The Heroic Journey In Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'

In 1949, Joseph Campbell discussed the hero’s journey, the foundation commonly used in stories throughout history. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the hero’s journey narrative is used to tell the story of Bilbo Baggins’s adventure. The novel follows Bilbo Baggins and a company of dwarves as they seek to take back the dwarves’ fallen kingdom. As the story progresses, Bilbo’s character develops and the dwarves perception of him develops through the many trials before the death of Smaug the dragon and the final battle between a variety of mythical creatures. In The Hobbit, the dwarves originally doubt Bilbo’s abilities but as Bilbo encounters more obstacles and succeeds, the dwarves perception turns to one of respect and admiration.

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.

The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien is a fantasy and quest novel. As The Pen and The Pad states all quest novels consist of five parts. “The call”, this is the beginning when gandalf arrives and tries to convince bilbo to go on the grand adventure, this continues with the arrival of the dwarfs and their magical stories . Then comes the refusal, when bilbo decides he will remain home, as he is happy as he is now, and wishes not to jeopardize his life for some foolish quest, this stage is through the whole of the first chapter then comes the “Threshold and Decent” when the main character gets something that convinces them to go, you could argue that this is one of a few options, when gandalf boots him from his house and gets him his things, this lifts his spirits and he is finally on the adventure, however he is still hesitant, this is where the second one comes into picture, I would argue that the true point he joins the quest is at the discovery of the ring, as this is his turning point. He gets an object that aids in his journey and he gains confidence, the true beginning of the adventure. Then “The Trial” when he comes face to face with Smaug, in a true trial of his power. Upon Smaug’s defeat, he gains much riches. Now “The Return” Bilbo arrives at his home at Bag End and has gained a love of adventure, storytelling, and a lot of confidence. Now we have established it is a quest novel, but it’s more,

The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The

The Hobbit is a classic example of a fool’s errand written as a children’s tale. Thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard journey across Middle Earth to face a centuries-old dragon that decades earlier obliterated the combined armies of the dwarves. And yet, against all odds, this pack of misfits succeeds in their quest, reclaiming Erebor, killing the dragon, and renewing the line of Durin. The Hobbit is moralistic in nature; it never intends to showcase the literal triumph of the heroes over the dragon, but rather the victory of one set of values over another. The dwarves’ companionship, sacrifice, and heroism defeat the dragon’s antagonistic, materialist, and isolated nature. Many tales throughout the ages echo this classic theme: love

Do you ever wonder what kind of person you are? Are you adventurous, perseptive, athletic? Have these traits ever affected your decision making? Because in “The Hobbit” By J.R.R. Tolkien, The protagonist Bilbo Baggins feels conflicted whether he should act like his more daring ancestors, the Tooks by embarking on a perilous journey to retake a kingdom. Or to be like his more respectable ancestors, the Bagginses and stay in the comfort of his warm home. As you can see, the traits he has acquired from his forebears are altering the way he sees the situation. Much like Bilbo, I believe that we all have similar sides to our personalities, whether the conflict is to be brave or timid, or smart rather than foolishly. And it is up to us to correctly

Have you ever noticed the continuous recurring theme in your favorite movies and books? That is called the Hero’s Journey. Bilbo Baggins, a supposedly unadventurous hobbit is requested to accompany a group of dwarves on a difficult journey by none other than Gandalf, the well-known wizard himself. Ishmael Beah, a young, happy boy goes out with his friends without saying goodbye, not knowing it may be his last time to see them. While with his friends, his town gets attacked by the rebels and his whole world turns upside down. Both authors portray the Hero’s Journey, but there multiple differences and a few similarities in their techniques.

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

Both The Hobbit and The Odyssey, follow what Joseph Campbell describes as the “Hero’s Journey.” Campbell’s formula for a hero consists of three parts: separation, initiation, and the return to society. The hero undertakes a difficult journey and suffers hardships in order to return a better person and help his community. Tales that follow the Hero’s Journey have been ever-present in history as seen in varying works of literature from ancient Celtic myths to the movie Star Wars. Stories told by people throughout history are used to try to describe the intricate dance between ideology and theology. There is also something that is

When all the dwarfs came to his came to his house and sang, “Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away ere break of day To seek the pale enchanted gold.(Tolkien pg.16, The Hobbit) it quotes what the adventures outline is. This quote holds very important information because this prevail stays the baseline of how they travel, and what they recieve. Now the only question in the story is will they succeed, and make it out alive. The piece of evidence does not really stick out, but it prevails in a fishy way, “It was a dwarf with a blue beard into a golden belt, and very bright under his eyes under his dark green hood. ”(Tolkien pg.9, The Hobbit).Tolkien was talking about Dwalin.

The movie adds more Supernatural Aid to the hero due to the more trials. In the book, Bilbo and the dwarves got help from Gandalf, Elrond, Beorn, and other beings and creatures. “ ‘Good-bye! be good, take care of yourselves, and DON’T STRAY FROM THE PATH!’ ” (Tolkein 138). This quote is Gandalf telling them advice of what not to do.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been beloved works among many generations of readers since they were first published. The author of these two books, J.R.R. Tolkien is just as interesting a man as many of the characters he created in the world of Middle-Earth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Africa to a banker manager and his wife in 1892 and had only one sibling, Hilary, who was less than two years younger (Wikipedia). When he was young both of his parents died (one from rheumatic fever, the other from diabetes) and he and his brother were raised by a Catholic priest in Birmingham (Wikipedia). Tolkien was involved in World War One and Two, first as a serviceman, then as a cryptographer (Wikipedia). Indeed he was very

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