"The Hobbit" provides a straightforward plot of an unexpected hero going on an unexpected adventure and returning home. At the heart of the quest to reclaim Erebor are the concepts of remembering and forgetting. The mission is driven by those who remember Erebor and are motivated by memory, and at the same time, forgetting shapes the conflict of the overall journey. This paper looks at both the original novel and the 2012-2014 movie adaptations by Peter Jackson and focuses on how remembering and forgetting affect the quest for Erebor and influence Middle Earth history as it is being made at that point in time. Using scholarly sources in the field of memory studies and narratology, this paper aims to show that remembering and forgetting, as dictated by Western paradigms of memory studies, form not only a part of "The Hobbit", but also provide more context to Tolkien's narrative style and vision.
