The opening chapters of the novel introduce readers to the society and habits of hobbits in general and the peculiar Baggins family in particular. Bilbo's lavish birthday party establishes the simple pleasures of hobbit-life, which center around the celebration of living with excellent food, fine drink, the giving of presents, and delight in toys and fireworks. The hobbits' behavior around the party, especially the conversation of Gaffer Gamgee and the company at the Green Dragon, also reveals their shortcomings: Hobbits are provincial, inclined to gossip, and even greedy, as the traveling hobbit's fascination with Bilbo's legendary wealth indicates. In other words, hobbits are typical of the English before the wars, secure in their safe little green country with all the good and bad that comes with that condition.
When Gandalf arrives with news that Bilbo's magic ring is the One Ring — the physical embodiment of all that is most evil in Middle-earth — the threat to the Shire's tranquility motivates Frodo to take up the quest far more than his desire to have an adventure, although the prospect of escaping the Shire's provincial life certainly appeals to him. Not only does Frodo repeatedly comment on his desire to protect the Shire's "stupid" inhabitants, that desire is also shared by many of the other characters, including Gandalf. One of the major themes of the book focuses on the preservation of the Shire as an ideal community, characterized by the common sense of its citizens and their connection to the land in which they live.
