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Exile and the expedition to EreborThe Arkenstone and a reconciliation too latePrimary referencesRelated encyclopedia entries
Exile and the expedition to Erebor
Thorin’s family loses the Lonely Mountain when Smaug attacks. The later expedition is therefore more than an opportunistic hunt for wealth: it is attached to a dispossessed people and an inherited royal claim. Gandalf’s involvement and the recruitment of Bilbo bring a small household into a much older history of exile and war.
The journey repeatedly tests Thorin’s leadership. He must depend on companions whose gifts differ from his own, most unexpectedly the burglar he initially doubts. Arrival at the Mountain does not resolve the quest’s moral questions. Smaug’s death leaves competing claims from those who have suffered, assisted or inherited obligations connected with the hoard.
The Arkenstone and a reconciliation too late
Thorin’s fixation on the Arkenstone narrows his judgement just when negotiation is most necessary. Bilbo’s decision to use it in an attempt to avert war feels like betrayal from within the king’s increasing possessiveness. The arrival of a shared enemy changes the conflict, but the later common battle does not make the earlier dispute meaningless.
Mortally wounded, Thorin reconciles with Bilbo and recognises the limits of the values that have driven him. His ending preserves courage, error and a capacity to acknowledge another person’s worth in one complicated account.
The epithet Oakenshield comes from the Battle of Azanulbizar, described in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings. That background supplements the children’s book, while Unfinished Tales offers a retrospective account of Gandalf’s planning. The three narrative perspectives should be cited according to the question being asked.
Primary references
The Hobbit, “An Unexpected Party”, “The Gathering of the Clouds”, “A Thief in the Night” and “The Return Journey”; The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, “Durin’s Folk”; Unfinished Tales, “The Quest of Erebor”.
