Literature Essay question
In The Hobbit, Bilbo plays a riddle game (an ancient game in world myth) with Smaug. Answer his riddles. Why is Bilbo “he who walks unseen”? Why is he “the clue finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly”? Why was he “chosen for the lucky number”? How does he “bur[y] his friends alive”? Why does he “come from the end of a bag, but no bag went over [him]”? Are these fair riddles in the riddle game? Does one have to be fair in the riddle game? Finally, why does Bilbo present himself in this way? What does his self-presentation in riddles tell us about his character? (You can bring in Bilbo’s riddle game with Gollum if you like, but this is not required.