Archetypes In The Hobbit

In 1949, Joseph Campbell discussed the hero’s journey, the foundation commonly used in stories throughout history. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the hero’s journey narrative is used to tell the story of Bilbo Baggins’s adventure. The novel follows Bilbo Baggins and a company of dwarves as they seek to take back the dwarves’ fallen kingdom. As the story progresses, Bilbo’s character develops and the dwarves perception of him develops through the many trials before the death of Smaug the dragon and the final battle between a variety of mythical creatures. In The Hobbit, the dwarves originally doubt Bilbo’s abilities but as Bilbo encounters more obstacles and succeeds, the dwarves perception turns to one of respect and admiration.

When you think of a hero, is the first character to pop in your head a little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins? In most cases, people think of Superman or Hercules, but in The Hobbit, an unexpected hero emerges and changes the name for all heroes to come. The Hobbit is a novel about Bilbo Baggins and his journey, with thirteen dwarves and a wizard, seeking the treasure stolen by the dragon, Smaug. While on this unexpected journey, Bilbo and his companions overcome many obstacles to eventually get to the treasure and retrieve it. Throughout the story, Bilbo develops into a courageous man, who indeed, is a hero. Richard Tyre wrote an article, “You Can’t Teach Tolkien,” and he explains his theory in which he connects multiple story’s plot with six elements. The Hobbit, is assuredly a prime example of Tyre’s theory because it follows all six steps throughout the story simultaneously. The six elements are; “(1) those who hunt for treasure, (2) must go alone, (3) at night, (4) and when they find it, (5) they must leave some of their blood behind, (6) and the treasure is never what they expected” (Tyre 19). These elements are steps in which a character must take to emerge into a hero in the end. Bilbo Baggins is the hero in The Hobbit, but he doesn’t start off as the hero. He has always had heroic traits but throughout the novel, he pursues those six steps and in the resolution, he is transformed into an actual hero.

Every author wants their readers to be engrossed in the story whether it be that a character or characters are relatable in some way to the reader, the plot, or the story itself. In order to create the characters or even the plot line the author needs to make it interesting for the reader to read. Authors use multiple stylistic choices throughout their story, and the readers may not even know that they are reading over the choices useless they are purposefully looking for it. In J.R.R Tolkien's book The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is forced to accompany a group of dwarves: Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, and Gandalf the wizard. They start their quest to take back their homeland from the dragon Smaug. Throughout the story they experience many difficult tasks, such as walking through a forest that is infested with giant spiders, battling goblins that live in the mountains, and Gollum, a malnourished man in desperate need of a therapist. J.R.R. Tolkien utilizes indirect and direct characterization to help the readers understand the characters and help to justify their actions.

The Hobbit is a novel that is actually a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster explains a vast amount of archetypes. I will be applying the archetypes in the book “How to Read Literature like a Professor” to Bilbo Baggins’ journey.

By putting his life in danger Bilbo shows a true example of heroism. Though the dwarves were still skeptical of his abilities, they were starting to take into consideration of what Gandalf had said about this little hobbit. Continuing their adventure the group is attacked by goblins where they are eventually saved by Gandalf. Throughout the turmoil of the attacking goblins Bilbo gets lost in the caves and finds himself alone in the darkness. It is in this event when Bilbo finds Gollum’s ring. Gollum was a sickly looking creature that had been dwelling in the caves for many years. Bilbo used his wits to outsmart the creature by playing a riddle game with him and eventually made it to safety. Having Bilbo win the riddle game shows that his smart and witty mind aids him in becoming the hero. Bilbo wasn’t some tough strong stereotypical super hero, he used his smarts to outwit his foes and to triumph over evil. Though Bilbo at the time did not know the power of the ring that he had retrieved from Gollum’s lair (the power of invisibility), it was his heroic fate that he found it as it assist him in becoming the hero of the story. Fate has it that Bilbo will become a hero, but Bilbo also has the courage on top of his fate to get the dwarves out of life threatening situations.

Going forward, in this essay, topics such as heroism and transformity will be strongly analyzed through quotes directly from the book The Hobbit and opinions formed while reading. Through the book The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien is able to show how a hero isn’t always the typical buff and boots with a cape on his back kind of person. Tolkien shows the reader that a hero is made by the struggles he conquers and isn’t just a perfect character thrown into the beginning of the story.

The Hobbit is a fictional novel written by J.R.R Tolkien. The novel is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who was approached by a group of dwarves who were in search of treasure in the mountains. Along the way, the group faced many obstacles and bumps in the road. On the contrary, Thomas C. Foster wrote a book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor”, that gives students a bit of insight on how to understand what they’re reading, and it also helps students to figure out the true meaning of different situations and things that are written in literature. In the book, Foster went on to explain different archetypes that are typically hidden in literature. Some archetypes that Foster elaborated on were the hero’s quest, death, resurrection, and communion. Archetypes such as the hero’s quest can be applied to the the journey that is depicted throughout the novel: The Hobbit. Aspects of this archetype that will be discussed later include the quester, a destination, a stated reason to embark on the journey, obstacles along the way, and the actual reason for going on the journey.

Hobbit Essay: Emerging Hero Is Bilbo Baggins, from The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien a lonely hobbit or is he the most heroic hero there is? Bilbo learns that he is capable of doing many things during his adventure, learning many things that were hidden away from his great ancestors on the Tookish side. Bilbo learns from Thorin and the other dwarves how to be courageous, heroic and intelligent, but above all else how to lead the expedition into the great unknown with a victory. His traits and will to learn stand out to the other dwarves who later begin to admire his greatness.

The Hobbit tells the story of a Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins that goes on an adventure. It is a captivating story but is has an amazing amount of archetypes within it. It is truly a work of art.

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.

“There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils,” Bilbo Baggins was a self-centered hobbit who only cared about his well being. Like every other hobbit, he had no time for adventures but when a peculiar fellow shows up to his house, all he got was an adventure filled with perils. The book, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is about friendship, courage, and perseverance. The book begins in the home of Bilbo Baggins and ends in it too. Bilbo is just an ordinary hobbit but he soon changes as he gets whisked away on an adventure by a wizard named Gandalf.

The story starts from the side of Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo starts as a nervous & annoyed host. He is hobbit, & his folk are reserved, but kind & carefree. Hobbits love to accommodate company when the time arrives, but this night Bilbo was in a ruck. Spontaneously, 13 dwarves & Gandalf tediously trickled through the door in groups & demanded dinner. Bilbo was not expecting these unknown & unplanned visitors, especially the grand total of 14! They ate & sang all night, while little time was devoted to business, which was planned that night. Bilbo was exhausted, unpleased, & unaffiliated with the pressing event they gathered to discuss. He was only aware that Gandalf selected him to be the Burglar of the party, which just so happened to be a vast journey across Middle-Earth. Unbeknownst to anyone, this was the start of a haunting tale, which Bilbo would never overlook. The first prominent issue Bilbo had to resolve the trolls. The group utilized this to test Bilbo’s strength, courage, brains, & stealth. Throughout the story, Bilbo continues to earn his spot among the dwarves, while the party is continually slammed with additional problems, however, everyday & every challenge reveals more of the nature of the dwarves & of Bilbo. With his role concluded & the Battle of Five Armies won, the yearning for home was too much to bear. Bilbo decided to travel home & achieve his part in the adventure of a lifetime. Each dwarf had grown quite fond of Bilbo, for the journey wouldn’t have been a success without their Burglar. The travel home was bittersweet & was a wonderful memoir of his quest. Gandalf accompanied him all the way to his Hobbit Hole on the Hill in Bag-End. Can we label Bilbo a hero? If so, what kind of hero is he? Is he a hero in history or in the eyes of the dwarves? Was Bilbo a savior for the descendants to come or the

Bilbo Baggins is one of the main characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Being a main character in a story, especially an adventure story, typically comes with some pretty hefty responsibilities. More often than not, the main character is also the hero. A hero is defined as “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities,” and these are not necessarily qualities readily attributed to Bilbo Baggins (oxforddictionaries.com). This essay will look at three ways in which Bilbo contrasts the traditional characteristics of a hero and what transformations he ends up making to fit the mold more closely. It will examine his lineage, his strength, and his attitude as well as the changes he makes throughout the story.

Exploring the Factors that Define a Person's Identity in The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien Identity is the basis of individuality. It determines who one is; who one chooses to be; how one is perceived by others. This philosophy is applied no differently in 'The Hobbit', written by J.R. Tolkien. It is a fantasy-adventure tale about a peaceful creature called a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who is hauled into an adventure by a well-known wizard, Gandalf. He sets off with thirteen dwarves in a quest for the treasure belonging to the leader of the dwarves, Thorin.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit living in the Shire having a peaceful quiet life in his hobbit hole. One day after living a life of leisure and pleasure he is awakened by a rude knock on his door. In a matter of a few hours he will meet the people that changed his life for good. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is a story about a hobbit and his adventure. His adventure starts with a knock on his door by his old Friend Gandalf. Gandalf then promptly asks Bilbo”I am looking for someone to share in an adventure”(tolkien). Bilbo then denies Gandalf and continuous with his usual day until that night. When Bilbo is about to eat his dinner he gets a knock. He opens it to find two dwarves Dwalin and Balin. Bilbo 's shocked but invites them in. Bilbo does this eval times until he 's left with thirteen dwarves Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Ori, Nori, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and Thorin Oakenshield. They then invite him on a quest that would change his life. During his quest he faces many evils and overcomes them all to become a hero.