From Hobbit to Hero
In most minds, heroes are bold, courageous, and popular. In The Hobbit, By J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is introduced, and he really isn’t someone’s idea of a hero. But as the novel progresses, readers see that Bilbo truly is a hero.
In the beginning of the novel, Gandalf chooses Bilbo Baggins as the company’s burglar, and the dwarves doubt him. As they travel on they meet trolls, and Bilbo tries to steal food for the group. He fails, and gets the dwarves captured. Gandalf comes and rescues the group, but Bilbo’s attempt to steal food wasn’t just a failure. the group finds weapons, and they head off towards the Lonely Mountain. Soon after, they seek shelter in a cave and get captured by goblins.
Bilbo wakes in a cave far
Bilbo Baggins finds another side of himself he is the one leading the group of dwarves. In chapter 8 Mr. Bilbo Baggins shows real bravery by been able to set himself and the dwarves free from the spiders. In chapter 9 Mr. Bilbo Baggins shows intelligence by been able to devise a plan to set the dwarves free from the wood elves prison. In chapter 12 it is Mr. Bilbo Baggins alone that goes into Smaug dragon’s lair and he is also able to find Smaug’s vulnerable spot. In chapter 16 Mr. Bilbo Baggins is willing to give up his share of the wealth to bring peace to the humans, dwarves, and
Bilbo’s Heroic Journey Essay In all the stories, tales, and novels there is always a main character, most of the time the main character is a hero or hero-like. A lot of the time the author would use a formula called The Hero’s Journey or The Archetypal Journey, it is a way for writers and authors to keep track and follow step by step in order to successfully form a heroic character in a story. The Heroic Journey was written by Joseph Campbell, he was an American mythologist and writer. Some people do not believe Bilbo Baggins in the novel The Hobbit does not follow the heroic journey, but I think he follows the heroic journey step by step.
He is, after all, the protagonist of the story and the one who has journeyed so far from his safe hole in the Shire. The answer lies within the responsibilities of Bilbo on this quest. He was never meant to be the hero. His purpose was to aid the dwarves in the restoration of their people to their rightful place in the palace beneath the Lonely Mountain. Tolkien tells this quest to show how a normal hobbit can transform into an adventurer, and to disprove the common thought of the cultural hero.
Sometimes, heroes are recognized through their actions displayed in pressing conditions. Even if a hero does not have a needed skill in the current situation, he can assess it and be able to demonstrate courage, meaning that besides being body-strong, a hero must be mind-strong. In the story The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is the perfect example of a hero. He helps the band of dwarves trick the nefarious spiders, escape from the magical elves, and finally assign himself the responsibility to talk face-to-face with the dragon Smaug. Although Bilbo had never been on adventure or fought monsters, faced his dilemmas with sensible activity.
One thing that he finds is the archestone. To begin, Bilbo Baggins is one of the main characters throughout the story. Bilbo becomes a hero by saving many characters lifes. The way that Bilbo becomes a hero is when he saves the dwarves from the spiders. “Then the spider jumped back, and he had time to cut his legs loose, after that it was his turn to attack”.
“Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a secession of trials.” (Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces). While traveling along in the mountains, Bilbo discovers three trolls sitting around a fire. Since he was the burglar of the group, he was assigned by the dwarves to steal an item from one of the trolls and bring it back to them to eat. However, while trying to complete the task he was caught.
Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and Winkler believe after the hero’s departure, they are faced with a trial or many trails to overcome when they finally meet their biggest enemy, “The hero undergoes a series of trials often on a perilous journey.” (Campbell) Bilbo’s first trial is after Bilbo escapes from Gollum which he is reunited with the dwarves and are surrounded by Wargs but after it seems all hope is lost, eagles swoop down and save the adventures before it is too late. In Mirkwood, the dwarves and Bilbo are starving when they get captured by spiders, and Bilbo has to save them, “Bilbo saw that the moment had come when he must do something. ”(Tolkien 64) Bilbo escapes by himself and then finds the dwarves trapped and defenseless against a mob of spiders which Bilbo has to defeat by calling them names, and angering them until Bilbo has unraveled the dwarves.
In the story “The Hobbit” Bilbo can be seen as the hero when he sacrifices his family’s name to be a part of the quest to get Thorin's gold back Bilbo's first approach is his attempt on stealing the trolls’ treasure. He later is met by the goblins, Gollum, elves, and spiders. Each fear he faces develops Bilbo as a hero, getting him ready for his greatest quest, stealing the treasure from Smaug.. Another example of Bilbo putting others before himself is the treasure he willing to give in order to bring peace to the men, elves, and dwarves. Last, but not least, Bilbo is willing to sacrifice his life for a cause bigger than himself.
Bilbo wakes up in a cave where he sees a ring. He grabs it and then he sees a creature named Gollum. Gollum thinks he stole the ring and gets aggressive so Bilbo puts on the ring and it turns him invisible. So he is able to escape with the ring. He finds the group of dwarves and Gandalf.
The Hobbit is a piece of prose written by J.R.R Tolkien. In the story the main character Bilbo Baggins fits the definition of a traditional hero. A traditional hero is someone with a physical strength, a forceful personality, and a craving for adventure or even conflict. Traditional heroes also often leave home, seek out honor and glory, and repeatedly prove themselves worthy. Bilbo proves that he is a hero throughout the story with his characteristics, choices, and behaviors.
Along the way, they overcome many obstacles that threaten their lives and put their trust for one another to the test. Bilbo learns that there is more to him than he realizes and through hard work and dedication, he can accomplish almost anything. Overcoming these problems and learning more about himself helped Bilbo change from an ordinary, self-doubting hobbit into a clever, courage-filled, loyal hero. In the beginning, Bilbo has no desire to go on an adventure of any kind, but he quickly learns about the cleverness he obtains when he is forced to make quick decisions.
Bilbo could be seen as a classic everyman who reflects the great potential which we all have inside of our souls. He is an ordinary person, you might say. In addition, he was short, had many weakness and a very simple personality – all that made him a very unusual hero. However, despite this
After the giant spider chaos, the hobbit once again shows leadership and courage when the Wood-elves capture the dwarves and take the company to the The Elvenking’s Palace. As always, Bilbo Baggins follows close behind as the Wood-elves lead them to their home. The group of dwarves were put into dungeons; Bilbo was not captured for he was wearing the invisibility ring he stole from the Gollum. The company of dwarves stay in their receptacle for one week. During that one week, Bilbo roams and searches the castle only to find an escape through a trapdoor which leads to the river.
Gandalf calls Bilbo to adventure at the beginning of the story, and Bilbo is forced to realize that “adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine” (Tolkien 33). Bilbo’s journey to a hero begins with gaining an understanding that he must expose himself to uncertainty in order to help his group. After Bilbo crosses the first threshold with help from Gandalf, he finds himself in the ‘belly of the whale’ with
Bilbo faces a person against self conflict with his family blood. Half of him is a Took, and the other half is Baggins. The baggins side of him is the lazy, relaxed side. But the Took side is adventurous which is frowned upon by other hobbits. Bilbo had to decide whether to be a hero or stay home and be respected by other hobbits.