Temptation in The Hobbit

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are worthy Christian writers. The old and young alike have been captivated by their stories as stories and by the meaning in their stories. Each of them has a different approach to incorporating Christian themes in their works and they argued cheerfully over this when they were alive (and they are probably shaking their fists at each other in Heaven right now). 

C.S. Lewis’s approach is very straightforward. In the world of Narnia almost everything correlates exactly to something in the history of salvation* and it does so in a chronological fashion. A child reading the Narnia series and then learning about salvation history would see a connection between the two and probably be able to better understand salvation history. Tolkien preferred to focus on incorporating Christian themes in a story he created. In this way his readers get a feel for Christianity in its essence instead of its history. Of course Lewis has Christian themes that come across in his works and Tolkien has some correlations to salvation history in his works but this was not their main focus.


I have read and loved both the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings, but I find Lord of the Rings more captivating. The passages in his works speak to your soul subtlety. An example in The Hobbit is when Bilbo and the dwarves are traveling through the Forest of Mirkwood. They are warned by Gandalf and Beorn not to stray from the path. As long as the follow the path they will make it to the other side of the forest. Their rations and their spirits run low and when they see some elves feasting in the distance off the path, they leave the path to follow after the light of the elven party. When they arrive the elves disappear and reappear somewhere else. The company continues to chase after the elves and head deeper into the dark forest and never attain what they thought they wanted from the elves. Then ensues a rough time for the whole company (including being wound upside-down by oversized spiders and taken captive by the elves of the forest) and it is a long time before they are able to continue on the path they had left. 

This part of the story struck me as exemplary of the Catholic idea of temptation as expounded by St. Claude de la Colombiére in one of his letters:

“Be on your guard against the first movements of passion… Unless I am mistaken, you are very impressionable on this point, and it is hardly in your power to control these passions once you have let them enter your heart. First of all they occupy your attention; then they take up your time and application and make you neglect everything else, so that in the end, when they begin to die down, you feel lost, so to speak, so far away from God. You have strayed off the right path and not knowing how to find your way you are in danger of wandering in any direction to which nature calls you. This is why you must fight against the first movements of passion and prevent them if possible by great recollection.” **

I hope you are able to see the correlation here that I do.

The movies we watch, the music we listen to, and the books we read have great sway over which thoughts occupy our minds. Do you fall asleep with a song going through your head? Do your dreams contain scenes from movies you watched? In your mind, do you compare your companions to characters in books or think about the plot while in Mass? Be on guard about what you allow to influence your imagination. If you read Catholic authors such as Tolkien, the themes he slips in will occupy your thoughts and will help you develop a Catholic imagination. Such an imagination will help you stay on the path. 

*Salvation History is the story of man’s relationship with God. It includes creation, the fall from Grace, redemption, salvation, and life everlasting. It is also called Covenant History, referring to the seven covenants between God and man.

**St. Claude de la Colombiére Letter 13. S. Sympohorien d’Ozon, 1679.


Written By:
Ashley Ladouceur