The Role Of Bilbo In The Hobbit

A hero is someone who makes noble choices with noble intentions. While he makes seemingly noble choices, Bilbo Baggins makes these choices for the wrong reasons. He completes heroic acts when intending to impress Thorin and the other Dwarves, when his Took side takes over, and when he acts out of fear none of which constitute a noble act.

In order to not disappoint him, Bilbo listens to Thorin. When Bilbo is sent to discover the source of the fire in the woods, he goes not because he wants to, but because he doesn’t want to disappoint Thorin. Instead of finding out and returning to the dwarves to tell them of the trolls, he decides to pickpocket them first. He does this because he is worried he will be a disappointment if he comes back empty handed. Consequently, this plan backfired and resulted in all of the dwarves being captured. Bilbo's intentions were flawed and almost ended in the disposal of his companions. In the forest of Mirkwood, Bilbo is chosen to seek out the exit by climbing a tree. SInce he was Bilbo is not very good at climbing trees, but he is chosen because he is the only one light enough to make it to the top. He did this resentfully.

However, others like Thorin and Bard were. Thorin learned from his mistakes and we can see his character grow as the story evolves, this is evident on his deathbed.(Tolkien 273.) Bilbo, on the other hand relinquishes his Took side and returns to his quiet and comfortable hobbit hole and lives out the rest of his days like a Baggins not an adventurous and heroic Took. As said by Gandalf “It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” Bilbo may not have been the hero of the story, but he was still an essential member of the team. He kept up the morale by complaining about proper tea times and handkerchiefs, which the dwarves found quite amusing and