The Hobbit Group

Question:

goeagle30
goeagle30
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What is the significance of the birds gathering after Smaug's death, and what is "dragon-sickness?"

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Posted by goeagle30 on Thursday March 5, 2009 at 5:36 PM and tagged with birds, dragonsickness, smaug, symbolism, the hobbit.

Answers:

  1. accessteacher
    accessteacher Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    There are two types of birds that gather after Smaug's death. Firstly there are the carrion birds, who swiftly fly over to where Smaug's corpse is. They are going to feast on his remains. Secondly, there are other birds such as thrushes and finches who return to the mountain. This group of birds represent the return of nature to the mountain which had been held back during Smaug's "reign" of the mountain. The mountain has been described as almost a dead place because Smaug would kill anything that would approach, yet with the death of Smaug, so to comes the return of nature.

    Dragon sickness is the disease that the dwarves catch based on their greed and avarice for the dragon's treasure hoard. It is interesting to note how their characters change, in particular Thorin in Ch. 15, who up until now has been a hero type figure, but in this Chapter and his resolution to not share any of the treasure he becomes a distinctly unsympathetic character, and one who we can see has been changed by his greed and his overall desire to find the Arkenstone.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hobbit-or-qn
    http://www.enotes.com/hobbit-or-qn/themes

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    Posted by accessteacher on Sunday April 12, 2009 at 6:22 AM