Bilbo's Transformation In The Hobbit

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In The Hobbit, a novel by J.R.R Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who frowns upon action and adventure. Bilbo is pushed to go on an adventure to help a few dwarves take down a dragon and recover the lost treasure. J.R.R Tolkien develops Bilbo Baggins’ character similar to how a child would mature into an adult. Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo evolves from a naive, childlike hobbit to an experienced, mature hero. Bilbo Baggins starts the transformation from meek hobbit to strong hero before the quest begins. Prior to meeting Gandalf and the dwarves, Bilbo is quite content with the simple, quiet comforts of home. Meeting the dwarves awoke something inside of him, “he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine trees and the waterfalls, …show more content…

A huge development occurs when he is assigned to go spy on the trolls. “Yet somehow he could not go straight back to Thorin and Company empty handed”(Tolkien 35-36), Bilbo didn’t want to return without having done anything useful. He feels a need to prove himself to the dwarves as a valuable member of their team. This is a monumental moment in Bilbo’s character development. One of the most important events, the finding of the ring, leads to drastic changes in Bilbo. Bilbo shows the traits of a hero when he spares Gollum’s life despite the fact he could have easily killed him. After he finds the ring, it gives him confidence and bravery. Bilbo shows more signs of becoming a leader and a hero when they encounter the spiders. It is common for heros in other stories to name their swords and after killing the giant spider Bilbo says, “I will give you a name...and I shall call you Sting”(Tolkien 156). Bilbo establishes himself as a leader and a valuable asset to the team by freeing the dwarves from the spiders. The killing of the giant spider changes Bilbo. He “felt like a different person, and much fiercer and bolder”(Tolkien 156). Bilbo is evolving into a true

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