Based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’

One of the characteristics that makes J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit much more widely read and loved by people all around the world, is the accessibility of the text. Originally written as a bedtime story, The Hobbit has an aspect of simplicity that makes it much more accessible to readers of all levels than its sequel, The Lord of the Rings. One of the aspects that make it such an easier read is that the good and bad characters are clearly stated for readers. We know, as soon as he shows up, that Gandalf is a good guy – there is no expectation of a surprise betrayal at the end of the story. Inherently, because of the genre, we as readers know that Gandalf can be trusted, and because he “leads” the dwarves, they can also be trusted. We are told that Smaug is the bad guy because he’s an enemy of the dwarves – same with the goblins and the elves. The bad guys in the story are only bad guys because the characters we’re rooting for tell us they are.

While this cut and dry method makes the story easy to read and understand, some characters may have been unfairly portrayed as antagonists simply because they stood in conflict with the main characters of the story. For example, the character of the Elf-King, lord of the Woodland Elves that capture the dwarves in Chapter 9, is shown to be an antagonistic character in multiple scenarios simply because his actions stand in opposition to the dwarves. However, if you look at the scenarios from a different angle, you might start to wonder if it may have been the dwarves playing the antagonists instead.

The first time the dwarves encounter the Woodland Elves is in Chapter 8 when they come across an elf feast in the Mirkwood forest. “The smell of the roast meats was so enchanting that, without waiting to consult one another, every one of them got up and scrambled forwards into the ring with the one idea of begging for some food” (pg. 166). From the reader’s perspective, we know that the dwarves and Bilbo have been starving for days, and them coming across a feast is like a miracle. They encounter two more elf feasts, and both times when they approach, all the food and festivities disappear. At the end of the chapter, Thorin is captured by the elves while the other dwarves and Bilbo are running from the spiders. It is briefly mentioned that the dwarves and elves have a centuries-old rivalry, which means Thorin and company are automatically hostile toward the elves, and vice versa. However, when the Elf-King is questioning Thorin, he doesn’t talk about old rivalries or stolen treasure. Instead, he asks Thorin “Why did you and your folk three times try to attack my people at their merrymaking?” (pg. 184). In this question, we can see how the company’s approach of them at their feasts has been taken by the elves as an attack, instead of a plea for help. As the king, his job is to protect his people. In capturing the dwarves who have attacked his people now three times in a single evening, the Elf-King is doing just that. Arguably, this doesn’t make him the villain, but almost similar to the dwarves on their hunt for Smaug – he is attempting to protect his home and people against a known enemy seemingly trying to invade them.

Another instance in which we, as readers, are told that the Elf-King and his people are the enemy and that we shouldn’t like them is when they ally with the Men of Laketown to request a share of the treasure from the Lonely Mountain. However, before all of that happens, we see the Elves show an incredible display of kindness by turning off their route to the mountain to answer the cry for help from Laketown after it’s destroyed by Smaug. “But the king, when he received the prayers of Bard, had pity, for he was the lord of a good and kindly people; so turning his march, which had at first been direct towards the Mountain, he hastened now down the river to the Long Lake… and with him were some men of crafts and many skilled elves; and they busied themselves felling trees, and collecting timber sent down from the Forest. Then they set about raising many huts by the shore against the oncoming winter…” (pg. 275-276) The elves easily could have ignored the prayers of the town and continued on to the mountain where the dwarves and their gold lay. Their force easily would have overpowered the 14 people inside the mountain, and the Elf-King could have taken as much gold and jewels as he wanted. However, he decides to take pity on the people of Laketown and help them instead of only following his own desires. 

He also allies with Bard in an effort to help the men get their proper share of the treasure. The Elf-King never gives up on his desire for a share of the treasure under the mountain, but he chooses to ally with the men of Laketown, even though they aren’t the strongest fighting force, to make sure everyone gets a fair share. When Bilbo eventually brings the Arkenstone to Bard and the Elf-King as a bargaining chip, the Elf-King realizes the danger this puts Bilbo in and offers him a place in his camp for safety. “I have more knowledge of dwarves in general than you have perhaps. I advise you to remain with us, and here you shall be honoured and thrice welcome” (pg. 294). This offer of safety shows that the Elf-King, who recognizes Bilbo as a friend of the dwarves, not the elves, is able to be open minded about those who help him, and doesn’t immediately turn away anyone who seems to side with the dwarves over his own people. While the Elf-King never saw Bilbo in his palace, he likely suspects that he’s the reason that the dwarves escaped. However, he doesn’t hold this against Bilbo, and shows good leadership in making choices that will make the best result for his people, instead of making decisions purely based on his own personal beliefs and opinions. In stories meant for younger readers, the difference between black and white is a solid line. However, no story, no matter how hard an author may try, is ever truly black and white. The more you analyze a plot, characters, or theme, the more the story becomes varying shades of grey. While in an initial reading of The Hobbit, the character of the Elf-King may be seen as an antagonist of the dwarves and Bilbo, the characters we as readers are rooting for, a closer analysis shows that, perhaps, he has been judged unfairly and is actually one of the truly good characters in the story.