Archetypes In The Hobbit

The first chapter of How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster is about the hero’s quest. Foster starts the chapter with a fictious example of a story with a protagonist called Kip that although on the surface seems like a search for bread, is actually an example of a knight’s encounter with nemesis, a quest. He then goes on to discuss the five components of a quest and how the parts often vary and are hidden in different forms. One of the primary take-aways from the chapter however is how the real reason for a quest is never the one stated but rather self-knowledge, the idea that the purpose for the quest is ultimately not the stated reason but rather a quest of education. Foster argues that the stated reason is more of an excuse for embarking on the quest, rather than the end goal and discusses

Many people find the story, “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkein as just an invigorating story of a normally unadventurous hobbit who goes on an adventure. Others may “read between the lines” and see that each event that takes place within the book is a symbol. These symbols are called archetypes. An archetype is basically a symbol or character in a story that represents common experiences, and has become patterns in English literature. In The Hobbit, the archetypes/symbols include: a quest, communion and, death and resurrection/ descent into the underworld.

The book, The Hobbit, follows the archetype of the hero’s journey. In the story, Bilbo Baggins is compelled to leave his ordinary hobbit life and join a band of dwarves and a wizard to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasures from Smaug, the evil dragon who stole it from Thorin’s ancestors. Breaking away from a monotonous life was proving to be a difficult task for the tiny hero. He had to learn how to live life as an adventurer. He also had to come to terms and adjust to a normal life once his journey was over. The Hobbit is a major example of the hero’s journey.

The Hobbit, written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, describes a quest that Bilbo Baggins and his friends made. Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of the novel, was one of the many

“The Hobbit”, a thrilling novel with numerous amounts of varying characters, contains so many different archetypes. Ranging from dwarves to dragons, “The Hobbit” has such a large variety of characters starting with Bilbo Baggins who gets led into an adventure by a wizard named Gandalf. Along with the aid of dwarves, Bilbo must go on a journey to defeat Smaug- the large dragon who guards the treasure. Together they face many struggles along the way, but they finally defeat the dragon. And a large amount of characters and archetypes are introduced in this novel. They include Bilbo who shows growth and bravery, Gandalf who invites Bilbo to the hero’s journey, and Smaug who symoblizes fear and challenges Bilbo’s courage. In “The Hobbit”, Bilbo Baggins plays the

On a journey they go, to the rolling hills. Thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard. In ‘The Hobbit’ many characters tell the story. Each and every one of them plays an important role in the story. There are three major archetypes in ‘The Hobbit’, they are The Hero, The Mentor, and The Shadow.

Imagine a world where dragons talk and trolls are real. This image is a reality in “The Hobbit,” written by J.R.R. Tolkien. In “The Hobbit,” the hero’s journey is the adventure Bilbo takes to find treasure. Within a hero’s journey, there are several different archetypes that add depth and lengthen the story. In “The Hobbit,” many of these archetypes are shown through the character’s actions and language.

The Hobbit, the literary masterpiece by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, more commonly known as J.R.R Tolkien, is a splendid book with many archetypes to visualize. One of these archetypes is the ruler archetype, a ruler is the leader of a community or group of people. Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, King under the Mountain is the ruler figure in this book. Thorin represents the ruler archetype well as he is the patriarch of his companions, he keeps order within his group, and he is a courageous leader and fighter.

Every book is related. They all include tons of archetypes. Like what it actually means to eat food together or how the real reason of a quest is always self-knowledge. In “The Hobbit,” by J. R. R. Tolkien, there are many examples of these archetypes. “The Hobbit,” is a great book and in order to understand here’s a quick preview.

The Hobbit is a novel that is actually a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. “How to Read Literature like a Professor” explained a vast amount of archetypes that could be compared to Bilbo’s journey in “The Hobbit”. A hero’s quest and communion will be up for discussion and compared to certain parts of Bilbo Baggins’ journey.

“All we have to decide is what we do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, besides the will of evil” (Tolkien 304). Growth and courage are both vital actions in life. One cannot hope to live and thrive without growing both internally and externally, and having the courage to stand up for what one’s beliefs. Courage is directly affected by growth, for without growth, one will never obtain the courage to move on and push forward when times get tough in life. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone takes immense growth and no small amount of courage, but can prove to be a pivotal moment within climactic events. In his epic tale

Journeys come in all shapes and sizes, they show up out of nowhere or are planned for months. One thing all journeys have in common is that they take a person from one place to another. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is the tale of such a journey. The Hobbit is the tale of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from a small, peaceful part of the world. Bilbo’s tranquil life is disrupted when the wizard Gandalf shows up along with a company of thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin, and invites Bilbo on away on an adventure of epic proportions. The group quests to recapture the dwarves ancestral home from the dragon Smaug. On their way to the mountain where the dragon lurks, Bilbo is faced with hungry trolls, villainous goblins, the dark creature Gollum, evil spiders,

For example on page 3 it states, " The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for times out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected." This shows that Bilbo Baggins is known for neglecting adventures. This also shows that Bilbo himself does not know what he is capable of doing. Another example of this theme is shown in chapter 5, when Bilbo had found himself in a dark cave with no sound nor light. Then comes Gollum a strange creature in search of a precious item. Bilbo Baggins has to find a way outside of this mysterious cave so he bribes Gollum. He then finds the precious item Gollum was searching for, a powerful ring which makes you invisible. He then finds his way out of the cave and passes the goblins and then escapes to meet back up with the

In the hobbit Tolkien uses the ring which was an honor for winning a game, which was won by Bilbo Baggins also I am writing about if Gandalf should be in the book. The author uses Dialogue and Inner thinking for this section of the book. Tolkien also uses symbolism in the book because he is talking about the ring and what the use of it is for. Tolkien relies on humor to portray the adventure in the hobbit. Three topics I will be using for my essay are Dialogue, Inner Thinking, Flashback, and Flashforward.

American mythologist, scholar, and author Joseph Campbell popularized the study of patterns within heroic narratives in his 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell’s theory, born from a lifelong study of heroic myths and narratives from around the world, is that the hero’s journey inevitably follows a common pattern of experience. By describing the universal stages (i.e., elements of the hero’s journey/story) that transcend temporal and cultural differences, Campbell’s theory manifests itself as the literary blueprint for the heroic narrative. Campbell’s theory of the narrative structure of the hero’s journey can be applied to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Tolkien’s