Symbols
The Ring
The ring is one of the main symbols of greed and obsession in the novel. Gollum is obsessed with it and becomes completely enraged when Bilbo takes it from him. The ring is also the symbol of Bilbo's strength because without it Bilbo would not have been able to escape the goblins, rescue the dwarves from the Wood-elves or infiltrate the Lonely Mountain undetected.
The Arkenstone
The Arkenstone like the ring is a symbol of greed and obsession. The Arkenstone is what causes Thorin to become consumed by greed which eventually sparks the Battle of the Five Armies. To Thorin the stone is a symbol of his birthright and his family legacy, the stone belonged to his grandfather before Smaug stole it and Thorin believes it is rightfully his.
Misty Mountains SongThe song that the dwarves sing while at Bilbo's house is a symbol of their legacy, their plight and their vow of revenge. The lyrics are a page long and tell of how prosperous the kingdom of Erebor was, of how it was destroyed by Smaug and how the dwarves will reclaim it.
*For presentations sake the shortened version has been provided*
Far over the Misty Mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away, ere break of day, To find our long-forgotten gold. The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread; The trees like torches blazed with light. |
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Forshadowing
"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors respect, but he gained-well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end" (p. 7)
"If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself" (p. 19)
"If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself" (p. 19)
Metaphor
"His rage passes description — the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted" (p. 148)
"My scales are tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws are spears, the shock of my tail thunderbolt, my wings are hurricanes and my breath death!" (p. 154)
"My scales are tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws are spears, the shock of my tail thunderbolt, my wings are hurricanes and my breath death!" (p. 154)
Imagery
"It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with paneled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats" (p. 7)
"Smaug came hurtling from the North, licking the mountain-sides with flame, beating his great wings with a noise like a roaring wind" (p. 149)
"Smaug came hurtling from the North, licking the mountain-sides with flame, beating his great wings with a noise like a roaring wind" (p. 149)
Personification
"The spider evidently was not used to things that carried such stings at their sides" (p. 109)
"The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night" (p. 16)
"The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night" (p. 16)
Simile
"It was like a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon!" (p. 157)