“Misery me! I have heard songs of many battles, and I have always understood that defeat may be glorious, it seems very uncomfortable, not to say distressing. I wish I was well out of it” (260).

             I chose this quote because it’s based on real life. War is often romanticized, and it’s not until a person actually experiences going into battle or sees someone else going through PTSD that they realize that there is nothing glorious about war. People die horrible deaths and there is the constant fear of your own death. Bilbo says that battle it “seems uncomfortable” and “distressing”, but that is an understatement. The speaker is talking about the war for the treasure hidden in the Lonely Mountain. He has on the invisibility ring, so he isn’t really part of the battle happening before him. If he didn’t have the ring, then he would probably be a part of the fight rather he liked it or not. With that being said, based on the fact that he was able to save his friends from the giant spiders, he can and will fight when necessary. He also has the ability to show compassion to those who may be at a disadvantage because of the ring. Since this is a children’s book, I believe that this is a gentle caution that war is not pretty, though it may seem cool when reading about it. From the beginning of the time that Bilbo learned that there was a dragon named Smaug guarding treasure in the Mountain, the real consequences of confronting a dragon were not realized. It seems as if the danger that slowed them down on their way to conquer the dragon and steal the treasure caused them to forget that the challenges were just beginning. If kids back then were anything like kids today, it’s hard for them to recognize that war is horrific. I can’t even wrap my mind around it except for what I have seen on tv. I don’t think one or two little sentences would convince children that war is bad.