Weekend I’d Forget
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
But, sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell."
-The Hobbit, The Return Journey
Yesterday, we went to see the final Hobbit movie: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
I must live under a rock, because I didn't realize the book had been broken into three, that's THREE, films until the credits started rolling as Hubby and I sat in the theater last year watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
I might have shrieked a little over that. Especially since they really, really, really could have finished the book in two movies rather than stretching it out into a third.
Regardless, I naturally wanted to see the third.
Before going any further, I should probably let you know that I am not a geek for The Hobbit.
Get all your gasps of shock out right now.
It just seemed like one of those books you are supposed to read. Somehow, I hadn't. So I did.
Of course, after I read it, as is the natural desire of most readers, I wanted to see how well my mind's eye of the story and Hollywood's view of the story would relate.
I'm not going to get into that because while the characters and scene choices are wonderful, drastic changes were made to the story line. I'm a purist and can't manage to wrap my little brain around trying to understand why a story would ever need to be drastically changed when put into movie form.
Especially with the computer graphics we are capable of creating today.
(Note: If you don't know how The Hobbit ends and don't want to read one of the major details of the end---stop reading here.)
That said, I press on to the quote that struck me during the movie. It was stated a little differently in the movie than as was written in the book (the quote at the top of this post), but the sentiment is still the same.
In the movie, as Thorin Oakenshield, the Dwarven king, lies dying, he speaks to Bilbo. After making mends with Bilbo over a previous altercation, he says, "If more of us valued home above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world,"
Upon hearing that quote, I thought about the money hungry of our world, of those who seek only power and prominence, regardless of its cost. I thought of how nations destroy one another in order to be at the top, to rule it all. This thought that Thorin realizes only too late in life, brings me to pity those like him who only value "hoarded gold".
I pity that they probably never knew a home good enough to long for over riches.
When Bilbo begins his adventure with this group of dwarves far different from himself, the only things he wants for are his hobbit hole, his tea time, and the warm food of his home. Knowing there are treasures ahead, he many times still wishes to return to the comfort of his home.
While gold and adventure both have their time and place, considering the merriment of home helps to keep me humble. It makes me heartbroken for those without a true home, their own place of comfort where there is food, cheer and song. And it reminds me when my head gets a little to big, when I start to lose focus of what is most important, that ultimately I am happiest when I am in my own little hobbit hole.
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