The Hobbit Short Summary

This is a fantasy and fiction novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. It got published in 1937. The book is widely considered a classic in terms of children’s literature. Set in a fictional world, this tale follows the quest of a hobbit by the name Bilbo Higgins and a quest to retrieve great loot guarded by Smaug, a vicious dragon on a mountain.

Bilbo Baggins is resting at his house. Gandalf, who is a known wizard, appears and startles him. Bilbo invites him for tea. Some days later Gandalf arrives with 13 dwarves for tea. They want Bilbo to help them.

The Dwarves leader Thorir tells Bilbo about a family treasure being guarded by the dragon. They want to recover the treasure. Gandalf reveals the map of entry to the mountain. Bilbo joins them. They all set off using the map and go through the Misty Mountains on their way to their destination, which was the Lonely mountain.

They set camp in some cave and get captured by some goblins. Gandalf appears and helps free the dwarves. Bilbo strays from separated from the party and finds himself in a tunnel. He discovers a ring made of gold and conceals it. Bilbo encounters a Gollum who wants to eat him should Bilbo fail his riddles. Bilbo wins this challenge, but he is only allowed to leave after he gives Gollum a ring.

This ring goes missing later, and Gollum suspects Bilbo, which makes him attack him. Bilbo accidentally makes himself invisible with this ring. He manipulates Gollum to lead him out of the cave and reunites with the others.

They head through Mirkwood, Gandalf leaves them but gives a warning that they should not stray from their path. Bilbo and the dwarves lose their way and get attacked by gigantic spiders and some elves, making Bilbo use the newfound ring to get them out of trouble.

At Lonely Mountain, they unlock the hidden door. They find Smaug sleeping on what they were after. Bilbo steals a cup made of gold. Smaug figures out he had been robbed and blames the nearby town residents, and starts attacking their town. Bard shoots Smaug, killing him. This treasure sparks much disagreement among elves, dwarves and the people of the town. They all want it, and it leads to war.

Gandalf arrives to issue warning to these parties that Wargs and goblins were to prepare for a raid. The three parties stop the fighting and unite to face their shared enemy. In this war, Thorin gets wounded and dies. The men, the dwarves, and the elves win this war. Dain, the cousin of Thorin, is named the leader of that mountain. Bilbo goes back home, possessing some treasure from Thorin.