The Hobbit : A Hero 's Journey

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.

“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.

Continuing in the beginning, Bilbo declines the invitation from Gandalf to go on an adventure. “We don’t want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water” (Tolkien 3). He declines this invitation, and quickly ends the conversation here because at this point in the story he is not brave enough for an adventure. During another occasion Bilbo says, "Sorry! I don 't want any adventures, thank you. Not today. Good morning! But please come to tea - any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Come tomorrow! Good-bye!" (Tolkien 5). Here he

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.

Many of us 7th graders think of a hero as something that has super powers. That is not always what a hero is, they could be the protagonist in a book. A hero that means a lot to me is Bilbo. Bilbo is the protagonist in the book "The Hobbit". This book is one of my favorite and I really enjoy reading it. The book is a very challenging but enjoyable at the same time. The hero's journey is the path or route that a main character takes in a book to become a savior or hero at the end of the book.

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.

Hero’s Journey novel By: Connor The Hobbit is one of my favorite adventure stories. It’s a magical quest through a mythical land. I'm sure you would like it too.

A hero possesses the mentality of a person of great courage and ability. Most associate heroes with extraordinary physical strength and special talents and abilities, such as Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf. The Hobbit, depicts a well known hobbit from The Shire, Bilbo Baggins. Located in Middle Earth, the Shire houses a population of hobbits. One might not associate a hobbit with the physical appearance of a hero because hobbits represent the antithesis of a hero’s

The hero’s journey begins with the hero being introduced in their ordinary world. This is where the reader learns about the hero’s background, flaws and strengths. This is so that the reader can establish a bond with the situation, which gives them experience of an adventure through the hero. In chapter 1 of The Hobbit, Tolkien introduces Bilbo Baggins as an ordinary hobbit who lives in an ordinary hobbit hole on the side of The Hill. In this chapter Tolkien hints towards Bilbo’s mother’s side, the Took-clan, who ‘something was not entirely hobbit like about them’ (Page 13).

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.

In the beginning, Bilbo never would have thought of departing his comfortable and safe hobbit home. Bilbo finds comfort sitting by the fire, and smoking his pike and the independent hobbit, “…has no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things…I can’t think what anybody sees in them” (7). Even when Gandalf, the wandering wizard asks Bilbo to take part in an adventure, the hobbit immediately declines insisting that Bilbo and the other hobbits are plain and ordinary folk. However, the hobbit starts contemplating the journey after an unanticipated party from dwarfs that believe that Bilbo is the “burglar” that will help them steal treasure. Bilbo solemnly

As a kid, my parents weren’t really around, so my sister and I were raised by twenty five different nannies over the course of fifteen years. Because of this, I grew up hearing a wide variety of bedtime stories ranging from bible stories, to nursery rhymes, to hymns completely in Italian, to the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. The Hobbit was always my favorite story. I loved it because J.R.R. Tolkien always knew how to give any situation a sort of thrilling peril. I always imagined being on Bilbo’s Unexpected Journey with him. As a five year old, I wanted to fight Smaug, save Thorin, and maybe get a little gold in the process. (This thought process still holds true to this day) Then, when I was in elementary school, I started