Analysis Of Bilbo Baggins 's ' The Hobbit '

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The word “hero,” might conjure an image of somebody dressed in shining armour holding a sword and slaying the terrible dragon guarding a hoard of gold. In The Hobbit, there is indeed a heinous dragon guarding a hoard of treasure, and a hero who embarks on a journey to defeat the dragon and reclaim his stolen birthright. However, there is not just one hero, but two: Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who plays the role of the non-traditional hero, and Thorin Oakenshield, a strong-minded dwarf who represents the traditional hero. By the end of the story, both characters have established that they’re capable of conquering obstacles and adversities with their individual set of skills that they’ve either acquired or already had: Bilbo with his…show more content…
His failure was a result of poor luck. It’s stated on #41 that: “…at any rate, hobbits can move quietly in woods, absolutely quietly.” Furthermore, his stealth had roped him and the Company out of dire situations. When the wood-elves had taken the Company hostage, it was Bilbo who snuck in and evaded the guards’ notice for over a week (#203), and then freed the dwarves from the dungeon (#208). His small stature and his ring of invisibility are all factors that contribute to Bilbo’s stealth. And of course, it is Bilbo’s ability to lead that was one of his greatest assets. He was not much of a leader at first, but as we delved deeper, we soon learned that he is indeed worthy of being deemed a leader. There are two quotes that prove this, found on page 204: “…and they [the dwarves] all trusted Bilbo. Just what Gandalf had said would happen, you see. Perhaps that was part of his reason for going off and leaving,” and, “…Thorin had taken heart again hearing how the hobbit had rescued his companions from the spider…” Bilbo inspired Thorin to not give up, gained the trust of the dwarves, earned their respect, and proved his abilities to the mentor, like a true leader. The reason Tolkien had Bilbo developed these skills was to prepare him for the supreme ordeal (Smaug), and his journey back. It was necessary for Tolkien to carefully plan Bilbo’s character development in order for him to realistically face these obstacles. Despite his small size,
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