[Child of the 7th Age]

As others have said, this chapter is very much about hobbits, and one of the things that really struck me while reading this last night was how Tolkien really defines Frodo as being different than the other hobbits.

Gorwingel,

This is an excellent point. Most of our discussion has focused on the general characteristics of Hobbits and the Shire, yet the chapter does more than this. For the first time we meet the character of Frodo. Tolkien paints a subtle picture of Frodo and Bilbo: how they were emotionally close, yet so different in other ways, and how Frodo was not the “typical” Hobbit Tolkien’s been describing.

Interestingly, right up to the point when Bilbo disappears, we never see Frodo directly: we only hear about him secondhand through the words of Bilbo and the Gaffer, or the narration provided by the author. Although Frodo’s birthday is briefly mentioned, it’s clear the bulk of attention at the party will fall on Bilbo. For me, Frodo’s “distance” in the first part of the chapter is not accidental. It reinforces the fact that Bilbo, although loving and kind hearted, is currently the one in control at Bag-end, not only because of his position and age but by the sheer force of his outgoing, witty personality.

Tolkien may have left us a hint that Bilbo recognized just how much he dominated things and that Frodo might benefit from a bit more space. When Bilbo explains to Gandalf why he didn’t ask Frodo to come with him, the older Hobbit not only mentions Frodo still being in love with the Shire, but also acknowledges....

It's time he was his own master now.

Frodo is certainly capable of humor and comradeship. He has to struggle to keep from laughing at the "indignant surprise of the guests" when his uncle disappears, and his friends give him a hearty “huzzah” at the mention of his birthday at the party (to say nothing of his later propensity for dancing on tables). Yet, overall, the prologue leaves us with the impression that Frodo is a fairly serious and quiet Hobbit---perhaps “earnest” is a better term—and that this definitely sets him apart.

He took his duties in distributing the mathoms so seriously that Tolkien points out he had a “trying time that afternoon.” There are no witticisms on his part despite the guests swarming all over the house: the humor comes from the pointed barbs Bilbo has left on the gift tags as well as the crazy behavior of the other Hobbits. His response to inquiries about his uncle is short and straightforward: “Mr. Bilbo Baggins has gone away; as far as I know, for good.”

Then, there’s Lobelia’s insult to Frodo as she angrily trounced out of Bag-end upon hearing that Frodo is the heir: “….you’re no Baggins—you—you’re a Brandybuck.” If Bilbo had heard such words from Lobelia, he would have gotten in a pointed barb or two and made her pay for it. Frodo, by contrast, simply shuts the door on her and turns to speak with his friend in a surprisingly calm manner:

Did you hear that, Merry? That was an insult, if you like.

It is Merry who does the more typical Hobbit thing by turning Lobelia’s insult into a joke:

It was a compliment, .....and so, of course, not true.

All of this seems to underline the fact that Frodo is different not only from the other Hobbits in the Shire, but even from those closest to him.

Another interesting point in the prologue....The Ring is already there and is beginning to get its grip on Frodo. What happened to Bilbo is already happening to Frodo. There are two images in the chapter that both these characters share: that of secretly fingering the Ring in their trouser-pocket. Tolkien mentions Bilbo with his hand in his pocket as he says his speech. This is precisely mirrored by Frodo’s behavior when he faces Lobelia at Bag-end:

He looked indisposed to see Sackville-Bagginses at any rate; and he stood up fidgeting with something in his pocket.

In this same vein, Frodo later admits to Merry:

Honestly, I nearly tried on Bilbo's ring. I longed to disappear.

Yet there is another ingredient in this chapter that points to a way Frodo will be able to resist the power of the Ring for a very long time: his ability to have deep feelings for those closest to him. The one thing that comes through in “A Long-Expected Party” is how much Frodo cares for Bilbo. There are a number of passages where Frodo reflects on Bilbo having gone. Amidst all the sharp barbs, jokes, and display of wit in this part of the book, Frodo’s genuine emotion comes shining through. Just look at Frodo's immediate response to Bilbo’s disappearance. The word that comes to mind is “poignant”.

Frodo was the only one present who had said nothing. For some time he had sat silent beside Bilbo’s empty chair, and ignored all remarks and questions. He had enjoyed the joke, of course, even though he had been in the know. He had difficulty in keeping from laughter at the indignant surprise of the guests. But at the same time he felt deeply troubled: he realized suddenly that he loved the old hobbit dearly. Most of the guests went on eating and drinking and discussing Bilbo Baggins’ oddities, past and present; but the Sackville-Bagginses had already departed in wrath. Frodo did not want to have any more to do with the party. He gave orders for more wine to be served; then he got up and drained his own glass silently to the health of Bilbo, and slipped out of the pavilion

His later words to Gandalf are equally telling:

I hoped until this evening that it was only a joke…..But I knew in my heart that he really meant to go. He always used to joke about serious things. I wish I had come back sooner, just to see him off.

Gandalf responds by saying that Bilbo preferred to slip off on his own.

This scene to me epitomizes the strong tie between Frodo and Bilbo as well as their very real difference in temperment: Bilbo who often hides his concern about serious things behind a joke now prefers to disappear rather than having to face his nephew whom he loves; Frodo hoping that Bilbo’s threat to leave was merely a joke and wishing that he had said goodbye despite the pain in such an intimate exchange. It is this ability to feel for another person that will “save” Frodo from the allure of the Ring, at least for a very long time. His ability to “feel” for Bilbo, the Shire, and, perhaps most of all, Samwise will be his first line of defense against the lure of evil.

Sorry about this being so long....but no one had mentioned these things.