Symbolism In The Hero's Journey

It’s not the hero himself, it's the journey in which he took to become the hero. “Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you. Not Today. Good morning! But please come to tea -any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!” J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit shows The Hero’s Journey from the beginning of the novel, simply when Bilbo and Gandalf meet, to the end of the outlandish hero’s journey. However without the stock characters, the novel would be just a hollow donut missing it’s filling and glaze. Tolkien also expresses conflict through symbolism, irony, and literary devices which ties the story together to make sense on a literary level. Symbolism is expressed through the swords the dwarves use to the most desired object in The Hobbit,

“‘My dear Bilbo! he said. Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit you once were’”(302). Tolkien uses this in the book because The Hobbit is based around the very change of Bilbo and his transformation into a hero following him along his journey. As he first starts in his simple life as an everyman and becomes the exact opposite of what he thought he could ever become. “Come along back to your nice cells, and I will lock you all in again, and you can sit comfortably”(179). This shows how Bilbo is very frustrated with the dwarves and have is annoyed that they aren't even appreciating him. Situational irony follows in The Hobbit as a recurrence. “To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick, any money, or anything he usually took with him when he went out”(3O). Tolkien used this quote of situational irony to express Bilbo’s displacement, he feels very lost not in his everyday adventure. “Upon one side were goblins and the wild wolves, and upon the other were the elves, men, and dwarves”(281). This shows situational irony because the elves and dwarves wouldn't usually work together, but since it was against the goblins and wild wolves they had no choice. Dramatic irony occurs under the worst circumstances of the novel. One being when Gandalf writes a secret symbol on Bilbo’s door. This is dramatic irony because

Foreshadowing takes place simply in Bilbo’s home, Tolkien made it apparent to the reader that Bilbo’s ancestors were very adventurous. "That was, of course, absurd, but certainly there was still something not entirely hobbitlike about them, and once in awhile members of the Took-clan would go and have adventures" (3). Also, using the reader have insight of the characters imagination is a smart use of foreshadowing. Tolkien also uses personification to draw the reader into the novel as if they were standing in front of the great mountains and forests. Metaphors are used to exemplify the skies and hills. Similes are also used in The Hobbit, even describing themselves as giant elephants stomping along. "'Stay by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole'" (53). The imagery in The Hobbit is explicit and very well places to intrigue the