Guide to The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit/Chapter 6

Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire is the sixth chapter of Guide to The Lord of the Rings/J.R.R Tolkien's Guide to The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit.

Plot
After escaping the Goblins, Bilbo finds Gandalf and the Dwarves and they continue their journey. Eventually, they are attacked by Wargs and forced to climb trees.

Synopsis
When Bilbo emerges, he discovers he is on the other side of the Misty Mountains. He decides to go back and look for his friends. Still invisible, he hears Gandalf and the Dwarves arguing; Gandalf is saying they must go back and rescue Bilbo. Bilbo slips into their midst and takes off the ring so they see him. He tells his tale and gains their respect, but he does not reveal the existence of the ring. They set off almost immediately, because the Goblins will soon be after them. They have nothing to eat, and Bilbo is hungry.

Later, the Company slides down a stony slope, making more headway on their journey. Night falls and they hear wild wolves, the Wargs, howling. The Dwarves and Bilbo (helped by Dori), climb trees to hide from them; Gandalf, who understands Warg language, listens to the wolves talking about their plans to join the Goblins in a raid on a nearby village. He sets the wolves on fire with burning pinecones that he throws down from his tree, chasing them away.

The Lord of the Eagles hears the noise and brings other eagles with him to investigate. In the meantime, the Wargs have joined the Goblins, setting fire to the forest as they run through it. The Goblins build up the fire around the trees where Gandalf, Bilbo and the Dwarves are hidden in an attempt to smoke them out. As Gandalf's tree goes up in flames and he prepares to jump to his death, the Lord of the Eagles swoops down and carries him away. The other eagles seize the Dwarves and Bilbo and carry them to their eyrie. The eagles cannot fly them too far on their journey because men will shoot at them, but they give the Company a place to rest for the night and bring back animals for the Dwarves to roast and eat the following morning.

Analysis
In this chapter, Bilbo demonstrates master in the use of the ring and its strategic power. He exercises discretion in not revealing its existence to the dwarves, well, not yet. The dwarves slowly respect him more after this tale. Despite his evolution into something better, Bilbo still is enough of a hobbit to notice his hunger.

The Wargs are wolf like creatures who live up to their stereotypical characteristics.

The eagles, as flying creatures, have the power to transcend the danger of earth, although they are not immune to the dangers posed by men

Glossary

 * larch a deciduous tree of the pine family.
 * porter a person who carries burdens or baggage.
 * glade an open space surrounded by woods.
 * bracken a large, coarse fern.
 * smote hit (past tense of smite, to hit).
 * eyrie a bird's nest on a cliff or mountaintop.

Main

 * Bilbo Baggins
 * Thorin Oakenshield
 * Gandalf
 * Dori
 * Lord of the Eagles

other characters

 * Great Goblin
 * Fíli and Kíli
 * Nori
 * Ori
 * Óin
 * Glóin
 * Bifur
 * Bofur
 * Bombur
 * Dwalin
 * Balin
 * Elrond (Mentioned only)

Locations

 * Goblin-gate
 * Eagle's Eyrie