(Catholic Herald photo/Nico Fassino)
MADISON — Fans of author J.R.R. Tolkien and Catholics alike gathered in the Bishop O’Connor Center auditorium Friday, April 8, for the latest in the St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series.
The topic was “The Hobbit and the Beauty of the Christian Life.” Catholic author and television host Joseph Pearce spoke on how themes in the modern classic illustrate the journeys Catholics take every day. Pearce is a well-known biographer of Tolkien, and has hosted numerous series on EWTN.
He described The Hobbit and Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, as “fundamentally religious and Catholic work,” despite no explicit mention of God, church, or prayer in the text.
He said Tolkien described his works as more than “fairy stories,” but works that “hold up a mirror to man . . . we see ourselves and our lives and the progress of our lives reflected back to us in the great stories of human history.”
In The Hobbit, a character named “Bilbo Baggins” goes on a quest to recover treasure being guarded by a dragon. Pearce explained Bilbo’s journey is a reflection of our own quest through life, from which we can learn.
“Everyone’s life is a journey,” Pearce said. “The purpose is the get to the goal, and the goal is heaven. The goal is to be with God in heaven. If you don’t achieve that, you have failed; if you do, you have succeeded.”
Luck and providence
Pearce broke down the work into three main themes. The first was the difference between luck and providence. He said Bilbo’s journey illustrates the “mystical connection between luck, or fortune, and free will.” Tolkien attempts to show “luck” is a consequence of our own actions and the actions of others around us.
Pearce used the examples in The Hobbit of Bilbo in a riddle game with a creature called “Gollum.” If Bilbo does not answer the riddles correctly, he will be eaten. The impatience of Gollum and his actions lead to Bilbo answering the riddles at the last minute, and therefore not being eaten. While Bilbo was lucky to get out of his desperate situation, it came as a result of the actions by his opponent, which ended up working again Gollum.
Possessions and possessors
The second theme of The Hobbit Pearce presented was a connection to Matthew 6:21: “Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be also.”
He described a character in The Hobbit known as “Smaug,” who is a dragon. Smaug suffers from so-called “dragon sickness.” He can’t leave his home where he is constantly guarding treasure.
Pearce described dragon sickness as “the thing possessed possesses the possessor,” or in other words, “where your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be also.” The dragon is held down, or enslaved, by his own pride over keeping his possessions.
Pearce said the dragon is also a representation of a demon, living in an absence of light, with a yearning to devour maidens, or pure and innocent souls.
Pearce also said the story’s hero, Bilbo, suffers from the sickness. In the beginning of the tale, Bilbo does not want to go on the quest. He wants to stay in his home with all its comforts.
He’s eventually convinced to go on the journey and leaves of his own free will. Bilbo chose to no longer be possessed by his possessions and go on the quest.
This is a reflection, in our own lives, of letting go of what possesses us and going on God’s journey to get to Heaven. Pearce said the only difference between Bilbo and the dragon is the scale; the “sickness” is the same.
Sacrificing for the other
Tied in with Bilbo being able to walk away from his possessions was the third theme of the talk: the necessity to love. Pearce described love as “laying down of ourselves self-sacrificially for the other.” Bilbo had to sacrifice his lifestyle, his time, and his possessions to go on the quest with his friends.
Bilbo had to do this to get over the “dragon sickness” and complete the journey. This is just like Catholics, who need to get over their own personal “sickness” to compete their journeys and get to heaven.
When Bilbo returns from his quest, his neighbors assumed he has died, and are selling the very possessions Bilbo left behind. Pearce said this illustrates the needs for Christian to “die, in order to live.” He said we are called to “tale up our cross” and follow Christ.
Bilbo, who was thought to be dead, returns to his home and appreciates his possessions more since they no longer posses him. He has “died” and now “lives.”
Pearce said Bilbo now lives “happily ever after,” which is also the goal of Christians, to live “happily ever after” with God in heaven.
At the end of the talk, Pearce took a few questions from the audience, and even signed a couple autographs.
The next St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture will be on Friday, Nov. 15. It will feature Fr. Robert Spitzer talking about the connection between faith and science.