Pearce and Tolkien believed that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were fundamentally religious and Catholic works. Apparently critics had either missed or resented this interpretation. Pearce paraphrased Tolkien in suggesting that the real reason for critical prejudice against Tolkien’s and similar works had grown out of a particular hostility toward Christianity.

The failure to see and understand the hidden meaning of Tolkien’s works, parallels an episode within the pages of The Hobbit where the company of dwarves and even Gandalf could not see, let alone interpret directions on an ancient map. Elrond did see, understand and read that hidden message because he viewed it on a midsummer’s eve under a crescent moon. These were the same conditions in effect when the message was first inscribed. Similarly, to fully grasp the hidden meaning of The Hobbit, the tale must be read with Catholic eyes.

Who better to uncover the hidden meaning of The Hobbit than  noted Catholic author Joseph Pearce, who wrote biographies of J. R. R. Tolkien and two of the major influences in Tolkien’s intellectual and literary development–Hilarie Belloc and G. K. Chesterton. To further support his assertions Pearce delved into many of the sources used by Tolkien in writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings allowing him to share Tolkien’s perspective.

Pearce opened his arguments with this statement:

Apart from the story’s status as a Christian bildungsroman, charting Bilbo’s rite of passage from ignorance to wisdom and from bourgeois vice to heroic virtue, The Hobbit parallels The Lord of the Rings in the mystical suggestiveness of its treatment of Divine Providence, and serves as a moral commentary on the words of Christ that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). In these three aspects, it can be truly said of The Hobbit, as Tolkien said of The Lord of the Rings, that it is “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.”

Critics faulted The Hobbit for “the continued presence of biased fortune” or incredibly good luck whenever needed. In response Pearce explained that Divine Providence aided those who opened themselves to the influence of Grace, particularly by a show of mercy even to their enemies. Pearce turned the tables on those critics, blind to Grace, who faulted The Hobbit for the excessive influence of “luck,” but who in their own turn explained the “enormity and complexity of the cosmos” as the effect of “chance alone.”

Dragon Sickness, a recurring theme evoked the image of the avaricious and arrogant Smaug the Terrible buried in a pile of stolen dwarf treasure, but its symptoms included Bilbo’s clinging to the comfort of his Hobbit hole and eventually “The Ring.” Pearce reminded his readers of Tolkien’s description of Elrond’s virtuous disposition and that he did “not altogether approve of dwarves and their love of gold.” Pearce warned against modern contamination with Dragon Sickness as applied to the human tendency toward “bourgeois vice” whereby individuals clung to life within a “comfort zone.”

Gandalf’s apparent abandonment of the company of dwarves brought about Bilbo’s coming of age as adversity prompted ethical decisions and the flow of Grace allowed the Hobbit to grow beyond his comfort zone to realize his true capabilities. In the end Bilbo profited from the adventure, despite his personal suffering and loss.

Through Bilbo’s Journey Pearce offered his readers a spiritual commentary as well as a literary guide to Tolkien’s work. Bilbo’s Journey, a storehouse of topics worthy of spiritual reflection deserves multiple readings that offer both inner peace and a more complete understanding the Catholic roots of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.

Pearce, Joseph. Bilbo’s Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning of The Hobbit. Charlotte, NC: Saint Benedict Press. 2012.

(© 2013 Donald J. Mulcare)

A retired biologist with current interests in vegetable gardening, volunteering at a local nursing home, reading, and writing. Other activities include the study of the practical aspects of applied Gerontology, splitting logs, digging for quahogs and writing blogs. https://dmulcare.wordpress.com/

6 Replies to “Bilbo’s Journey: discovering the hidden meaning of the hobbit, by Joseph Pearce”

  1. Hi Julie,

    Thanks for your contribution.

    Do you think there are many who would read Pearce’s book without having first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? I’d imagine that most readers of Bilbo’s Journey were conversant with both of Tolkien’s Hobbit tales.

    I’ve only read three of Pearce’s books, but I’ve noticed that he loves prologues, even if, in “Race with the Devil” the prologue takes the form of the title to Chapter 2: “A Childhood in the Shire.” He told me that he was about to compare himself to Bilbo and Frodo on a quest to destroy evil and finally return to the Shire. Pearce, the teacher tells the reader where he’s going so it’s easier to follow him.

    The review above includes the paragraph that charts Pearce’s course. I’d say that he stuck to his path to explaining Tolkien’s Catholic spin on the Hobbit stories.

    Thanks for the references to Olsen and Birzer. Until I read them, I’d like to think that Pearce knows Tolkien well and sees his Middle Earth adventures from the same vantage point.

    As to, “Pearce put his own interpretation (heavily) on the underlying meaning of the book in a way that Tolkien himself would not have liked.” I’m not sure I agree. Years ago I did read a collection of Tolkien’s letters. I can’t remember if he did or did not stress the Catholic spirit of his Hobbit tales, but Tolkien did say that they were basically “Catholic.”

    Pearce does indicate many examples of the role of Divine Grace or Providence in his answer to those critics who faulted the overuse of “biased fortune.” Providence and the human cooperation with Grace represent a cause and effect relationship where Grace prompts cooperation and cooperation prompts the continued flow of Grace. Pearce does not have to stretch to make this point.

    Thanks Julie. Happy Halloween! (Eve of All Hallows)

    May the Saints be with you.

    God Bless,

    Don

    1. Hi Don,

      I think that titling a book about The Hobbit means that it should cover that book and not the others … especially since The Hobbit is a children’s story, albeit one very well suited for adults, and which is very different from The Lord of the Rings. When I read the book I wanted to read about The Hobbit, divorced from the later works. So, my expectation, set by the title of the book, was dashed.

      Tolkien had a Catholic worldview and, after he read his first draft, he realized how much of it was reflected in The Lord of the Rings and subtly punched up those points. However, first and foremost he did not identify his book as “Catholic” because it wasn’t meant to be identified that way. It was meant as an adventure and that is why it is embraced by many who never would pick up a “Catholic” book, myself included. He wouldn’t argue with seeing the Catholic strains because he was of the school that said once a piece of art leaves one’s hands, the reader provides interpretation of their own. (See Leaf by Niggle for Tolkien’s view of himself as an artist and his work, which was inspired by a dream and written late in his life.) However, for Pearce to flatly state (as I seem to recall) that The Hobbit is a story about how to get to heaven is reading it in a way that Tolkien never said and never would have said. This is Pearce’s interpretation, stated as fact. (My comments on this book are here.)

  2. I was less than enthusiastic about this book because Pearce takes us way beyond The Hobbit and delves into The Lord of the Rings as well, which I felt could be confusing for those not conversant with the trilogy. As well, I felt that Pearce put his own interpretation (heavily) on the underlying meaning of the book in a way that Tolkien himself would not have liked. I preferred Corey Olsen’s “Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit” for digging deeper into that book and “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth” by Bradley Birzer for the bigger picture. Those authors insert less of themselves into their writing, while still being thought provoking.

  3. Dennis,

    Thanks for sharing.

    Bilbo’s Journey is worth re-reading as a source of spiritual reflection.

    I wonder what it would be like to view Joseph Pearce’s video courses on Tolkien’s works.

    God bless,

    Don

  4. I have been a fan of Tolkein since I first read The Hobbit when I was 12 years old. The more one reads Tokein the more evident it becomes that his writing is an allegory to God’s Creation and Plan of Salvation.

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