Thorin Oakenshield: A Heroic Leader In The Hobbit

There is a hero in every story. This is the story of a small man who ends up on a journey and returns changed.. The protagonist of the story, Bilbo Baggins, undergoes a transformation that turns him into the unlikely hero of this story. Undergoing the process of becoming a hero, Bilbo emerges as a hero, more confident and competent than ever before. With each trial and tribulation, Bilbo develops more and more into the hero he becomes, but without losing sight of his true self. The process Bilbo goes through to become a hero is extensively explore in J.R.R. 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.

According to Dictionary.com a leader is “a person who rules, guides or inspires others”. Often a leader is more than that. Leaders care about the group as a whole not just their individual part. They see the big picture and help everyone else to see it too. They are the one the group looks up to and depends on. If the leader is lost almost always a new unlikely leader is bound to emerge. Leaders often do not know who they are until they are put in a position where they must lead for the success of the group. Leaders play a huge role in the book The Hobbit. Jack Welch summarizes the leader’s role in this book perfectly. Bilbo before he is a leader, Bilbo when he is a leader and Gandalf’s actions all relate to the quote Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.--Jack Welch

Lord Acton once said, "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely." He was probably referring to the powerful kings and queens who held power over many people. But, we could see how power is something many of the characters in Tolkien's story are trying to have and hold onto in some form or another. In The Fellowship of the Ring J.R.R. Tolkien tells us a story about Frodo Baggins who is ordered by Gandalf to destroy the powerful ring discovered accidentally by his older cousin, Bilbo. Like the rest of the hobbits, Frodo has lived quite peacefully and well, not having to worry about how dark and dreary the rest of Middle Earth was becoming under Sauron's growing power. Now, Frodo,

Bilbo the Hobbit, persuaded by an old wizard named Gandalf, to set out on a quest with thirteen militant dwarves. Seized by a self-assured, fire-breathing dragon named Smaug, the dwarves went on a challenging adventure to reclaim their kingdom, retrieve back the gold that was kept inside the palace, and defeat Smaug for good. Along the way, Bilbo found a magical ring and was able to turn invisible, which is a very useful technique for rescuing the dwarves. They manage to pass many obstacles and met different types of villains. At the end, Bilbo and the dwarves did not go up against Smaug, instead Bard the Bowman from Lake-men defeated Smaug and after that the Battle of the Five Armies began.

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.

Bilbo’s story is a story of a hero’s journey. From his origins we do not see that Bilbo likes to go on adventures. However, his mother’s side of the family got the best of him and he does decide to go on the adventure. We will look at his call to adventure and why he decided to go on the trip. Next, we will look at Bilbo and the weapons and supernatural help he used. The final aspect we’ll look at is Bilbo’s trials and transformations and goals during Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

A leader in any tale is an exceptional figure, whether good or evil, they also display tremendous strength above all others be it physical, emotional or mental. Their qualities instill in them a reverence that all of their subjects come to realize and respect. The role of leader is usually first assigned to a different character and upon completion of his journey the main character usually becomes the leader or a figure who has the potential to lead others, the leader is usually a well-known, revered, however they are alone, both figuratively and physically. Beowulf written by an unnamed poet has multiple characters that the reader can identify as leaders, one whom is within the first five lines of the text. Shielf Sheafson, is described

“Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!” – Dr Seuss

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.

How can an author write a story which appeals to a present day audience? Richard H. Tyre published an article in 1978 that gives an answer to this very question. Tyre explains how most kids today choose to read books like the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings series, and even The Wizard of Oz. An existing theory that Tyre came up with explains that each of these books, along with many others, have one thing in common: 6 plot elements. Not only do these stories contain the same 6 elements but those elements are in the same order! Tyre states that “(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 2). J.R.R. Tolkien is the author of The Hobbit. The Hobbit revolves around one hobbit in particular named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo embarks on a journey with 14 others to recover a treasure that is guarded by a dragon. Along the way Bilbo faces many challenges that range from running into huge trolls, to taking part in fierce battles. Due to it’s main character hunting for treasure, facing most of the dangers alone, battling during the wee hours of the night, eventually finding the treasure, after sweating/crying/and enduring injuries, just to have the treasure revealed to him as not what he expected, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is undoubtedly a perfect example of Tyre’s 6 plot elements.

In many stories, there is a hero ‒ a character who rescues, saves, survives, and sacrifices in order to help the greater good. He usually is of mysterious origin and often starts off seeming ordinary and insignificant. However, as the hero eventually grows and develops, he follows the hero’s journey, or the general structure of a hero’s adventures. Such is the case in J.R.R. Tolkien’s renowned The Hobbit, a high fantasy novel detailing the adventures of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, a small furry creature known as a hobbit. Bilbo lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until he is compelled to join a dangerous quest with Gandalf the wizard and thirteen dwarves. As Bilbo Baggins progresses along his hero’s journey, he transforms, develops, and changes into an extraordinary hero.

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).

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

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a story of adventure and danger, and it is a prime example of a romantic plot and fantasy genre. What makes this story such a great example of a romantic plot? One, the unlikely hero, Mr. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit that is dragged on an adventure he doesn’t wish to take. Second, there is a great quest with a reward at its end. Third the great teacher figure, Gandalf is a wizard that helps Bilbo to become the great hero he is destined to be. And lastly the dragon figure, in this story the dragon figure, happened to be a dragon but there are also many miniature dragon figures through out the tale.