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Sep. 5th, 2020 11:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
martasficI've been rereading "A Long-expected Party," and I was struck by how often it talks about how well-loved Bilbo was by less important hobbits. First, there's this description of his life after The Hobbit (emphasis mine):
The Gaffer certainly thinks well of his old employer, who showed him a bit of professional respect and social courtesy. And he points to how generous he is: "Bilbo is free with his money, and there seems no lack of it; but I know of no tunnel-making." and later "There’s some not far away that wouldn’t offer a pint of beer to a friend, if they lived in a hole with golden walls. But they do things proper at Bag End." Bilbo says he wanted to give away lots of gifts to make it easier to give away the Ring, but there's really no need to go this overboard, bringing in instruments from Dale and basically buying every bit of food up in the whole neighborhood and beyond.
What strikes me as funny about this is Bilbo's famously not a big entertainer; he hated the thought of entertaining the dwarves, and he didn't invite Gandalf in when he fist darkened his garden back in the Hobbit. He strikes me as quiet, even introverted, and you get a sense of noblesse oblige for lack of a better word: he's throwing a big shindig not just for his family (who he doesn't seem particularly close to) but for the whole community and breaking the bank to do it; when his whole reaction to the whole thing is someone who would rather be enjoying a quiet pipe (at least when he's not taking a jab at his self-important guests), and who quite aside from the business with the Ring seemed a bit glad to slip away.
If you need a clearer statement of that, remember that (frankly hilarious) list of all the specific gifts left with tags and clever insults to various relatives? What comes next is to me more telling: "Every one of the various parting gifts had labels, written out personally by Bilbo, and several had some point, or some joke. But, of course, most of the things were given where they would be wanted and welcome. The poorer hobbits, and especially those of Bagshot Row, did very well. Old Gaffer Gamgee got two sacks of potatoes, a new spade, a woollen waistcoat, and a bottle of ointment for creaking joints.
And it's not just with his money, which granted Bilbo doesn't seem to have any scarcity of. I've always loved him fo the care he took with Sam's education:
It's such a non sequitur to bring up at this point at all, that Sam knows the old stories and learned them from Bilbo. It's also unusual enough that the Gaffer thinks it's misguided, and actually a pretty big trespass against hobbit norms that a young gardener would have this kind of relationship with a member of the gentry. Can you image Lord Crawley in Downton Abbey, say, finding out one of his servants was illiterate but loved stories about King Arthur and teaching him to read so he could learn Le Morte D'Arthur or some such? I know hobbit society is less regimented but it's not so different that Sam's and Bilbo's relationship isn't ... striking.
I love the old hobbit, and I love all the ways Tolkien goes out of his way to emphasize these ways he's not just disconnected from those around him, how he's actually quite astute and sensitive to those around him who aren't putting on airs. It's not quite Robin Hood (and yes, I am bothered by some of the implications of that big wealth gap too), but it's really sweet nonetheless.
as Mr. Baggins was generous with his money, most people were willing to forgive him his oddities and his good fortune. He remained on visiting terms with his relatives (except, of course, the Sackville-Bagginses), and he had many devoted admirers among the hobbits of poor and unimportant families. But he had no close friends until some of his younger cousins began to grow up.
The Gaffer certainly thinks well of his old employer, who showed him a bit of professional respect and social courtesy. And he points to how generous he is: "Bilbo is free with his money, and there seems no lack of it; but I know of no tunnel-making." and later "There’s some not far away that wouldn’t offer a pint of beer to a friend, if they lived in a hole with golden walls. But they do things proper at Bag End." Bilbo says he wanted to give away lots of gifts to make it easier to give away the Ring, but there's really no need to go this overboard, bringing in instruments from Dale and basically buying every bit of food up in the whole neighborhood and beyond.
What strikes me as funny about this is Bilbo's famously not a big entertainer; he hated the thought of entertaining the dwarves, and he didn't invite Gandalf in when he fist darkened his garden back in the Hobbit. He strikes me as quiet, even introverted, and you get a sense of noblesse oblige for lack of a better word: he's throwing a big shindig not just for his family (who he doesn't seem particularly close to) but for the whole community and breaking the bank to do it; when his whole reaction to the whole thing is someone who would rather be enjoying a quiet pipe (at least when he's not taking a jab at his self-important guests), and who quite aside from the business with the Ring seemed a bit glad to slip away.
If you need a clearer statement of that, remember that (frankly hilarious) list of all the specific gifts left with tags and clever insults to various relatives? What comes next is to me more telling: "Every one of the various parting gifts had labels, written out personally by Bilbo, and several had some point, or some joke. But, of course, most of the things were given where they would be wanted and welcome. The poorer hobbits, and especially those of Bagshot Row, did very well. Old Gaffer Gamgee got two sacks of potatoes, a new spade, a woollen waistcoat, and a bottle of ointment for creaking joints.
And it's not just with his money, which granted Bilbo doesn't seem to have any scarcity of. I've always loved him fo the care he took with Sam's education:
But my lad Sam will know more about that. He’s in and out of Bag End. Crazy about stories of the old days he is, and he listens to all Mr. Bilbo’s tales. Mr. Bilbo has learned him his letters – meaning no harm, mark you, and I hope no harm will come of it.
‘Elves and Dragons’ I says to him. ‘Cabbages and potatoes are better for me and you. Don’t go getting mixed up in the business of your betters, or you’ll land in trouble too big for you,’ I says to him. And I might say it to others,’ he added with a look at the stranger and the miller.
It's such a non sequitur to bring up at this point at all, that Sam knows the old stories and learned them from Bilbo. It's also unusual enough that the Gaffer thinks it's misguided, and actually a pretty big trespass against hobbit norms that a young gardener would have this kind of relationship with a member of the gentry. Can you image Lord Crawley in Downton Abbey, say, finding out one of his servants was illiterate but loved stories about King Arthur and teaching him to read so he could learn Le Morte D'Arthur or some such? I know hobbit society is less regimented but it's not so different that Sam's and Bilbo's relationship isn't ... striking.
I love the old hobbit, and I love all the ways Tolkien goes out of his way to emphasize these ways he's not just disconnected from those around him, how he's actually quite astute and sensitive to those around him who aren't putting on airs. It's not quite Robin Hood (and yes, I am bothered by some of the implications of that big wealth gap too), but it's really sweet nonetheless.
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Date: 2020-09-06 11:46 am (UTC)