The Hobbit Summary Chapters 6-10 free essay sample

Chapter 6 Fleeing from the goblins, Bilbo looks back and realizes that he has made it to the other side of the Misty Mountains. Walking along, he stumbles upon Gandalf and the dwarves, who have just been wondering whether they should leave without him. The hobbit slips off the ring and surprises them and then explains how he made his way out of the mountain. However, he refrains from mentioning his discovery of the magic ring and the role it played in his escape from Gollum and the goblins. Gandalf implores the company to get moving again since only the sunlight is keeping the goblins from coming after them. Evening comes as they pass through a grove of trees. Suddenly, they hear the howling of wolves and barely have time to scurry up into the trees before Wargs descend upon them. The Wargs are allies of the goblins, and they quickly notify the goblins of the situation. The goblins begin to arrive and, laughing at the company’s predicament, light fires under the trees in which Gandalf, the dwarves, and Bilbo are hiding. Gandalf prepares to attack the goblins, hoping to kill as many as he can before they kill him. Luckily for the company, the Lord of the Eagles has seen the commotion from his roost high in the mountains. With a number of other eagles, he swoops down, picks up the travelers, and flies them to safety. The eagles are friends of Gandalf’s and enemies of the goblins. They are happy to provide food an+d rest for the weary travelers, who then continue on their journey. Summary: Chapter 7 Once again, Gandalf disappoints the company by announcing that he must leave. He says, however, that he will stay around long enough to help them find food and ponies so that they can make their way on their own through Mirkwood (a big forest). He leads them to the house of Beorn. Beorn is a half-man, half-bear creature who has a great wooden house in the middle of the woods outside Mirkwood. He tells Beorn the story of their adventure in the mountain. Gandalf’s story amuses Beorn so he offers the company food and lodging. He also recommends that the group should take the northern pass (the elf path) through Mirkwood, which will bring them near the Lonely Mountain. Beorn repeatedly warns his guests never to stray from the path. He provides the group with food and ponies to carry them to the gate at the path’s start. From there, however, they must return the ponies and travel on foot. When they reach the path, Gandalf also departs, wishing his friends the best and reminding them never to stray from the path—dark things lurk in Mirkwood that even the wizard does not know about. On that note, the dwarves and the hobbit plunge into the forest. Summary: Chapter 8 Darkness falls upon Bilbo and the dwarves as they enter the bleak forest of Mirkwood. Strange eyes peer out at them from the trees. Soon, the group cannot tell night from day. . After a few days, they come to a stream that Beorn had warned them not to touch. They cross using a boat already moored there, but Bombur falls in and is put into a sleep that lasts for days. The rest of the party is forced to carry him. Hungry, tired, and scared, they begin to despair. One night, they see a flicker of lights in the trees and, ignoring the warnings of Beorn and Gandalf, they leave the path and move toward the lights. They see elves sitting in a clearing around a fire, feasting and singing. However, the moment they burst into the clearing, the lights are snuffed out, and the dwarves and Bilbo can hardly find one another. On the last occasion, everyone becomes separated, unable to find one another in the darkness. Soon, Bilbo stops hearing voices and, exhausted, leans against a tree to sleep. When Bilbo awakens, his legs are bound with sticky thread and an enormous spider is advancing toward him. With his sword he slashes his legs free and slays the spider. He then goes in search of the dwarves. To his horror, he finds them all hanging from a tree, tied up in the webs of the many spiders that sit atop the branches. Bilbo whips a few stones at the spiders and then leads them away from the dwarves by yelling. Now Bilbo slips back and cuts the dwarves free. But the spiders soon return, and the dwarves, weak from the spiders’ poison, can hardly fight them off, even with the aid of the invisible Bilbo. Just when the situation looks completely hopeless, the spiders suddenly retreat, and the company realizes that they themselves have retreated into one of the clearings used by elves. A moment later, they realize that Thorin is missing. Unbeknownst to the others, Thorin was taken prisoner by the elves when he stepped into the clearing before the spider attack. The Elvenking questions Thorin about his journey. When Thorin refuses to say where the company is going, the elves throw him in the dungeon. Summary: Chapter 9 Soon after Bilbo and the rest of the dwarves escape the spiders, they are surrounded by a company of wood elves and brought blindfolded to the Elvenking’s halls. Bilbo, still wearing his ring, remains undetected. The other dwarves are brought before the king and questioned. Like Thorin, they refuse to reveal their plan to reclaim the treasure from Smaug for fear that the elves will demand a share. Also like Thorin, the dwarves are thrown into the dungeon. Meanwhile, Bilbo, having followed the captured dwarves, walks invisibly through the halls, whispering to the dwarves in their cells and plotting an escape. The elves exchange goods with the men of Lake Town via barrels that are floated on a river that flows under the elves’ dwelling. He steals the guardsman’s keys, frees the dwarves, and puts his plan into action. Bilbo helps pack each dwarf into an empty barrel just before the elves return and shove the barrels into the river. The doors open and the dwarves speed out along the river toward Lake Town. Summary: Chapter 10 The barrels flow down the river and out of Mirkwood forest. Looking to the north, Bilbo sees the Lonely Mountain, the group’s ultimate destination. For the time being, however, the river takes them toward Lake Town. There the barrels are brought to shore when boats from the town row out and cast ropes toward the floaters, and while the men are away, Bilbo frees his companions from the barrels. Thorin, filled with a new sense of purpose, strides up to the town hall and declares to the Master of Lake Town that he has returned to claim his inheritance. The people of the town rejoice. They treat the dwarves and even Bilbo like kings. After a fortnight, the company is strong and eager again. Though they still have no idea how to deal with the dragon, Thorin feels that they cannot wait any longer. He obtains boats, horses, and provisions from the Master of Lake Town, and the company sets off up the River running toward the Lonely Mountain.