Tolkien’s Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings are a centralizing point for the series, as both of Tolkien’s major protagonists, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, are Hobbits of The Shire. Though the books and The Lord of the Rings movies do spend some time within the Shire, little is known about the Hobbits beyond a few key details in the main story, unlike other sets of people who get a broader focus. Even so, the details audiences do get, such as them not wearing shoes, give some fascinating insights into the Hobbits and even the author who created them.
How Tolkien Explained Hobbits Not Wearing Shoes
Tolkien’s Explanation Highlights One Vital Characteristic Of Hobbits
Tolkien’s explanation for why Hobbits do not wear shoes in The Lord of the Rings showcases one key aspect of them as a people, demonstrating why Tolkien chose to follow them as his protagonists. As mentioned, Hobbits are not largely explored in the primary books or Tolkien’s lore book The Silmarillion. However, Tolkien does mention that the Hobbit’s feet have “natural leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads,” making the need for shoes unnecessary. Some Hobbits do wear shoes, including the Stoors, who live in muddier climates, but they are the exception.
Tolkien credits the Hobbit’s leathery feet for their unique stealth abilities, which was the reason Bilbo was approached by Gandalf in The Hobbit. This simple explanation, while a great insight into Hobbits, does create some irony as these attributes seem exclusive to their feet, resulting in them needing to wear clothes much like other sets of people in The Lord of the Rings. That being said, the fashion of the Hobbits, much like their feet, lets them stand out from Tolkien’s other characters, making them even more interesting.
The Hobbits’ Clothes Are Different From The Rest Of Middle-earth
The Hobbits Look More Modern In Comparison To The World’s Other Residents
The differing clothing styles of the Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings not only allowed Tolkien to subtly let the Hobbits stand out more but also showed a piece of his own past. Hobbits, unlike the Men, Dwarves, and Elves of Middle-earth, dress in a more late Victorian/early Edwardian fashion, including greatcoats, trousers, and button-up tunics. Their outfits, when compared to the medieval dress of these other sets of people, have thrown some audience members off regarding Middle-earth’s timeline, with the strongest explanation seeming to exist within Tolkien’s own history over any of his books.
That influence adds to what the Shire is meant to be in the story: a safe haven and warm home to return to after a harrowing adventure.
Many have surmised that Tolkien’s childhood memories of the English countryside, specifically Sarehole, influenced the Shire and, by proxy, the Hobbit’s clothes, setting them apart from other areas in Middle-earth. That influence adds to what the Shire is meant to be in the story: a safe haven and warm home to return to after a harrowing adventure. By drawing from his own life, Tolkien was able to drive that point further in The Lord of the Rings, giving the Hobbits another detail that emphasizes the themes of perseverance, hope, and home in their journeys.
