Bennett 1
Steven Bennett
October 19, 2015
English 223 – Fantasy Literature
The Changing Identity of Bilbo Baggins
Identity is believed to be the foundation of individuality. It defines who we are and who we choose to be and how we are thought of by others we deal with. Each and every one of us makes personal choices and decisions throughout our lives that define our character and us as a person in general. In the story of “The Hobbit”, this is no different. Personal choices define each of the characters identity. Each character in the story displays characteristics of both the past and their present situations. The identity of each character is what makes each of them an individual and it determines who they are and who others in the story see them as.
In the story of “The Hobbit”, each character takes on a specific characteristic. In each of these characters identity on the surface is decided more by their race, family and their past rather than anything else in the beginning of the story. By making definite choices each character comes to define their own fate and challenge their own destiny and the outcome of their adventure.
The main character in the story, Bilbo Baggins was just a simple ordinary routine-loving hobbit. Despite being a creature the reader has never seen, Bilbo Baggins is described in physical, psychological, and social terms that are quite understandable. He looks like an adult human, except that he is about half the height, is beardless,
Bilbo Baggins is a fictional creature known as hobbit who accidentally lets his kindness talk the better of him, allows the reader to see both the message and effect of the mistake.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit that enjoys a peaceful lifestyle. Hobbits like to stay indoors and smoke their pipes and they do not like socialize. Hobbits do not like adventure or socializing with unfamiliar creatures. When he was asked to go on the adventure with the dwarves, Bilbo was taken out of his comfort zone and into the world of a hero. Bilbo goes from hobbit to a hero when he helps the dwarves get out of jail, put everyone in a barrel ,and fights spiders.
One of the most apparent character archetypes used in this novel is the everyman, a simple, adventure less, commonplace character that is played by Bilbo Baggins. In the beginning of the story, Bilbo is the classic everyman that lives in the Shire, but is soon thrust into a world he does not understand. As the story progresses Bilbo fulfills the role of the hero all while making a full circle back to the beginning and thus completing the Hero’s Journey. Another important figure in The Hobbit is Gandalf, who takes on the role of both the herald and the mentor. Gandalf’s role as the herald is clear as he embarks Bilbo on his adventure in the beginning of the novel. His role as the mentor is a longer and more subtle one as he guides Bilbo through his obstacles while letting Bilbo overcome them himself. His dual role helps support the storyline in building the full circled journey. The shadow role and the threshold guardians create a conflicting force that rivals the protagonists. The shadow is portrayed as Smaug and can be referred to as the antagonist throughout the expanse of the book. Bilbo and the dwarfs entire journey is based on their rivalry against the dragon guarding the homeland of the dwarfs, The Lonely Mountain, as he stands in the way of what they want, "Bilbo was now beginning to feel really uncomfortable. Whenever Smaug's roving eye, seeking for him in the shadows, flashed across him, he trembled, and an accountable desire seized hold of him to rush out and reveal himself and tell all the truth to Smaug. In fact he was in grievous danger of coming under the dragon-spell" (231). The use of this character in the Hero’s Journey is what creates a story and adds the necessary conflict to create the plot and engage the reader with the momentum it builds. Threshold guardians play a similar role in gathering momentum,
As children develop into adults, certain events and time periods stand out as the reason for important changes in their character. J.R.R. Tolkien portrayed the main character of The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, as a child on his trip into adulthood. Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist, changes from a childlike hobbit to a fully matured hero. J.R.R. Tolkien divides the change in Bilbo's character into the three major part of the book, prior to the quest, during the quest, and after the quest.
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.
Have you ever changed in your life for the better? Well, in the novel, The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, there is a main character named Bilbo Baggins who is a hobbit. Bilbo changes throughout the story because he is a dynamic character. He becomes courageous, adventurous, and learns to use his wits as the story develops. Let me go into further detail with this.
In the resound novel “The Hobbit”, written by J.R. Tolkien, the main character Bilbo Baggins has to overcome many power struggles to find out who he really is. Bilbo is one, if not the, most powerful ideological character there ever was in a book. His small stature and uncanny upbringing makes him so important to the concept of power. In the book, the hobbit is the smallest and most quiet race, they keep to themselves and do not like adventure or anything out of their norm. One day a large wizard comes to take Bilbo away on an adventure, he has to choose whether to stay in the norm or take a step outside of it. He chooses to take the leap and uncovers the first step to unlocking his inner power. The reason Tolkien uses a Hobbit as the main character is simple, hobbits are a small, weak creatures who
In almost every book, a character changes through an adventure or quest. In the book, The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins shares an adventure with 13 other dwarves. Throughout the journey, Bilbo finds himself not his usual self. Bilbo shows his first act of heroism when the party, not including Thorin, is caught by spiders.
The Hobbit is a sci-fi fantasy tale about the journey of a hobbit that is volunteered by a wizard to take back the inheritance of the dwarves defeating the mighty dragon Smaug. Bilbo, the hobbit is uneasy about the job at first and has his doubts. He builds courage as the novel progresses. Varieties of archetypes of The Hobbit are going to be pointed out symbolizing the author’s plot.
These three characters each play key roles in developing the plot and creating suspense. The hero is represented by Bilbo in this story. On page 4, the author explains,”This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins.” Bilbo was a very ordinary hobbit in the beginning.
“The Hobbit”, a thrilling novel with numerous amounts of varying characters, contains so many different archetypes. Ranging from dwarves to dragons, “The Hobbit” has such a large variety of characters starting with Bilbo Baggins who gets led into an adventure by a wizard named Gandalf. Along with the aid of dwarves, Bilbo must go on a journey to defeat Smaug- the large dragon who guards the treasure. Together they face many struggles along the way, but they finally defeat the dragon. And a large amount of characters and archetypes are introduced in this novel. They include Bilbo who shows growth and bravery, Gandalf who invites Bilbo to the hero’s journey, and Smaug who symoblizes fear and challenges Bilbo’s courage. In “The Hobbit”, Bilbo Baggins plays the
Bilbo Baggins changes a lot in the novel The Hobbit. In the beginning he is a small peaceful Hobbit who lives in Hobbiton. He loves to keep things in order, and hates things that are disorganized. “Please be careful,” and “Please don’t trouble. I can manage” (Tolkein, 12). Then one day a wizard by the name of Gandalf comes and gives Bilbo the opportunity to go on an adventure. Bilbo turns his offer down, but the next day thirteen dwarves come to his house. They have meals together and they sleep at Bilbo’s house. Gandalf then convinces him to go on an adventure with them. Bilbo is many things, in the very begging he is flat, static, main, and he is the protagonist. By the end of the story he is round, dynamic, main, and he is still the
The Hobbit is about is about Bilbo Baggins going on an adventure and becoming the hero that he needed to be I will be discussing Bilbo Baggins and how he develops and changes throughout the story. I
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.