Unexpected Party
The Unexpected Party is the foundational event of The Hobbit, in which the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, descend upon the comfortable hobbit-hole of Bilbo Baggins, transforming his quiet life into the launch of a perilous quest to reclaim the dwarves' lost treasure from the dragon Smaug. This single evening establishes the central conflict, introduces the entire company, reveals the history of the Lonely Mountain, and sets Bilbo on a path of profound personal transformation, all within the confines of his own home.
Causes and Background
The party was set in motion by Gandalf, who had long known of the dwarves' desire to reclaim their homeland and treasure from Smaug. Thorin Oakenshield, the heir of the King under the Mountain, had gathered a company of twelve other dwarves—Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur—to undertake the dangerous journey east. Gandalf, however, insisted on adding a fourteenth member: a burglar. Unable to find a suitable warrior or hero in the region, he settled on burglary as the best approach, remembering the existence of a secret side-door into the Mountain. He chose Bilbo Baggins, a respectable and comfort-loving hobbit of Bag-End, for the role. Gandalf had known Bilbo's mother, Belladonna Took, and believed the hobbit possessed a hidden adventurous streak from her family. To ensure the meeting, Gandalf scratched a secret mark on Bilbo's green front door—the usual sign in the trade for a burglar seeking employment—and arranged for the dwarves to arrive the following day for tea.
The Arrival of the Company
The party began the next day, just before tea-time, when Bilbo had almost forgotten about Gandalf's visit. The first to arrive was Dwalin, a dwarf with a blue beard tucked into a golden belt, who pushed inside as if expected. He was followed by Balin, an old-looking dwarf with a white beard and scarlet hood. Then came Kili and Fili, the youngest dwarves, each carrying a bag of tools and a spade. Next, five more dwarves—Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, and Gloin—arrived together, their hoods of purple, grey, brown, and white soon hanging on the pegs. Finally, a loud knock announced the arrival of Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and the immensely important Thorin Oakenshield, along with Gandalf himself. Thorin, who wore a sky-blue hood with a long silver tassel, was not pleased to fall flat on Bilbo's mat with the fat Bombur on top of him. The hobbit, flustered and overwhelmed, found himself hosting a throng of thirteen dwarves and a wizard, all demanding food and drink. The dwarves ate and ate, and after clearing the dishes with a boisterous song about smashing plates and bending forks—though they did none of these things—they called for music.
The Dwarves' Song and the Call to Adventure
Kili and Fili brought out little fiddles, Dori, Nori, and Ori produced flutes, Bombur fetched a drum, and Bifur and Bofur returned with clarinets. Dwalin and Balin carried in viols as big as themselves, and Thorin unwrapped a beautiful golden harp. When Thorin struck the harp, the music began, and the dwarves sang a deep-throated song of their ancient home: "Far over the misty mountains cold / To dungeons deep and caverns old / We must away ere break of day / To seek the pale enchanted gold." The song told of the dwarves' former glory, their crafting of mighty spells and gleaming treasures, and their ruin at the hands of the dragon. As they sang, something Tookish woke inside Bilbo, filling him with a fierce desire to see the great mountains and wear a sword. But the vision of plundering dragons settling on his quiet Hill soon made him shudder, and he quickly became plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End again.
Thorin's Council and the Plan
After the song, Thorin called the meeting to order. He explained the dwarves' history: how his grandfather Thror had been King under the Mountain, how their halls had been filled with gold and jewels, and how the dragon Smaug had come from the North, destroyed Dale, and driven the dwarves out. Thorin recounted how Smaug now slept on the piled treasure in the Mountain's depths. Gandalf then produced Thror's Map, which showed a secret entrance on the western side of the Mountain, marked by a rune and a pointing hand. The door was only five feet high and three feet wide, too small for Smaug to enter. Gandalf also produced a small silver key with a long barrel and intricate wards, which he gave to Thorin. The wizard explained that he had received the map and key from Thorin's father, Thrain, whom he had found a prisoner in the dungeons of the Necromancer. The plan was to travel east, find the secret door, and have the burglar—Bilbo—enter and steal the treasure. Bilbo, initially overwhelmed, demanded to know about risks, expenses, and remuneration, but after hearing the tale and being stung by Gloin's remark that he looked "more like a grocer than a burglar," the Tookish side won. He declared he would try the job, even if he had to walk to the East of East and fight the wild Were-worms.
Consequences and Aftermath
The party concluded with the dwarves ordering their breakfasts for the next morning, much to Bilbo's annoyance. He spent a restless night, hearing Thorin humming the song of the misty mountains. The next day, he overslept and found the dwarves had left without him, leaving only a note from Thorin and Company confirming his employment as burglar, with terms of one-fourteenth of the profits and all travelling expenses guaranteed. Gandalf hurried him out of the house, and Bilbo ran off without a hat, pocket-handkerchief, or money, joining the dwarves at the Green Dragon Inn in Bywater. The Unexpected Party thus directly launched the quest, setting the company on a path that would lead through trolls, goblins, Mirkwood, and ultimately to the dragon's lair. The event also marked the beginning of Bilbo's transformation from a timid, comfort-loving hobbit into a resourceful adventurer, a change that would culminate in his discovery of the One Ring and his crucial role in the Battle of the Five Armies. Years later, Bilbo would recall the party as the moment he "put his foot in it," but it also earned him the lasting friendship of dwarves, wizards, and elves, and a reputation for being "queer" among his fellow hobbits.
