects the things around him, from the lake below to the people on Esgaroth. I mean, the only thing that could basically “put out” this particular dragon. A lake<\/em>. Do you understand that? Smaug is such an immense and gigantic source of power and fire that IT TAKES A WHOLE FUCKING LAKE TO EXTINGUISH HIM<\/em>. What the fuck!!!!!<\/p>\n
He circled for a while high in the air above them lighting all the lake; the trees by the shores shone like copper and like blood with leaping shadows of dense black at their feet. Then down he swooped straight through the arrow-storm, reckless in his rage, taking no heed to turn his scaly sides towards his foes, seeking only to set their town ablaze.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Okay, maybe it’s weird that this is the one passage I’m ready to proclaim as my favorite, at least in terms of the writing, since it’s basically announcing the oncoming doom for the Lake town. But in just a few sentences, Tolkien paints the scene so beautifully, even if it is inherently horrifying. And then, because my mind works in mysterious ways, I was immediately distracted by this:<\/p>\n
Fire leaped from thatched roofs…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n
ONE OF YOU <\/strong>HAS<\/em><\/strong> TO KNOW WHAT THIS IS<\/strong>. <\/em><\/strong>Okay ANYWAY. On a completely serious note, once Smaug started destroying the actual town, I knew that whatever the outcome, this wasn’t something that Tolkien could ever erase. It’s the point of no return, made all the worse by the fact that not a single arrow can pierce the dragon’s scales.<\/p>\n
Already men were jumping into the water on every side. Women and children were being huddled into laden boats in the market-pool. Weapons were flung down. There was mourning and weeping, where but a little time ago the old songs of mirth to come had been sung about the dwarves. Now men cursed their names.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Amidst the chaos, Tolkien introduces the one thing I am impressed with most in this chapter: accountability. I’d not thought about things this way until this line, but Smaug wouldn’t even be <\/em>in Esgaroth if it weren’t for Bilbo and the dwarves. The fact that Tolkien doesn’t ignore this gives this whole book a brand new dynamic that didn’t exist before this chapter. It’s here that this stops being a neat fairytale because the story now addresses cause and effect, showing us that the dwarves’ quest for gold, while possibly necessary in some sense, is not without its ill effects. That’s not to say this is all a hyper-realistic study of the interactions between various social groups in Middle Earth (OMG SOMEONE PROBABLY WROTE THAT OMG<\/em>), but it’s a surprising addition that’s pleasant to read.<\/p>\n
That was the dragon’s hope. They could all get into boats for all he cared. There he could have fine sport hunting them, or they could stop till they starved. Let them try to get to land and he would be ready. Soon he would set all the shoreland woods ablzze and wither every field and pasture. Just now he was enjoying the sport of town-baiting more than he had enjoyed anything for years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHAT THE HOLY FUCK<\/strong>. Sorry, if someone told this to me as a bedtime story, I would expel them from my room forever. BEDTIME PRIVILEGES REVOKED. Wait….that sounds awkward. Whatever, I’m leaving it. The very idea that Smaug is going to get revenge by a prolonged hunting session is fucked up<\/em>. But it also makes it rather easy for one to believe that this chapter can only<\/em> end in absolute destruction, and Tolkien’s introduction of Bard seemed to lend itself to this, too. Sure, he’s presented as a brave and capable warrior, but then we get this:<\/p>\n
The flames were near him. His companions were leaving him. He bent his bow for the last time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Okay, so he’s going to die. It’s meant to show us how everything is destroyed by what the dwarves and Bilbo did. So you can imagine how surprised I was by the fact that instead<\/em>, that mysterious thrush shows up. OH. IT WAS AN IMPORTANT DETAIL. And it can talk!!! Which…why aren’t there talking ponies again??<\/em> Ugh, Tolkien, you are seriously apony bigot<\/em>.<\/p>\n
But let’s talk about what a neat moment this in the story. By all rights, this book seemed to be one specific thing: Bilbo and company would go to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo would probably slay Smaug, and the dwarves would get their treasure back. There’s nothing wrong with that narrative! That’s the point of the story, or at least what I expected. But as soon as the thrush tells Bard how<\/em> to kill Smaug, I realized that this book was certainly not going to end how I thought it was. In a wonderful sleight of hand, Bard<\/em> is the one to end Smaug, ironically in a way that could only have happened because of Bilbo. (Though, to be fair, Smaug wouldn’t even be in Esgaroth if it weren’t for Bilbo and company. OH GOD CAUSE AND EFFECT.)<\/p>\n
While the victory against Smaug is definitely something to celebrate, that’s not really what happens with the citizens of this city on the Lake. Esgaroth was lost and there’s no way around it. Yes, Smaug is gone, but their city (and a quarter of the population) was destroyed. The group is largely furious at the Master as well, since he deserted Esgaroth so soon after Smaug arrived. (It is so distracted that he’s named this way, because I just imagine John Simm running around Esgaroth.) When it becomes clear that they’d rather have Bard running things, the Master gets a bit snappy. Oh, now<\/em> you care? Unsurprisingly (and very much like the politician he is), he deflects the blame for Smaug to refocus the anger of the survivors towards the dwarves.<\/p>\n
I admit that the dwarves did basically upset Smaug, and Bilbo had a part in that, so a part of me gets<\/em> this, and it’s hard to argue against the Master, even if he’s totally being a turd about this all. I was impressed that Bard was practical enough to announce that it was a ridiculous time to discuss this idea, of getting revenge against the dwarves, because\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6well, their entire city was just obliterated<\/em>. There’s a lot to enjoy in chapter fourteen, so I’ll add this to the list, too: Tolkien gives us a glimpse into the repair of Esgaroth. He could have rushed into it. It’s not really necessary<\/em> to the main bulk of the plot, but it’s a pleasant addition. It helps give us an idea of the mental state of the community as they deal with so much loss, and then plays directly into the Elvinking’s reaction to the destruction at Esgaroth. As a great deal of elves arrive to help rebuild the city days after the attack, another group heads out of Esgaroth.<\/p>\n
To the Lonely Mountain. They’re going to find Bilbo and the dwarves. Holy shit<\/em>, what has this book become? I AM TOTALLY INTO THIS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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