themes in the hobbit...help!! - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

**The Saucepan Man** · 02-01-2003, 12:50 PM

Seems to me InklingElf is spot on with the main theme. The development of the "common man" to hero, through a series of trials. Of course, JRRT intended no allegory, but this is a common theme running through most mythical tales. It was just that JRRT told it well as a children's story. And therein lies much of his skill: to use take the archetypal hero myth and make it into a jolly enjoyable story.

02-01-2003, 12:50 PM	#1
The Saucepan Man Corpus Cacophonous Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: A green and pleasant land Posts: 8,390	Seems to me InklingElf is spot on with the main theme. The development of the "common man" to hero, through a series of trials. Of course, JRRT intended no allegory, but this is a common theme running through most mythical tales. It was just that JRRT told it well as a children's story. And therein lies much of his skill: to use take the archetypal hero myth and make it into a jolly enjoyable story. __________________ Do you mind? I'm busy doing the fishstick. It's a very delicate state of mind!