Bilbo Symbolism In The Hobbit

Have you ever been so excited to ride the tallest rollercoaster in the park only to wait in line for an hour and when you finally get to the top you begin to think to yourself, maybe this isn’t a great idea after all? Well, this closely resembles the feelings that Bilbo Baggins encounters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit when he is faced with going on an adventure. His Tookish side shows through his enthusiasm about going on the adventure. His Baggin’s side shows through his hesitation when the adventure actually begins.

They held a great deal of admiration for their friend who proved his worthiness through his burglaring success. After the final battle, Bilbo talks to Thorin right before the he dies, “‘There is more in you than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in the measure’” (Tolkien 290). The dwarf king realized his original opinion of Bilbo was wrong. Thorin found that Bilbo was brave and honorable, not weak and incapable. The rest of the dwarves developed the same opinion as Thorin, “Then the dwarves bowed low before their Gate, but words stuck in their throats. ‘Good-bye and good luck, wherever you fare!’” (Tolkien 294). Originally, the dwarves were almost unwilling to take the little hobbit along on the journey, but by the end, they were struggling to say goodbye to their friend. Bilbo became more than just a burglar to the dwarves, he became a respected

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.

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

Fact 1: Bilbo Baggins went through several tasks that made his character grow. Through countless excursions into the wild it was obvious that Bilbo developed greatly into a wonderfully cheerful hero. After Bilbo beat Gollum in a game of riddles he became more confident in himself. Bilbo’s task was to solve a riddle that Gollum gave him. If he got the answer he lived. If he was wrong, Gollum would eat him. Bilbo was good at riddles and he defeated Gollum. Then Bilbo used his ring to escape. This event made him even more confident. Bilbo realized that he had accomplished a very tough task when he beat Gollum. This event also made Bilbo more skilled in being stealthy when he had his ring on.

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

In a book called The Hobbit, the main character Bilbo Baggins was born with two types of families in his blood, the Baggins side, which is his father’s side, is the side of the family that hates adventures. They just want sit in there homes and eat all day, basicly its the negative side of Bilbo’s whole family. The other type of family that's in Bilbo blood is the Took side, which is his mother’s side . They like to do adventures, journeys, quests or some other active stuff. You think since Bilbo’s a boy he would be mostly on his father’s side of the family, but Bilbo was asked to go on a unexpected journey and he’s been through a lot of events

In the book the Hobbit Bilbo has exhibited many ways in the beginning how he was a hobbit such as, not wanting to go on the adventure with the dwarves and Gandalf or, the fact he did not want the dwarves in his home in the first place as a matter of fact he ask them to leave. So this shows how Bilbo was very hobbit like in the beginning, but how about closer to the middle of this very fascinating book. First of all, Bilbo escaped the goblin all by himself and with a little help from the ring. Bilbo also found his way back to Gandalf and the dwarves once he did escape the goblins. He also took on Gollum even though it could have cost him his life.

One little hobbit’s life shall change forever with adventure lurking by for tea. Bilbo displays three archetypes throughout his adventure. One of them is ‘the call to adventure’, where's ‘the Tookish side’ of him awakens, and Gandalf presents Bilbo with an adventure, though without giving him an alternative. A second one is ‘the magic item’, for instance the magic ring. And ultimately, the ‘supernatural aid’ , patently Gandalf for he is a wizard. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, Under Hill has invariably led a quiet and ‘boring’ life. Well, at least he did until thirteen dwarves came rapping at his door.

Many heroes are courageous; they overcome any obstacle that comes in their way, but not all them were heroes in the beginning of their adventures. For example, Bilbo, from the novel The Hobbit, started out like a regular hobbit, simple, quite, and liked the company of his own home. But as the adventure progressed, Bilbo was no longer a regular hobbit, he was a hero. Bilbo went from a hobbit to a hero going through many obstacles in his adventure, when he escapes from Gollum, kills the spider that trapped him, and when he goes into the mountains by himself.

Throughout their journey, Thorin considers himself a noble hero, when in reality, he didn’t accomplish many acts of goodwill; he was eager to send someone else in to do the work for him. While at the Lonely Mountain, Thorin recommends Bilbo to brave the depths of Smaug’s den. In that situation, he didn’t display a very heroic act. However, in the dragon’s lair, Bilbo finds the Arkenstone; a beautiful gem that glows with blinding light and has immense value. The treasure is considered the “Heart of the Mountain,” and is favoured by

The ring makes him invisible, but he doesn’t know that yet. He then comes across a little shriveled up hobbit named Gollum. He knows the way out of the cave so he made a bet with Bilbo. If you can beat me in a game of riddles I will show you the way out, but if I win I get to eat you. Bilbo bravely accepts his challenge. Bilbo then wins the challenge by pure luck. “What have I got in my pocket?” (Tolkein, 78) That was his last riddle that Gollum didn’t get. Gollum gets mad and thinks Bilbo is trying to trick him. He then puts on the ring. Gollum then goes to the exit of the cave unknowingly followed by Bilbo. Bilbo then jumps over Gollum and out the door. He was very brave to face Gollum.

The Bag-End is basically the Hill where Bilbo lives, but his mother’s side of the family calls this The Water. The Lone-lands is where people spoke strangely, and they also sung songs that Bilbo never heard before. The Long- Lands is where Bilbo meets the trolls. Rivendell is the location of the "Last Homely House" protected by the great lord Elrond. Mirkwood is a dark forest with suspicious Wood-elves, eerie enchantments, and giants spiders. The Lonely Mountain is the end of the quest. It was hard to get inside the mountain. They had to wait a specific day till they can unlock the side door and get inside. This is also where Smaug was killed at. During the whole quest Bilbo’s hobbit hole represented him before the quest. Bilbo whenever he was scared or hungry thought about his home as a sort comfort for him while he was away from it. Looking at Bilbo starting from how he was before he left his home to now he has come a long way. Him going on dangerous quests represents the change in Bilbo. When Bilbo returns home from the quest his home is changed. His home now has a sword hanging over the mantelpiece and he also has a chainmail coat hanging in his hallway. All these items represents the change in

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.