Before becoming a Christian, or even in the first few years of becoming a Christian, I never thought that this world was a stage for stories. I don't think I live in a story. What does it mean to live in a story? It means there is a beginning, an end, a setting, and-it has an author. If it weren't because someone told and I believe, just starting from the direct feeling of existence, maybe I would always think that life comes from the void, and death comes to dying. Life is nothing more than a series of fragmented and unrelated pieces. I don't know whether to live is just waiting for death, life is just an inexplicable flow between life and death, but to satisfy our personal desires. Just like Timothy Keller said (it seems that Chesterton and Lewis have also said), unless there is something greater than ourselves, we will not be able to jump out of our desires, and we will have no real hope. . We can't even find a reason for sadness and joy.
This "thing greater than ourselves" is exactly the reason why the Hobbit, Mr. Bilbo Baggins, went out for adventure, and it was also the story of "The Hobbit" (the mainland translated as "The Hobbit", and old fans will use the old language for the time being). Mainstay.
Bilbo was just an ordinary hobbit before embarking on a trip to the Lonely Mountain: happily, peace-loving, unambitious, and possessing an incomparable talent for enjoying life. In Hobbiton, love for adventure is not only a dangerous character, but also equivalent to "mental illness." The character most respected by the locals is to live well. If the whole world is Hobbiton, then "to live a good life" is undoubtedly the most realistic attitude to life. It is a pity that Hobbiton is a place that is so small that it is not easy to find on the map. There are indeed other worlds outside of it, and they are not irrelevant to each other.
There will always be good deeds like Gandalf who will disturb the "quiet life" of others everywhere. Who is Gandalf? In the eyes of most people, he is just an old man with a hot temper and an unknown profession. For most hobbits, he is very good at setting fireworks. Only the elves know his true identity, because the elves are the same ancient people as the Middle-earth Continent. They Knowing that Gandalf is actually a Maya, entrusted by God to serve as a prophet in Middle-earth. He is the good side of the "various powers in the world", so we will see him running around in the pre and post biography of The Lord of the Rings.
Some readers (perhaps mainly movie audiences) think that the role of Gandalf is very unreasonable. Say he is powerful, his wand is often only used to light a lamp and fire, and fights rely on hand-to-hand combat. Let's talk about him, people can stand up against the flame demon, and they will be resurrected if they die. In Tolkien, magic and wizards are not like the ones we are familiar with. They are based on power. Tolkien talked about his views on magic in a letter to the editor of "The Lord of the Rings", to the effect that real magic is like Vera and elves, used to create, heal, grow plants and animals, and The laws and characteristics of the earth are in harmony. Only demons like Morgoth and Sauron would only admire the power of magic, because in their eyes there was nothing but the desire to become the world's first master. They do not respect or appreciate the beauty and harmony of this world. They will not create, they will only destroy. You can even say that they have no sense of humor. Therefore, Gandalf came to China not to fight, but to act as a prophet and leader. Not to mention other stories, in "The Hobbit", only Gandalf really knows the size of the world and where its boundaries are. Only he knows that the story has a beginning, ending and setting, and knows the author. Only he understands his mission deeply (the elves are also amazing historians, but Gandalf is older than the elves). A prophet is someone who respects the author, because he knows that the author is the creator and trusts that the author is telling a good story. Therefore, Gandalf will not question Iluvita in times of difficulty: By Yao, why are you writing such a broken story, it's hard to die! The most touching thing is that he has the power of thunder and knows the past and present, but humblely put on the gray clothes, toiled and joyful under his position. I deeply love Tolkien's Gandalf-what kind of spirit is used to both PK Balrog and spit a smoke ring.
Talking about Gandalf, talking so much, is still to talk about the "things greater than us." "The Hobbit" is different from "Simarabella" and "Lord of the Rings" and has different styles. "The Silmarillion" is a beautiful and profound epic, "The Lord of the Rings" is a legend of heroes, drama and tragicomedy, and "The Hobbit" is more like a witty children's adventure story. However, no matter what the differences are, their themes are the same. Just like the "Bible" has various styles of books, but it is a story about God-something greater than us.
"The Hobbit" is like a small tributary in a billowing river, quietly flowing out of a sunny and brisk spring morning. When Gandalf came to the door of little Bilbo's house and made a mark on his little green round door, we knew that something fun and thrilling was about to happen. It is estimated that Bilbo will never be able to say how fate fell on his head with a bang (or puffed onto his face like a smoke ring). Because usually, most of the characters in the story lack an understanding of the whole, except for a few wise men who are familiar with history and the prophets sent by God. When Bilbo went out on an adventure, the sharpest feeling was that he forgot to bring his handkerchief. If someone told him at that time that he would play an indispensable role in the story, he would probably say: I just want to sit in the comfortable hobbit cave and listen to the kettle pop when the water boils! Of course, this matter itself is very beautiful. Tolkien described it repeatedly with extremely admiring and nostalgic pen and ink, it is so ingenious and accurate to convey the unique sense of humor of the Hobbit. Bilbo returned from an adventure. He won the treasure, the name of the top thief, the respect and friendship of the great races of the Middle-earth Continent, and a legend of his own-but he still has the fun of listening to the puff of the kettle!
There is a word used to describe the style of "The Hobbit", that is, quiet humor, which may be translated in Chinese as "quiet humor", "little humor" or "humor that is imperceptible if you are not paying attention." It can be classified as British humor, but I am a little skeptical that it is also Tolkien’s original creation. It is seen in the description of the hobbit’s hairy feet and short stature, not ruthlessly teasing their arrogance, to the dwarves. Stubbornness, tolerance, pride, love for wealth, and self-respect of skills, let the elves show a cheerful and mischievous side, and so on. It may not make you laugh, but it will make you smile from start to finish. In my opinion, it is also an extremely important part of "The Hobbit" and even "Things Greater Than Us". As mentioned earlier, Morgoth, Sauron, and Orcs have no sense of humor, and you can even say that their worldview is incomplete. In their eyes, the world is flat and colorless. They think that the order of the world is only for the strong to win, but they don't know that the order of God is not like this. The order of God also includes tiny existences like Hobbits. At certain moments, they can move the world. Power advocates even have no chance to taste the puff of the kettle when the water is boiled-it is full of love for hometown and daily life, insight and appreciation of small things. Yang Philip wrote in "A Wordless Question to the Sky" that a zoologist one day when observing a little fox playing, suddenly realized that the center of the universe is a childlike laughter. Because that's the mood when God created it. God created both the mountains and seas and other dazzling masterpieces, as well as the cats and puppies... Except for humor, you really can't tell why they exist like that. Of course, there is a popping sound when the water is boiling. From this, Chesterton said with emotion that Heavenly Father is a child, but we are much older than Him. Quiet humor can even be said to be a too subtle and advanced ability. Beings like Morgoth sadly don’t know anything about it, but arrogantly want to dominate the world and creatures much richer than themselves. .
When Bilbo's house was crowded with messy and rude dwarves, he heard the call of the greater thing, but hesitated. Many times we can't tell the exact content of this call at all. It may be a touch or a commotion. It always means taking risks. Perhaps the wizard can be sure that the world will end in a happy ending, but he cannot guarantee that Bilbo will return safely. Hobbits would think that as long as they stay in Hobbiton, the dragon will not fly above them. Anyone who has read "Lord of the Rings" knows that this is just wishful thinking of security. Because the world is a whole of life and death connected with honor and disgrace, a small butterfly fan's wings will cause a deep shock. Bilbo struggled all night, and in the end, the adventurous nature narrowly won.
In Tolkien, the adventurous nature does not equate to completely letting go of impulse. Bilbo has heard of great legends since he was a child, and some of his ancestors have participated in the war in person. Although the elves, treasures and dragons have not shown up for a long time, they are not fabricated. This is more prominent in Frodo's body in "Lord of the Rings". They are people who know history, although they can only know a little bit, but this is often enough to stir a person's soul, make him give birth to inexplicable yearning, and even be willing to bet on his life. Because it belongs to the "things greater than us", we cannot remain indifferent unless our nature is extinguished.
Bilbo regretted his decision countless times after hitting the road, and lamented in his heart "Why should I do such a stupid thing!" "How I wish I was still in the warm and comfortable bottom of the bag!" He is not a hero, and the dwarves looked down on him at first. , Saying that he is not like a thief, but more like a grocery store owner. Only Gandalf insisted that Bilbo was the best candidate for the Snitch. After reading, we will admit that Gandalf has a unique eye, but at the beginning of the adventure, Bilbo was just a person who forgot to bring his handkerchief. He was chosen to be a thief, and he was about to participate in not only a treasure hunt, but also a great battle, but at this time he knew nothing. Bilbo was both excited and hesitant. Among the dwarves who kept complaining and the taunting wizards, he sometimes looked back at his hometown behind him, and sometimes at the still invisible mountain. He can't see the whole story, but thanks to the reader's identity-we can.
Sometimes I suspect that these stories exist to give us a perspective on our own lives, remind us: we are in a complete story, we are not the author, but we have a great author, we can take a little consciously to participate in the adventure Although there will undoubtedly be suffering and danger, this story is not a story of a nihilist without a head—it combines epic, adventure, war, suspense, humor, friendship, and love. We know from the beginning that it will be a story. The story of reunion. As Bilbo said when he recounted all that, let them live happily ever after. This is my favorite ending.
In the story of our gods, the vast creation of the universe is as great as the puff of a kettle, and the elves and hobbits are equally outstanding, fighting against dragons and half-orcs and fighting against the sins of their own little minds are equally touching. Before we were born, we were in this story. Thank God, the author of this story is not Morgoth. Not only because it is too evil, but also because it has no talent.
Therefore, we face our little role, browse the boundless scenery, experience trekking, poverty, and war while we are alive, and enjoy friendship, food and listening to the puff of the kettle. When we die, we will return to rest for the time being. Until the day of the final battle, all Vera will come, and all the dead characters will be resurrected. We will fight a battle together with our friends who have never met but have known each other. The final chapter of the great movement of Iluvita.
——It's just that at the beginning, we were all just people who left home and forgot to bring handkerchiefs.
PS After watching the movie "The Hobbit I", I feel that the director or screenwriter is actually telling another story. It looks like Tolkien's and the characters are similar, but some very important things have been quietly changed. There are still adventures, treasures, friendship, and human struggles in it, but the "things greater than ourselves" have quietly faded. Quiet humor is replaced with more intense and rapid love, hatred, and hatred. Even the hobbits, dwarves, and elves have become too alike to each other-too much like the Americans in Hollywood blockbusters. Tolkien would be surprised if the dwarf grows so handsome, haha... Even so, there are audiences who say it is too ugly... The director is not easy.
Not to complain. Thanks to the director for showing us Tolkien's world. Really, if it were not for modern film technology, I guess I would only be able to see such a beautiful scenery in heaven after death.
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