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Thorin and the Dwarves: Bravery and Greed

Thorin Oakenshield refuses Bard's demands   The dwarven king Thorin (© Alan Lee)

Thorin Oakenshield is the leader of the dwarves, and it is his quest to reclaim his kingdom and treasure from the terrible dragon Smaug that Bilbo joins. The contrast between Bilbo and Thorin's characters forms much of the drama and comedy in The Hobbit story. While Bilbo is modest, peaceful, inexperienced; Thorin is proud, aggressive, and desires gold. Thorin’s flaw of greed is critical to the story, and is the cause of the tragic ending.

The dwarves often seem like a comedy troop in The Hobbit. Inept and fairly cowardly, they are frequently captured and rely on Gandalf and later Bilbo to rescue them. There is a risk that if this comedy element is overplayed then Thorin will be unconvincing as a tough king of dwarves and there will be little for the audience to like in his flawed character (so no emotional involvement in his death scene). Additionally for viewers of The Lord of the Rings films who are used to seeing the heroic Gimli, the portrayal of such inept dwarves will seem inconsistent.

I believe that Thorin should be a tougher and braver character. I propose he is given a more active role during the trolls scene and the goblins scene. If Thorin (rather than Gandalf) kills the Great Goblin during Gandalf’s rescuing, then there is a clearer motivation for the goblin army to attack Erebor later on. This change would not affect Bilbo’s development as a heroic character, and the best comic scenes involving the dwarves (like the Rivendell elves making fun of them, and their soaking in the barrel escape) would be kept.

Thorin’s character would remain greedy and pompous- he still sends Bilbo alone to face the trolls and the dragon, he still comes under the spell of the golden horde- they just make him more convincing as a tough king of dwarves.

View my Hobbit Film Adaptation in pdf format.

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