[sindohte]

Discussion on the chapter - On the Doorstep will officially begin on Monday 11/15.

NancyBrooke will begin the discussion of this chapter.

Anyone wandering by this thread should feel free to raise questions or make comments.

Please try to keep the comments on this thread strictly related to discussion of the Hobbit.

[NancyBrooke]

On The Doorstep:

Leaving Lake-town the Dwarves and Bilbo now begin the last phase of their journey: the approach to the Lonely Mountain itself. They have been provisioned by the men of the Lake with supplies and ponies, but, after the men leave them, spend a lonely and dispirited first night on the edge of Smaug’s wasteland.

The next day they set out and manage to reach the Lonely Mountain without incident and, apparently, undetected by the dragon. After making their first camp, Thorin sends Balin, Fili, Kili and Bilbo off on a scouting expedition to the front gate. But they find nothing encouraging; only the ruins of Dale, steam and dark smoke issuing from the front gate above the River Running, and crows, which Balin is distrustful of. They return to camp.

The Dwarves now seem to lose all their spirit, but Bilbo insists they begin searching the Western slopes for the secret door. They move camp around to the west side, which is greener and less destroyed by Smaug, and from there send out daily forays up the mountain.

After many days they find what they are looking for: behind a large standing stone Bilbo comes across some rough-hewn steps. Following this sometimes perilous trail he, Fili and Kili eventually come to a “steep walled bay, grassy-floored, still and quiet … at its inner end a flat wall rose up that in the lower part, close to the ground, was as smooth and upright as mason’s work, but without joint or crevice to be seen.” Though convinced they have found the door, they are unable to open it.

Still everyone feels much better now that the door has been discovered, and the party moves their camp to the base of the cliff, where only Bombur (too fat to climb the path and too heavy for ropes) stays to guard the bulk of their belongings and supplies. The others all climb to the bay and make camp there. However, they are still unable to discover the outline of the door or to open it; breaking any tools they have in the attempt. Their spirits dip again.

In the ensuing days Bilbo spends much of his time just sitting “on the doorstep and thinking” with his back to the rock face, often staring at the large snails which crawl around a large grey stone which stands in the centre of the bay. Then one day Thorin announces that they have come to the last week of Autumn.” At the prospect of the coming winter all the dwarves get extremely grumpy and Balin begins to mutter about Bilbo perhaps going through the front gate to spy things out a bit. After that, Bilbo spends a very nervous night.

The following day everyone seems to go their own way, very gloomily; Bilbo remains sitting in the bay, gazing at the stone or out to the west, with a “queer feeling he was waiting for something.” When the sun is just setting he comes to the edge of the opening and notices “a thin new moon” just risen above the horizon. At the same moment he hears a crack behind him and turns to find a large thrush cracking snails on the gray stone. At once he understands the moon letters of Thorin’s map, and excitedly calls out to the other dwarves to come back to the door.

Silently, they all stand waiting, and just as the sun is about to dissappear completely below the horizon, a gleam of light escapes the clouds and directly hits the rock face. The Thrush trills, and a little flake of rock splits off from the cliff exposing the key hole. Bilbo calls for Thorin, who rushes up pulling his father’s key from around his neck. Just as he fits it into the hole, the beam of light vanishes, and the moon dissappears.

Pushing together the Dwarves are able to at last open the door, exposing a long dark, corridor going straight down into the mountain.

[ellisk]

I always liked the magic and the riddles in The Hobbit and this chapter was fun because of that. Like the doors of Khazad-dum and the Elvenking, Erebor has a magic door as well. I liked Bilbo's sudden remembrance of Elrond's reading of the moon runes, "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks," read Elrond, "and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."

And how lucky they happen to be sitting there on Durin's Day since they did not seem to remember that was the only time the door would open. ( the day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter.... when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky together.)

I'm just a sucker for that kind of thing so I liked this chapter.

I also like the involvement of the birds since I've always been a big bird watcher. You've got the thrush, that makes Bilbo remember the secret. And then you've got the crow--a spy indeed. It's a subtle reference now that becomes more clear later. I like that.

Not much action in this chapter but once again Bilbo is the hero.

[NancyBrooke]

I wholeheartedly agree with you Ellisk - except on one point : I think this chapter is action packed, or maybe it's just the tension of having them at last reach their destination. I don't know if this chapter is shorter than others but it always seems to go by very quickly, I'm reading so eagerly as they discover the door and how to open it. It feels in some ways as though the adventure we signed on for is now about to begin!!

But I too love the magic and fairy-tale quality of the happenings in this chapter.

I suddenly wonder if the passing of the seasons coincides with other parts of the narrative, as here they are going from autumn into winter and from the pre-amble of their quest finally into the mountain. will explore ...

And Bilbo is unequivocally now the center of the action and the narrative - he makes the Dwarves start looking, he finds the path, he realizes how to open the door, he calls Thorin up ... very exciting!

And here's another thing maybe you Brits out there can answer - is the Thrush particularly symbolic of anything in folklore?

[SpaceWeavil]

There's nothing I know of about thrushes specifically, and I've looked up a couple of folklore textbooks I have at home and can't find anything either. The only thing I know they're known for around here is a. that they're bog common, and b. that they have an unusually loud and clear call, louder than a nightingale. Unfortunately I have one living in the hedges behind my house at the moment, and it starts up about 1.30 am most nights. Very beautiful song, only it goes on all night.

[ellisk]

I can see what you mean NancyBrooke--from the point of view of tension, this chapter is full of action. Poor Bilbo--he's sure motivated. I wouldn't want to go back through the main entrance!

As for the thrush--as SpaceWeavil says, they are very common. Therefore in biblical and other early literature, they often symbolize the common man. Not sure how that fits here except a common bird helps the common man (Bilbo) do very uncommon things. That's probably stretching it. Tolkien probably picked a thrush because they are so common in Europe and he figured everyone would recognize it.

[ellisk]

[JayofLasgalen]

[NancyBrooke]

Another tidbit - This afternoon I noticed a tiny fingernail of new moon declining in the sky. Moonset will be three hours behind the sun today but I still thought it was cool.