Lord Of The Rings Theory: Gandalf Secretly Used Bilbo's Best Trait To Trick Him

Hobbits love to eat. So much so, in fact, that one thread on Reddit suggests Gandalf used this very love of food against Bilbo to trick him into being more willing to join the Dwarves on their Quest to the Lonely Mountain. A while back, a Reddit user created a post in r/FanTheories positing a simple and amusing reason for the quirky, off-beat beginning of "The Hobbit." As a quick reminder, when the story opens, Gandalf and 13 Dwarves arrive one by one on Bilbo's doorstep to recruit him. They barge right in as if expected, demanding various food and beverage items in between declarations claiming puffed-up offers of service.

The Reddit user posits that this was a ploy on the part of the Wizard, saying, "At Gandalf's suggestion the Dwarves ate all of Bilbo's food so nothing would be expired and rotting when he returned." The user doubled down on this theory by detailing that, while they had no solid evidence for the shocking accusation, they thought that "it seems rather absurd that w every dwarf came in and immediately started requesting snacks and beverages. I find it hard to believe 13/13 dwarves are rude and demanding after the claiming to be 'at his service', even if they did intend to pay him back." The theory wrapped up with the concluding statement, "I think Gandalf may have suggested it was in their best interest to arrive with a hearty appetite with an alterior motive, other than to snicker at Bilbo's predicament."

The "Gandalf told the Dwarves to eat Bilbo's food to encourage him join the quest" line of reasoning is a popular one. Since it was posted several years ago, it has received 6,000 upvotes and dozens of comments. Most of these reiterate the same sentiment.

User Espurr_therapist, for example, contributed to the conversation by saying, "Probably also to nudge him into adventure, it's easier to stay at home when the fridge is full." Another user commented on this comment, adding, "Through out the series the hobbits are constantly showing how important food is to them. Can't stick around for second breakfast if there is no food left."

User stokleplinger took a different, though similar, position. They suggested, "I think it's more likely that Gandalf already kinda knew that Bilbo would come along and basically implied as such to the dwarves. 'Hey, this guy's in on the adventure too, stop by his place and he'll set you up before we leave on the journey.' I always got the sense that the dwarves thought they were expected, so that's why they just kinda barged in."

RuafaolGaiscioch cleverly notes, "As a corollary to this, Gandalf probably deliberately staggered the Dwarves arrival in order to slyly get Bilbo to accept them in. He uses the exact same tactic at Beorn's house." It's true. Twice in the short book, Gandalf staggers the arrival of his friends at places where he knows the owners may be on their side but may not be particularly open to a sudden visit from so many short-statured guests.

As far as Gandalf using Bilbo's interest in food as a weapon against him, the idea holds water — especially when compared to Tolkien's original words on the subject. In "The Fellowship of the Ring," the author takes the time to explain the Halflings' obsession with food multiple times. In one of these, he breaks down the iconic need for so many meals throughout the day, saying, "And laugh [Hobbits] did, and eat, and drink, often and heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them)."

During Bilbo's 111th birthday party, Tolkien describes the ingestion of food by the partygoers thusly, "There were three official meals: lunch, tea, and dinner (or supper). But lunch and tea were marked by the fact that at those times all the guests were sitting down and eating together. At other times there were merely lots of people eating and drinking – continuously from elevenses until six-thirty, when the fireworks started." 

That part of the story also clarifies that Bilbo "had been specializing in food for many years and his table had a high reputation." While it's uncertain if he was a culinary specialist several decades earlier during "The Hobbit," there's little doubt that Bilbo's cultural food obsession, combined with his natural interest in the art of food preparation, would have made him keenly aware of leaving a larder full of expired food. Maybe the theories are right, and Gandalf really was looking out for his inner peace by having the Dwarves gobble everything up. Then again, maybe he was simply amused by the process of pushing a Hobbit out of their comfort zone and into an adventure.