The Hobbit is a book about thirteen dwarves and a hobbit who go on adventure over mountains, through woods, past goblins, spiders, down rivers, etc., in order to reach the mountain where the dwarves used to live, and where their treasure still was, in which the dragon Smaug now lived since he had driven the dwarves out years ago. Their plan is to steal back the treasure. This treasure is the goal which drives the plot along. Bilbo, the hobbit, is much more fond of food, tea, smoking his pipe, and the likes, and cannot sympathize with the dwarves' drive to regain their treasure. Bilbo is a little hobbit, perhaps the most insignificant character in the face of the powerful forces of the dwarves, the elves, the goblins, Smaug, the men, all whom are caught up in a power struggle with the treasure at the center. Bilbo's character becomes a profound proclamation that the wars and worries of men, dwarves, and elves, are often over nothing of real importance. Pride has grasped the best of them, and caused them to run blindly toward a power which will bring them no satisfaction at all. His humility and desire for simplicity is a bright light in their world.
Stories involve tension and conflict, which rises in pain and struggle, and which eventually resolves. The Hobbit is about going through the Wilderness, coming up out of Egypt; it is about the necessity of darkness to prove the light. The dwarves needed to be captured and poisoned by spiders, and nearly eaten, and saved by Bilbo before they learned to trust him; the men, the elves, the dwarves, needed to be invaded by the goblins and their worgs before they learned to trust each other; the men in Laketown needed to be attacked by Smaug before the corruption of the Master was exposed, and they were able to put in his place a man like Bard, who had the true heart of a king; and Bilbo must go on an adventure before "the sound of the kettle on his heart was ever after more musical than it had been even in the quiet days before the Unexpected Party."
Merry Christmas everybody. The person and work of Jesus is the true story. All other stories are just cheap imitations, even The Hobbit.
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