The Hobbit: Key Quotes and Analysis

“I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.”

—Chapter 1

Gandalf delivers this speech about Bilbo to the dwarves before the adventure begins. These lines foreshadow the change that Bilbo will undergo as part of his journey. When the opportunity arises, Bilbo displays leadership and bravery. He does not hesitate to face any challenge to help the group.

“He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart; a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.”

—Chapter 5

Bilbo steals the magic ring which makes him invisible. Even though Gollum wanted to eat Bilbo, Bilbo chooses to not kill him because he valued fair play. His sense of justice prevents him from killing Gollum. Bilbo exhibits a keen sense of right and wrong and does not let his fear deter him. In this scene, Bilbo shows that compassion and pity are as important as bravery in a true hero.

“The spider lay dead beside him, and his sword-blade was stained black. Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath.”

—Chapter 8

In this moment, Bilbo realises his true potential. He can deal with danger without assistance from anyone in the group. He starts to become a hero from this moment onward. He will go on to save his group from multiple dangers. This is the first instance in the novel where Bilbo recognises himself and brave and strong. His journey of a hero begins from here. Up until now, he was on this journey only because Gandalf forced him to. Further, he was always dependent on others to deal with a challenge. From now on, he becomes more independent.

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

—Chapter 19

These lines are spoken by Thorin on his deathbed. These lines highlight the change that Thorin has undergone: he had initially cast Bilbo aside because he stole the Arkenstone, but now he realizes that Bilbo is innately good. It is not courage or bravery that make the world a better place to live in but values such as compassion and empathy. These lines are also important because they highlight friendship as an important theme in the novel.