The Hobbit Hero's Journey

A hero's place in society has remained relatively consistent since the very beginning of time. Throughout the years, people have seen many different versions of larger-than-life heroes, who have completed seemingly impossible tasks and persevered through immense adversity. The common denominator between all of these heroes has always been that each and every one of these beings has put his/her own life in danger and fought great battles in the pursuit of a better life for mankind as a whole.

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.

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

A hero is somebody who commits an act of remarkably bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character. (Encarta, 2009) Joseph Campbell has come up with eight of his own characteristics of a hero. Joseph Campbell is known as a scholar of mythology. There are several people in our times that are considered a hero. Whether, these heroes are fictional or nonfiction, they all portray some kind of heroic abilities.

“I am glad you are here with me, here at the end of all things, Sam.” Frodo reaches out his hand over the flaming mouth of Mount Doom. The ring slips from his fingers and into the flames. The world returns to where it was before the evil eye had taken over. The Lord of the Rings chronicles the journey of Frodo Baggins to destroy the ring. It follows his transformation from a weak young hobbit to a hero who saves Middle Earth. Frodo is an archetypal hero because he follows the hero’s journey.

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.

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.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”(Joseph Campbell). Joseph Campbell showed how important hero’s are by creating the Hero’s Journey and that you can be a hero just through writing and showing it through different characters. A hero shows that you can help other people to make the world better

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.

The book, The Hobbit, follows the archetype of the hero’s journey. In the story, Bilbo Baggins is compelled to leave his ordinary hobbit life and join a band of dwarves and a wizard to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasures from Smaug, the evil dragon who stole it from Thorin’s ancestors. Breaking away from a monotonous life was proving to be a difficult task for the tiny hero. He had to learn how to live life as an adventurer. He also had to come to terms and adjust to a normal life once his journey was over. The Hobbit is a major example of the hero’s journey.

A hero can be viewed differently in many eyes. Author and lecturer Joseph Campbell, has correlated a hero as usually being a male, often of lowly birth, but with special powers or a higher birthright, the hero doesn’t know about. Also, the hero parents are often dead, absent, or uncaring, and the hero is judged by the actions he takes and the way he reacts and relates to people. In the opinions of others, a hero is also a person admired for bravery, great achievements, abilities or good qualities and is regarded as a role model. A hero is also, admired for having done something very courageous or having succeeded in something great. In literature, the hero is the main character of a story, play, or movie. In the textbook, The Norton Anthology

When I was 14 years old I toured my first Military Institute at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. I witness first hand American Troops returning from Desert Storm with numerous life threatening injuries sustained during combat. Troops who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country 's freedom. I recall asking myself “What is a hero? And what it symbolizes in our modern world?” and “What does a hero look like?”, my vision of a hero as a kid included a cartoon character with superpowers wearing a cape, Instead as I stared at a young Army Sergeant, burned beyond recognition sitting on wheelchair, unable to walk as he lost both limbs while in combat, That is when I recall asking myself again, “What is a hero?” The term hero comes from the Ancient Greeks, for them a man of great strength and courage favored by the gods and in part descended from them, often regarded as a demigod and worshiped after his death. Despite decades of envisioning a hero as a cartoon figure such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman, my heroes wear desert camouflage BDU’s. Although in the vision of some, a hero may be inspiring weather it to be oneself or to others, A hero is a person who saves lives. My vision of a hero intel 's of both qualities in addition to bravery and courage which may have been someone who saves lives or puts their own life on the line to save another, the definition of a hero may be different in someone else 's visions. Personal athlete or famous

Almost every hero adventurous novel seems to follow the same structure, known as the Hero Archetyapal journey; stages a hero must follow in order to obtain the reward he/she is seeking. The Hobbit, a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien resembles similarly (keep one like resembles)to the Hero Archetypal Journey. Bilbo, a secure and innocent hobbit joins the quest with a group of dwarves and a wizard, Gandalf, to retrieve Thorin’s kingdom hoard, stolen by a wicked dragon, Smaug. The most important stage in The Hobbit is stage 7, tests, allies and enemies, because “they made Bilbo stronger, braver and clever.” (Cite from the level 4 exemplar) We see this occur when the company is captured by the wood elves, when they are helped by the elves of Rivendell

Heroes are those who have gone above what the average person would do to ensure the welfare of others. Natural disasters, terrorism, poverty, and war are some of the many things that destroy and end people’s lives. Throughout history, many people have made a difference. However, as history progresses, what we consider to be socially normal changes along with our definition of a hero. In Ancient Greece, Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus were considered heroes, but today only Theseus and Perseus would be considered heroes because Hercules would be shunned by society.

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).