J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are both amazing pieces of literature in their own right. But over the years, I've come to realize that I've learned a lot more from them other than how to say a few key phrases in Elvish. Here are 10 things I've learned from these amazing books.
10. Adventure is Always Out There
In the very beginning, there was quiet, peaceful, well to do
hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It all started with him. How could we
forget when he took those first steps out his door? He reminds us all that you
can love home and comfort, but you can always find adventure.
9. It's Okay to be Silly, Even in Serious Times
Behold! The magnificence that is Pippin Took. He taught all of us that sometimes a good laugh is all you need. He stays lighthearted throughout almost any situation, and remains one of the most carefree members of the Fellowship, even after the end of their journey. He also taught us all about the importance of second breakfast.
8. Money Isn't What's Really Important
I remember reading The Hobbit for the first time and watching as gold sickness took over the Thorin I knew and loved. Watching his corruption in the movie was just as painful. Seeing him overcome his lust for gold was all the more amazing for it. Thorin taught me that your home, honor, and the ones you love are so much more important than money.
7. The Importance of Family
There are so many good examples of family in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings it’s ridiculous. There’s Elrond, who despairs
at the thought of his daughter giving up her immortality. We’ve got Merry and
Pippin, who stuck by each other no matter what. There’s Fili and Kili, who (in
the book, at least) literally die protecting their uncle. You can’t forget the
friendship between Eomer and Eowyn, either. The
Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit can
both teach you a lot about family, if you pay attention.
6. Good Friends Will Stay With You Through Anything
Sam and Frodo's friendship is the literal pinnacle of platonic friendship. Sam sticks with Frodo through everything, and literally considers it his duty to protect Frodo while they’re bringing the Ring to Mordor. He loves Frodo with all his heart and nothing changes that. Meanwhile, we’ve also got Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. The loyalty between the three of them is astounding. Lord of the Rings is basically just a three volume guide on how to be a good friend.
5. Girls Can Be Warriors Too
As a young girl growing up, it was a big deal for me to see Eowyn and Arwen kick butt in Lord of the Rings. Seeing a girl become a hero in such an epic fantasy as Lord of the Rings meant that I could go out and be a hero, too. And, as some of you might have noticed, The Hobbit novel is a little lacking in main female characters (there are none). So the addition of Tauriel in the movies was a huge bonus.
4. How to Overcome Prejudice
It might seem a little silly at first, but Lord of the Rings helped me learn about prejudice, before I even knew what the word prejudice meant. Everyone remembers the friendship between Gimli and Legolas, but does everyone remember they hated each other at first? Elves and Dwarves had been longtime enemies in Middle Earth, things really just didn’t work out between the two peoples. Legolas and Gimli both started out their journey with this prejudice in their hearts, but over the course of time, they learn to love each other, despite the animosity between their cultures.
3. Love Knows No Bounds
We all remember the epic love story between Aragorn and Arwen. Arwen gives up the immortal life of an elf to so that she does not have to live without Aragorn. When I saw the Lord of the Rings movies as a kid, Arwen and Aragorn were basically my relationship goals. Now that we’ve all been blessed with three awesome movie adaptations of The Hobbit, we’ve got Tauriel and Kili. Even though Tauriel wasn’t even in the books, and their love story was a little cliché, you can’t deny that seeing them fall in love was pretty sweet. And don’t even bother denying you cried with Tauriel when Kili died. I know you did.
2. There is Always Hope
If The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit taught me anything at all, it’s that in any hard situation, there is always hope. Even through the toughest of times there always exists the hope for a better tomorrow. If Sam and Frodo can sneak their way through an entirely locked down evil fortress with a deranged stalker constantly on their tails, then I think I can manage to pass my finals.
1. We Must Endure
Both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit taught me about endurance. Seeing Bilbo stick with The Company throughout everything, watching as Sam and Frodo stopped at nothing to destroy the Ring, and seeing the bravery of The Fellowship taught me that even though life is hard, we have to push on. Sometimes life is going to suck. You might get stuck with a crazy boss, or maybe the end is nigh and Sauron’s literally knocking on your front door. But you can’t let hardship keep you from facing the world.
