The Hobbit - Chapter 19 - The Last Stage

[Estelyn Telcontar]

This is the final chapter of this book, and we finish our journey as Bilbo does his! At first Gandalf and Bilbo stay at Rivendell once again, a home away from home - safe, yet still Elvish and other-worldly.

There's lots of poetry in these few pages! The Elves sing a variation of the "Tra-la-la-lally" song, telling the story that the hobbit and his companions experienced. It begins more seriously, then goes back to the light-hearted spirit of their first stay. A bit later they sing a lullaby that wakes him up - what a paradox! And when Bilbo returns to the Shire he chants a poem that is the predecessor to "The Road goes ever on and on" of LotR. I find this version somewhat weaker - "Roads" is not as strong as "The Road", and the repetition of "ever" less pleasing than "on and on". Still, it is evidently good enough to draw Gandalf's attention to the change that has taken place in Bilbo.

Retracing their steps brings to memory (both Bilbo's and ours) the trip in the other direction a year earlier. There is a reference to the White Council and the Necromancer, a tantalizing glimpse of the larger Legendarium, which has by now become the background to this story.

There is a cute reference to the beginning of the journey in the mentioning of the red silk handkerchief that Bilbo "borrowed" from Elrond - I wonder if or when he ever gave it back?! The trolls' gold adds to the hobbit's wealth, though I remember reading (and can't find the exact reference now) that he later gave it away, feeling that it was not his to keep.

The homecoming is surprising and unexpected - almost like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn arriving back for their own funeral! We find out that even the peaceable Hobbits had need for lawyers, since the auction was obviously conducted by a legal firm. The Sackville-Bagginses are mentioned for the first time, and in a manner that shows them to be avaricious and dishonest.

Bilbo's life is changed, and as a German proverb says, if your reputation's already ruined, you can live whatever way you want to. The changes make him less connected with the community in which he lives, but more connected with the rest of Middle-earth by his contacts with other races.

The final paragraphs tell of a later visit by Gandalf and Balin and in doing so, the narrative tells us what happened in Dale and Lake-town after their restoration. Gandalf's final words are both deep and humorous - typical for him! The story ends with a very hobbity note - the tobacco-jar.

How do you like the story's ending? How does it compare to a typical fairy-tale, and how does it differ? Did the ending leave you wanting more about Hobbits, or Middle-earth, or Elves, or Dwarves - or maybe all of them? Do you think "There and Back Again" is an appropriate title for Bilbo's memoirs?


Thanks to all who participated in these discussions! The threads remain open, so if you want to join in later on, you are welcome to do so.