Looking at The Hobbit Through a Watery Glass

Water plays a big role in the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It seemingly takes on the definition of a boundary, for that is one of the first meanings it is given.

“…the mother of this hobbit—of Bilbo Baggins, that is was the fabulous Belladonna Took, one of the three remarkable daughters of Old Took, head of the hobbits who lived across The Water…” -J.RR. Tolkien, The Annotated Hobbit, pg. 30

For the originally safe Bilbo Baggins ‘The Water’ appears to signify another world, an adventurous and unpredictable one to which he is not accustomed. ‘The Water’ here is similar to Dante’s “Abandon ye all hope who enter” over the gates of Hades.

“…they had none too much water, and in all the time they had seen neither spring nor stream. This was their state when one day they found their path blocked by a running water.”- J.RR. Tolkien, The Annotated Hobbit, pg. 194

However, this is a memorable place in Tolkien’s story where the reader may get a different sense of what water means. It has now become a pathway, a step on a staircase, if you will, an obstacle. Bilbo demonstrates little hesitation in this scene in maneuvering to cross the Enchanted River since he understands the alternatives: press onward or face imminent death.

“The dark river opened suddenly wide, and there it was joined to the main water of the Forest River flowing down in haste from the king’s great doors. There was a dim sheet of water no longer overshadowed…” -J.RR. Tolkien, The Annotated Hobbit, pg. 237

As Bilbo guides the barreled dwarves away from danger, one might recognize the growing mastery of nature in the narrative. Water provides the means for escape and salvation if one possesses the know-how.

“There for ages his huge bones could be seen in calm weather amid the ruined piles of the old town. But few dared to cross the shivering water or recover the precious stones that fell from his rotting carcase.” -J.RR. Tolkien, The Annotated Hobbit, pg. 313

Lastly, readers might recognize the healing properties water takes on toward the end of The Hobbit. It conquers the defeated Smaug and serves as a reminder to the newfound peace that elves, dwarves and men have gained from the awful beast.