Heroism, Magic and Retribution in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

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.

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach” (Tolkien 141-142). This event has led to Bilbo beginning to believe in himself, which is an important contribution to his overall development into the hero of this tale. Finally, when Bilbo is met with the task of meeting the dragon Smaug, he does not turn back. Even when he must walk alone through the dark, secluded hallway to Smaug’s lair knowing that he could meet his doom at any instant, he walked on. His internal being knows this is his final test of courage, and his will to carry on demonstrates his final development into a hero.

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,

Do all stories need to have every part of the Heroic Journey to be considered heroic? I will be explaining the similarities and differences between the book The Hobbit and the movie Wreck It Ralph. To find which has a stronger Heroic Journey. The Hobbit is a stronger Heroic Journey than Wreck It Ralph. This can be seen through a comparison of the departure, initiation, and the return.

First, Bilbo escape from the goblins and Gollum.The goblins were chasing Bilbo and he got away but met Gollum. Bilbo and Gollum made riddles, but then Bilbo finds ring and Bilbo stole it and run away. This shows hero like qualities because he was brave, and ran away from both of them and got away. Heroes are able to run and get away from their

A hero is brave. Meaning, in chapter two of “The Hobbit”, Bilbo decided to be the burglar everyone thinks of him and pick-pockets the trolls. However, Bilbo did get caught by the trolls, the “gang” thought he was a hero for trying. For example, let’s say I took a test and got a poor grade, but I tried my best, my teacher would still be happy that I tried

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.

In life, courage is the best way to find peace in chaotic and unfamiliar situations. In J.R.R Tolkien’s famous book, The Hobbit, Tolkien addresses this issue through the adventurers of Bilbo. Tolkien believes that courage is one of the most important attributes and courage can overcome all fears.

After graduating from Oxford at the age of 25, J.R.R Tolkien and his three best friends enlisted in the British army and went off to fight WWI, the bloodiest conflict the world had yet seen. It was in the bloody trenches of the Battle of the Somme, that Tolkien's view on heroism was formed. It is in this period of Tolkien's life that his classical views of heroism, clashed with the harsh realities of the changing face of warfare, warfare which was fought with machinegun and mustard gas, not sword and shield. In the Hobbit, Tolkien combines classical views of heroism, and contrasts them with his own ideas of heroism. Bilbo Baggins, the meek, mild mannered, hobbit embodies the epitome of Tolkien's idea of heroism. In Bilbo, we see that Tolkien admires one who lives a simple life and without the need for large wealth, one

(Ashton, 92). Specific characteristics come to mind when one envisions are hero, such as extraordinary strength and great courage. Heroes most commonly receive recognition for notable talents and remembered for their astonishing deeds and accomplishments. For example, Superman possesses superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to fly, qualities most frequently associated with heroes. However, not all heroes fit this model. Just a small hobbit from The Shire, Bilbo Baggins does not possess any great strengths or abilities, and many would view Bilbo as the antithesis to Superman. In J.R.R Tolkiens, The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins portrays an unlikely hero due to his small size and stout appearance, his cowardly personality, and his tendency to appear as an onus to the group. However, through his actions of bravery, Bilbo demonstrates that anyone, no matter what size or shape, can perform heroic deeds.

There are many great characteristics of being a hero figure. Tolkien has things that he especially looks for in a hero we know this by using the Hobbit as evidence. Negative characters have distinct features and personalities that set them apart , the same for positive characters. Having mental strength is better when being a hero compared to physical strength. J.R.R Tolkien must have had hero characteristics in mind when creating the Hobbit.

It is estimated that one in five Americans suffer from a mental health disorder. (Www.mentalhealth.gov) Hundreds of different types of psychological concepts are known and classified to date. These classifications and diagnosis are developed by the American Psychiatric Association and are published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is now in its fifth edition, abbreviated DSM-5 The DSM-5 is used by healthcare providers to help give their patients an accurate and specific diagnosis. With a specific diagnosis that is standard across all providers a standard of care can be established. ("American Psychiatric Association DSM-5) With such a wide array of classified diagnosis available in the DSM-5 it is easy to see psychological concepts in everyday life, especially characters in movies. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is not an exception, many of the characters display diagnosable psychological concepts. To simplify analysis due to paper length restrictions focus will be placed on one of the main characters in the movie: Thorin Oakenshield. First, a brief synopsis will be provided for the movie, next, interpretation of the characters state of mind will be given with connection to specific psychological concepts will be broken down and compared to its official diagnostic parameters in regard to accuracy to the DSM-5.

The Hobbit directed by Peter Jackson is a movie that lets you see how the underdog goes from being small and not noticed to becoming the hero that will bring back hope and save the day. Everyone likes a good underdog story and I for one think that The Hobbit is a perfect example of it. Throughout this movie, it slowly makes the main character Bilbo Baggins more of the light in dark and makes him become more hero like with each passing event. Throughout this movie, the tone helps to bring out the inner heroism and light in Bilbo. In the start of the movie, Bilbo gets 13 uninvited guests that show up and ask him to join them on their mission to take back their home, the Lonely Mountain. This is a very powerful scene with a very serious underlying tone to it. The scene starts off with playful banter and fun throughout the 12 dwarfs but when Thorin Oakenshield arrives the mood gets very serious by how the music changes and the interaction between characters. The music was a big hint in the serious tone since it went from more upbeat and energetic to a softer volume and slowed down a bit. The characters interactions are still friendly with each other but when confronting Bilbo they get more focused. The body language is also stiffer and less carefree when the call for help is talked about. Another scene is where Bilbo's ability to bring out some hope is when the Company has to get back there ponies from 3 mountain trolls. During this scene Bilbo has to bite back is fear of the

Smaug is a dragon who is evil and thought of himself as smart, powerful, and very superior because his main purpose is to steal the treasure from the dwarves and control it. However, Thorin’s family tries to find Smaug to get back their jewels, but Smaug is a very difficult dragon to get anything back from. In the novel, Tolkien says, “Smaug was still to be reckoned with. It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession; and Smaug was no exception” (Tolkien 217).