1. Discuss the development of Bilbo Baggins’ character. What qualities are used to describe him at the beginning of the story? What qualities emerge during the course of the story? What causes the changes in his character?

2. Discuss Tolkien’s use of song in The Hobbit. What purpose do they serve in the story? What do the songs reveal about the characters who sing them?

3. Discuss the attitude toward property and material wealth that emerges in The Hobbit. What are the pitfalls of possessiveness and materialism?

4. Discuss The Hobbit as a quest story. What is Bilbo Baggins searching for? What success does he have in finding it? What does his success, or lack of it, mean for him and others?