The Hobbit was written as a children's story, and as such the narrative voice is warm, comforting, and omniscient. Much of the story is told from Bilbo's point of view, but the narrator is always at hand to provide summary and background information. His authoritative voice provides guidance and reassurance.

The narrator clearly stands outside the story. He can supply authoritative information about what happened in the far or recent past or simply offer context. For instance, he tells us, with characteristic gentle humor, that the Baggins family has a good reputation among the Hobbits because they never do anything that could draw attention to themselves.

The narrator sometimes breaks into the story with the "I" voice and directly addresses the reader, such as when he says, of the party's visit to Elrond's:

I wish I had time to tell you even a few of the tales or one or two of the songs that they heard in that house...

In other instances, the narrator offers asides that convey a casual tone:

This of course is the way to talk to dragons, if you don’t want to reveal your proper name (which is wise), and don’t want to infuriate them by a flat refusal (which is also very wise).

The narrator is also is writing from the future, so he knows what happens long after the story is over. At the end of the book, for example, he can tell us that:

he [Bilbo] remained very happy to the end of his days, and those were extraordinarily long.

The narrative is structured around the journey Bilbo Baggins takes with Gandalf and a company of dwarves to kill the dragon Smaug. As such, Tolkien introduces various elements of the story as they occur. For example, we learn more about Elrond when Bilbo and the party arrive at his home:

Elrond knew all about runes of every kind.

Beyond the omniscient narrator, much of the excitement and interest of the story comes from seeing it through Bilbo's eyes, such as when he is about to confront Gollum and gain the ring. It is his mind we are witnessing, such as when he thinks:

He was desperate. He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left...

Tolkien employs a traditional prose style. While around him in the 1930s, writers such as Virginia Woolf or Gertrude Stein were breaking new ground with experimental forms of narration, Tolkien was deliberately adhering to old styles of writing and traditional omniscient narration.