“The beast for me is greed. Whether you read Dante, Swift, or any of these guys, it always boils down to the same thing: the corruption of the soul.” Similarly from the book, The Hobbit, created and weaved together by J.R.R. Tolkien, states that greed causes people to become irrational, if not corrupt. In the book, The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien cleverly weaves together unforgettable characters such as Bilbo, Thorin, Gandalf, and other characters. Bilbo is swept from his home into a timeless adventure where he encounters Giant spiders, goblins, and Smaug, the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities. But, in the end they must face the worst danger off all, greed. Thorin’s greed, the Masters love for money and numbers, and the company’s lust for gold all play a role in the complex plot. The theme of the Hobbit is Greed causes people to do irrational things.


Greed is the root of corruption; corruption is the root of Moraless men. Thorin the king under the mountain is not necessarily evil, just a dwarf with his judgment being disoriented by his love for gold. When Smaug left and the thrush delivers the news that the lake men and elves are coming to take all the great hoard of jewels and gold, Thorin rushes back to the mountain and bars the doors together, and he might as well have starve to death and tried to eat the gold if it was not for Bilbo’s wise judgement. As one man put it, “Politics is the mask of greed,” greed is almost always the man behind the mask.


Many people state money is the root of all evil, but greed is truly the root of evil, it is the choice of a man whether to pursuit his love for money or use his consciences to and do what is right. For example, the master is all figures and numbers, he decided to save himself instead of getting others onto his boat and set off together. He abandoned the town to save himself. He always was the facts and never actually was truly hospitable to the dwarves. Avarice is greed, greed causes people to order or do unreasonable things that they normally wouldn’t do.


“There is no greater calamity than being consumed by greed,” as the Chinese proverb states. Smaug is a greedy and evil dragon, (like all dragons) which led to his demise. Smaug stole the treasure of Thor, but when he did the dwarves that survived swore vengeance upon the dragon. Smaug’s greed for shiny things and objects, such as gold, led the dwarves to try to steal the gold back, and due to poor judgment on both Bilbo and Smaug’s behalf, Smaug ends up dying while trying to destroy Lake Town. Greed is a demise of the soul and mind, which is a greater demise than a lame leg.


The love for materialistic items can be the root of irrational actions. For example going back to a fort when you have no food is not being rational. Not only the characters learn and see that greed is not only an demise but also a dangerous sin, the readers do.