ommunity of created beings. This suggests, in turn, that in the mind of the fantasist, society is worth saving." (Evans, 481) As opposed to the good deeds and morals portrayed by Bilbo and his companions, there are many foul and unholy creatures that lurk in the pages of Tolkien’s works, which commit horrible acts. One of the most horrid of the acts in "The Hobbit" was the corruption of Gollum. Gollum was not always the slimy, cave dwelling, dangerous monster that he became. He was once a Hobbit, not unlike Bilbo himself, named Smeagol. However, one day he and his brother, Deagol, were by a riverbank. Deagol found the ring of power. Then, Smeagol, who soon became the Gollum, killed his brother to attain the Ring of power for himself. This Ring, "the Ring to rule them all", had the power to corrupt any person who possessed it. Whether it was the Ring’s overpowering magic or simply Gollum’s lust for the ring, the corruption that overcame Smeagol drove him to commit the ghastly murder of his brother. Another evil in "The Hobbit" is an evil that is much more familiar to any reader, the evil of greed. This trait is most prominent in the character of the gigantic dragon Smaug. Even though Smaug has no use for great amounts of gold and jewels, he covets and guards his stolen fortune to the death. Tolkien had created the dragon to be born with the desire to plunder towns and kill the innocent to gain his utmost desires, treasure of any and all sorts. Tolkien may very well have created this monster in the light of many monsters of our world, the "primary" world. However, these monsters do not fly on wings like that of a great bat and spat fire from their nostrils. These monsters usually wear a suit and tie. Like the fictional Smaug, some greedy human beings feed off others of lesser power or social status to attain their financial goals of excess. Even though Tolkien claims that "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" were not...
