Bilbo Baggins; Zero to Hero

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.

Bilbo is a timid, comfortable, and compact in his secure little hole at Bag End. Gandalf persuaded him into going on a quest with Thorin’s dwarves. Bilbo became afraid that he fainted. As the novel progresses, Bilbo prevails in the face of danger and adversity, justifying Gandalf’s early claim that there is more to him than what he thought. Bilbo’s journey fits into the tradition of a hero’s quest, because he basically went somewhere in order to gain something.

Finally the last example of Bilbo’s heroism is a battle against himself when he goes to visit Smaug the first time. In The Hobbit Tolkien states “[Bilbo] fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait” (200). Bilbo had to urge himself to continue down the tunnel to Smaug’s lair. Only a true hero would continue to walk towards a certain death, and that’s just what Bilbo Baggins did. Not only did Bilbo continue but he, being a burglar, stole a golden cup right in front of Smaug to! Bilbo is a hero for facing his fears and continuing to fulfill a promise.

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 on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait” (132). In J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the reader is taken through a parable that follows Bilbo Baggins on the ‘Hero’s Journey.’ This fantasy classic begins with an ‘everyman’ hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who takes on a perilous journey to reclaim the dwarves’ homeland, The Lonely Mountain. After being spurred into action by Gandalf, the herald and mentor figure, Bilbo finds himself going on a pernicious venture that contradicts his docile nature, pushing him to play the role of

Following his discovery of the ring, Bilbo begins to face danger (Mathews 36). During the trip in the forest of Mirkwood, Bilbo uses Gandalf's absence to confirm his position as leader of the group through the memorable battle against the spiders (Mathews 38). Tolkien illustrates the importance of this combat through his words: "Somehow, the killing this giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark…made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt like a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath. ‘I will give you a name', he said to it, ‘and I shall call you Sting.'" The author thus stresses the importance of this incident (Tolkien 154). The naming of swords at that time was a sign of that heroism displayed by great warriors, and shows that Bilbo is gaining self-confidence and bravery (The 1924). The escape from the spiders brought about another challenge, the escape from the elves. Although the elves would most likely have released their prisoners after some time because of their natural righteousness, a delay would have prevented the dwarves from entering the mountain through the secret passage. Bilbo proves that he has the mental toughness of a hero by using brilliant strategy to enable his friends to escape unnoticed by the elves (Tolkien

Bilbo forgot about the dangers, about his old home, about his rewards, he just wanted to help, and the fearless Bilbo was brought out of him. Courage is a hard thing for a person to acquire, but can be obtained by their achievements and failures.

Not only does the portrayal of Bilbo’s character and underlying courage convey his heroism, but so does his sense of ethics. This is what truly makes him a unique, caring hero. While a typical hero’s motive is wealth and fame, Bilbo gave up his share of the dwarves’ treasure to help avoid war between two nations that severely despise one another (the elf and dwarf kingdoms). The fact that he was willing to give up his wealth to avoid war and for the good of other people marks a significant aspect of his heroism and explains why he is “more worthy to wear the armor of elf-princes than many that have

A hero is somone who is brave and selfless Bilbo Baggins is the epitome of a hero. According to Joseph Campbell “17 Stages of the Monomyth,” there will be a call to adventure. From the very beginning of the novel the narrator makes it clear that going on adventures is something that hobbits don't engage in. However, Bilbo after refusing to at first decided to go on the journey. Going on the journey he left his comfort zone put himself in danger, and potentially lost respect from all of the other hobbits. Like the typical hero in literature he made a sacrifice in order to help the dwarves. In many ways Biblo differs from heroes in Greek and Roman mythology. I noticed the vast majority of the heroes in Greek and Roman mythology tend to be warriors,

First of all, he gains courage in the story. Before he went on this adventure, he was timid and to himself. This is because hobbits didn’t go on anything dangerous, especially adventures. This all changes as soon as Bilbo goes on this journey with Gandalf and the dwarves. We see our first example of this when he tries to steal from the three huge, nasty

Thorin almost starts a war with the lake men and the woodelves, but is stopped by the entrance of the appalling Wargs and Goblins. Bilbo could have taken the prized Arkenstone for himself, but he did not. The reason Bilbo selflessly decides to give away the Arkenstone is because he wants to see peace between all five groups. Bilbo says, “He values it above a river of gold. I give it to you. It will aid you in your bargaining” (Tolkien 271). This quote reveals how Bilbo wants to make sure that the fighting is stopped from progressing. Bilbo atones for his mistake of secretly taking the Arkenstone by giving it to Bard to help stop the feud. Many people can argue that Bilbo takes the Arkenstone for his own pleasure, but Bilbo, being a hero, nobly gives the Arkenstone to Bard to help stop the fight from continuing. Bilbo generously gives the Arkenstone to Bard to make sure Thorin and the other dwarves are not hurt. If Bilbo had not done the right thing, then the elves and the humans would have hurt Thorin and the other dwarves. Thorin values the Arkenstone more than anything else in his life, making him ready to fight for it. Thorin exclaims, “In this debate they have no place. Begone now ere our arrows fly!” (Tolkien 264). Thorin reveals in this quote how much desire he has for this object that has been in his family for many

Many of us 7th graders think of a hero as something that has super powers. That is not always what a hero is, they could be the protagonist in a book. A hero that means a lot to me is Bilbo. Bilbo is the protagonist in the book "The Hobbit". This book is one of my favorite and I really enjoy reading it. The book is a very challenging but enjoyable at the same time. The hero's journey is the path or route that a main character takes in a book to become a savior or hero at the end of the book.

Bilbo puts his ring to follow the dwarves and try to come up with a plan on how to free the dwarves. He is always trying to think of ways to help the dwarves. He finally comes up with a plan. He gets the idea to put one dwarf in a barrel so they can escape. “For some time Bilbo had thought about this watergate and wondered if it could be used for the escape of his friends…” (177). This also shows how brave he is and that he stays with the dwarves rather than running off. Bilbo is showing to everyone that he had taken a cup from Smaug. This is a big sign of bravery. Even though there were previous instances where he was brave but, this also was a great achievement for Bilbo. His morals grow as his encounters with other races increase. Even though he has already shown morals multiple times, he keeps showing them and it starts to become a part of who he is and his

A hero possesses the mentality of a person of great courage and ability. Most associate heroes with extraordinary physical strength and special talents and abilities, such as Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf. The Hobbit, depicts a well known hobbit from The Shire, Bilbo Baggins. Located in Middle Earth, the Shire houses a population of hobbits. One might not associate a hobbit with the physical appearance of a hero because hobbits represent the antithesis of a hero’s

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.