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The One Ring Forums:
Tolkien Topics: Reading Room:
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Curious
Half-elven
Apr 17, 3:04am
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Q. Could the hobbits have evolved their culture anywhere else in Middle-earth? Could we expect a similar Shire in Harad or Rhun, or in the middle of Gondor? Or did it lie at a unique wilderness juncture of protection by Elves, Rangers, and a Grey Wizard, enabling its people to prosper and indulge in pleasant pastimes?
A. The Shire as Tolkien describes it is in fact based on the rural English village of his childhood. It's full of anachronisms that don't fit with the rest of Middle Earth. Tolkien acknowledges this in the Appendices, where he blames the anachronisms on his extremely loose translation of the original. Even the names of the hobbits are completely different.
So it's hard to say what the culture of the hobbits in the Shire really is, or really would be if Tolkien had made any effort at plausibility. That said, we do know that Golllum and Bilbo had common ground even though their respective cultures had been separated for hundreds of years. There was at least one other settlement of hobbits in Middle Earth, and they had some things in common with the hobbits of the Shire.
We also know that the Drúedain, the Wild Men who lived in Drúadan Forest north of the White Mountains, had a completely different culture even though they lived near Rohan and Gondor. There seem to be pockets of people all over Middle Earth who keep to themselves as much as possible and don't know much about even close neighbors, let along distant peoples. Gandalf and Aragorn may be the only inhabitants of Middle Earth who travel enough to know most of these insular communities.
So yes, I think the hobbits might have found another fertile and relatively isolated land to settle somewhere. They just needed some fertile land to till, and they would make it their own.
Q. Does this sound like Rivendell or Minas Tirith to you? Can you readily imagine all-day community birthday parties and fireworks in those places? (rhetorical) What does it tell us about hobbit priorities in life?
A. In The Hobbit the elves of Rivendell seemed quite light-hearted and full of child-like humor. They particularly enjoy teasing the visiting dwarves. In LotR they seem more somber, but it's a more somber time.
That said, the Shire is different from Rivendell or Minas Tirith. Elves and Men and Hobbits all have different interests. And while the Shire may seem idyllic, the hobbits themselves can be petty, gossipy, and irritating. Note that Bilbo has no close friends his own age. He must make do with Frodo and Frodo's friends.
Eating, drinking, and birthday presents were a daily event in the Shire, but not fireworks. That was a Gandalf specialty.
And the usual birthday presents were nothing like the ones Bilbo gave away. If you are giving multiple gifts almost every day of the year, you have to keep within budget. I'm sure there was a lot of regifting, too, and many hobbits might find themselves receiving a gift they had given away a month or year before, as it made the rounds.
As for hobbit priorities, Thorin said it best:
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
The Shire is not a utopia, but it's pretty nice, nonetheless.
Q. Do hobbits make sense in a Middle-earth where history is usually revered by the wise and ignored by the foolish? What could explain hobbits' disinterest in history?
A. As I said, the hobbits and the Shire are anachronistic. They are modern, and therefore uninterested in history. The rest of Middle Earth is more akin to ancient cultures, where history -- at least of kings and generals and heroes and heroines -- was revered.
Q. Birthdays, parties, drinking, eating, gossiping, pranks: is this the uncouth land of Shire people who are lazy and lower class? Or is there something beyond class that comes to mind?
A. Radagast does not call the land of the Shire uncouth. Indeed, he knows nothing about it. He calls the name "Shire" uncouth, presumably because it doesn't roll off his tongue. But what sounds strange and uncouth to Radagast may not sound that way to Gandalf. Radagast, despite being one of the Istari or Wizards, is provincial. He stays among the beasts and rarely visits anyone else.
Q. Does hobbit culture appeal to you? Is the Shire a great place to live, or just a nice place to visit? Are hobbits an ideal that readers should aspire to, or should we be more like Elves (serious and contemplative), or should we try to be both? Or should we be Riders or Rohan or Faramir or Aragorn--darn it, who should I be emulating in this trilogy?!?!
A. The Shire is not a utopia but it is peaceful and fruitful, at least before Saruman gets involved. But the hobbits themselves can be quite irritating, wrong, ignorant, and stubborn. They are also quite conservative and set in their ways. In short, they have the virtues and vices of English villagers in the late 19th century. But at least they don't murder each other, and that's better than many other cultures of Middle Earth.
Q. Why does Shire culture produce quest heroes like Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin?
A. It normally doesn't. These are exceptional hobbits. And they are the direct result of Gandalf's meddling. He deliberately infected Bilbo with the wandering bug, and interest in elvish, and all kinds of strange notions and knowledge, and it just took a while for it to spread to another generation of young hobbits.
Q. If Shire culture is so happy and successful, why isn't it emulated by the other peoples of Middle-earth?
A. As I said, it's not all good. They are also ignorant and petty.
Q. If you were going to change anything about the Shire (which sounds blasphemous, so tread lightly, my friends), what would it be?
A. I would give Bilbo and Frodo more friends.
Q. What else should we be discussing when we bring up general hobbit culture?
A. Maybe the fact that Tolkien, despite his learning, believed he had much in common with the hobbits:
"I am in fact a Hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees, and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome); I go to bed late and get up late (when possible). I do not travel much."
Letter 213. I suppose Tolkien was something like Bilbo, odd in some ways but still a hobbit with mostly hobbit tastes.
(This post was edited by Curious on Apr 17, 3:08am)
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Edit Log:
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Post edited by Curious
(Half-elven) on Apr 17, 3:06am
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Post edited by Curious
(Half-elven) on Apr 17, 3:08am
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