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Bilbo's Struggles In The Hobbit

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One character in “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien that faced significant struggles is Bilbo. A trial that he overcame was the expectations that the other hobbits had of him. The other hobbits’ viewpoints were that hobbits should not be adventurous and that they should be very dignified. As soon as he leaves for his adventure, the other hobbits no longer view him as respectable. Near the beginning, and even towards the middle, Bilbo finds himself agreeing with them, thinking that he should never have left his hobbit-hole. By the end of the novel, though, he finds that he no longer cares what the other hobbits think of him and has overcome that obstacle. At the end of the novel, it says that “he was in fact held by all the hobbits of the neighbourhood to be ‘queer’ … I am sorry to say he did not mind. He was quite content” (Tolkien 275). This conflict can be considered man v. society. This can be connected to one of the many overall themes of the book, the social limits set on …show more content…

In the beginning of the book, Bilbo is very unsure about his abilities and is not self-confident. He had never gone on an adventure before and wasn’t sure of what he was capable of. As the group faces many challenges, his confidence and courage grew, especially when he fends off the giant spiders. As the novel progresses, his courage grows, until they face their final task and Bilbo must go into the tunnels alone. By this point in the book, he has enough courage to do nearly anything. This conflict can be identified as man v. self. At one point in the book, Bilbo “felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach…” (Tolkien 144). This can be connected to the theme of the development of a hero from an ordinary person (or hobbit) because gaining courage is an essential part of becoming a hero. In this novel, there are endless amounts of conflicts, but these are two main conflicts that Bilbo

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