Analysis Of Bilbo In The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a very complex character. Throughout the story it is shown that a cowardly hobbit, slowly grows up and becomes the hero his friends need him to be. Bilbo Baggins is shown to be a hero, who is slowly being corrupted by the evil power of the ring. Throughout this novel it is because of the ring Bilbo is able to rise to the occasion and become the hero he was meant to be, but the power of the ring can corrupt even the purest of hearts. The character of Bilbo isn’t perfect, nor is he meant to be, he was created to be relatable to the reader, who can empathize with the character of Bilbo while watching him meet each challenge as they are thrown at him. “Bilbo accesses his inner warrior and proves himself brave, loyal, wise and ingenious. Which is perhaps the novel's deepest appeal, since all of us secretly hope we, too, could be heroes” (Donahue). At the beginning of the story Bilbo is no hero, nor does he want to be, but when needed he does what he must to help those he cares about.

The meeting of Gollum was one of the first points in the novel where, Bilbo starts to show to himself, that he can be the hero, when he is needed. The confrontation with Gollum was an excellent example of how Bilbo is able to use his intellect, to help resolve/escape a situation. But the experience with Gollum foreshadows what could happen to Bilbo if he becomes corrupted by the ring, as Gollum has. “Gollum, the twisted, pitiful creature, teaches us something important about the consequences of our moral choices” (Foot). Tolkien has the reader wondering what is stronger Bilbo’s moral choices or the corrupting power of the ring, which will win