The Hobbit - Chapter 10 - A Warm Welcome

[Estelyn Telcontar]

“All things work together for good…”

This chapter shows us that, as so often, the inevitable turns out to be beneficial, even the only feasible possibility. We are told that the waterway, impossible to access except through the Elven fortress, was the only one that led the Dwarves and Bilbo to their goal. So their captivity not only enabled them to survive, but their escape got them to the Lonely Mountain in the only way possible.

The escape was not easy, and it cost them all some health and strength, what with the cold and water affecting them, but to the Dwarves’ credit, they did realize what the Hobbit had done for them eventually. Their arrival at Lake-town elicits various reactions by the populace of the city; do you think the legend of their return was important in preparing the way for their reception? What do you think of the poem that the people sang? (“The king beneath the mountains”)

What impression does the Master of the town make on you?

Thorin shows some astuteness in leaving before their welcome was spent – always good advice for guests!

Bilbo’s unhappiness despite the enthusiasm of the townspeople and the anticipation of the Dwarves is mentioned at least twice, and especially so in the last sentence of the chapter. Did you catch that as a foreboding of difficulties to come when you first read the book?

This is a pretty short chapter, but I think it hints at quite a few of the coming events and developments. Despite the fact that Lake-town is a “safe haven” for the travellers, this stop is very transitional. Do you enjoy reading the chapter, or do you skim it, pressing on to the next one? Interestingly, I find myself thinking that the title is deceptive - the warm welcome has cold undercurrents...