One Narrator to Rule Them All

   This week in class we reviewed who we thought the narrator of The Hobbit may be.  As we sat trying to dissect the text I thought perhaps Bilbo himself was the speaker, mocking himself and telling everyone to pity him all at the same time.  However,it did bother me that he somehow knew about Gollum.  

   With that in mind I wondered if in fact the one ring was the narrator.  We assume that it must be evil if it has any side to it at all, yet, just because it is meant for evil doesn't make it evil.  Of course, this brings up other problems, such as the fact that the ring wasn't in the book until Bilbo found it in the home of the goblins.  

   I propose though, that once the ring has been put on by someone that they are then linked together mentally.  If this is the case, then the ring could easily be the narrator as it delves into Bilbo's memories and uses them to tell us this tale of adventure and daring.  It would also explain how the narrator would be able to know Gollum's past.

   There are various problems with this idea, no doubt, but if the ring can link with other people than it would explain the sometimes mocking tone, as well as the seemingly omniscient abilities of the narrator.