Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Religion And Morality In Tolkien's The Hobbit, Sophia Friedman

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ)

Much research has been done on J. R. R. Tolkien's works, but The Hobbit has been overlooked. Because of the time in his life that it was written, this particular novel can give unique insight in the questions of religion in Middle Earth that have been continuously raised. The first half of this essay will seek to answer that question. Though most scholars look for an allegorical representation of the author’s Catholic faith in the novel, it is not there. Instead, Tolkien found spirituality in the process of writing, in creating a believable Secondary World. Rather than trying to convert …