Hi!

-------Original Message-------
From: Cinnabari 
Sent: 06/13/03 09:50 AM
To: bardroom2{at}tantech.com
Subject: Re: Re: Re: [BR-2] *sigh*

> 
>  
> 
> But Bilbo WAS hired specifically to be a thief.  From picking up
something 
> on
> the floor and keeping it, even knowing it 'belonged' to someone else
(who
> himself stole it) to actual thievery from a dragon (who also stole his
> hoard
> from the dwarves)... it's almost like Biblo is a sanctioned thief,
because 
> the
> beings from whom he steals are much 'worse'.  
> 
> darkelf, pickin' on da hobbit
> 
> =====
> 
> Agreed.  Actually, as an adult, I find that one of the more interesting
> aspects of the story is Bilbo's ambivalent attitude to being the
official
> "thief".  Not quite the occupation for a well brought up Hobbit, what?
> 
> Actually, to my way of thinking, the only thing Bilbo really stole was
the
> Heart Jewel (Arkenstone?  You know the one I mean).  Of course, he was
trying
> to end the war . . .
> 
> Oh, and food and such from the elves.  Of course, he was trying to stay
out
> of their dungeon . . .

Heh.  One wonders why the dwarves chose a hobbit to be their thief, no?  A
middle-class, well-to-do hobbit, a bunch of poor-but-noble-descended
dwarves
(at least Thorin was, but I thought the rest might have been, too)... hmm. 
 I
feel a classist reading of Tolkien coming on.  

darkelf, probably will make me unpopular

===========================================================

Yep.  Interestingly, to me at least, is that the dwarves rather looked down
on Bilbo (weak, middle class, and not really an adventurer) and he rather
looks down upon them (not of the Shire, don't you know?).  Neither group
was quite the equal of the other

Russ, the waterweasel

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