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bilbo's transformation in the hobbit
importance of hero's journey
bilbos character transformation from the hobbitt.
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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.
The process of becoming a hero which Bilbo goes through begins with a simple knock on his door one morning. Soon Bilbo is recruited, unknowingly and unwillingly, as a burglar into Thorin’s expedition, by the mysterious wizard, Gandalf. Here at this moment, is Bilbo called to adventure. This is probably the only opportunity a hobbit such as Bilbo to go on such an expedition, but Bilbo is; at first, very reluctant, maybe even annoyed to have been recruited into Thorin’s group.
To understand fully Bilbo’s transformation into a hero, we must look at his original ‘unheroic’ state; how he was before embarking on this adventure. Bilbo is introduced as a typical, respectable hobbit. He is quiet, predictable, and comes from a rich and respected family, the Bagginses. He is never late to any meals, is polite to the point of being a pushover, and becomes uncomfortable when thrust into new conditions. But another fact is revealed about Bilbo’s heritage. He is descended on his mother’s side from the Tooks, a hobbit family known for their love of excitement and adventure. This particular fact has some bearing over Bilbo’s behavior, and it is this side of him, along...
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...was completely out of place and had no idea how to deal with the tribulations they encountered over the journey, but with the passing of each one, he developed more and more into the hero he would become.
Despite all the things Bilbo has gone through, he has, for the most part, remained true to himself, and does not get carried away or becomes arrogant. He grows weary of adventure and yearns for his home. He still misses the creature comforts he once enjoyed; he simply has learned to cope without them. Bilbo returns home with a small amount of the treasure. This decision is swayed by Thorin’s last words. Thorin imparts the fact that if more were like the hobbits, had their simple values, “food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
Without evil or greed in the world, heroism would be obsolete, and heroes would be a rare sight indeed.
He went from being a reluctant hero to an epic hero just from a few slight changes. Bilbo was almost forced out the door to begin his journey with the dwarves by Gandalf. He did not want to go on the journey and certainly did not feel the need to be a hero, although he reluctantly ended up being one in the book. In the movie, on the other hand, he had many opportunities to become the hero and he took these opportunities, becoming an epic hero. While change can greatly impact some things, it can also take away from important pieces of the
Bilbo cleverly eluded Smaug’s temptation, spared the life of foul creature Gollum, and demonstrate courage more and more throughout his journey. These exquisite traits made Bilbo into the revered character that was loved and respected for generations of readers. Throughout the book, Bilbo’s character had changed. At first, he was the ordinary hobbit who described adventures as “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things” (4) but by the end of his journeys stated to Thorin, “I am glad that I have shared in your perils” (290). Bilbo’s ability to fight evil, make new friends, and to look beyond his maps and books enable him to become a hero. As Gandalf once said at the very beginning, “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself” (19). Gandalf was right. What appeared to be an uneasy hobbit who fainted at the thought of adventures, turned out to be a brave leader, a compassionate friend, and an inspiring
Within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Tolkien uses the character of Bilbo Baggins to reveal to the reader the constant struggle between heroic and anti-heroic qualities within Bilbo and ourselves.
He starts off as a hobbit scared of the world and never wanting change in his life to ever become a great hero and adventurer. As he starts off his great journey he showed change for the first time and that he is willing to risk his life. As Bilbo embarks on this journey and continues helping the dwarves many traits form from this experience such as bravely as he stood up to the trolls. Shows the heroism that everyone has inside them even if they don't know
In conclusion Bilbo the lazy hobbit became a hero.He gained bravery when he helped the dwarves escape the elves base.Bilbo gained strength when he fought the goblins.Bilbo gained agility when he ran from the goblins.Bilbo before his bravery,strength, and
Bilbo Baggins undergoes a hero’s journey in The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. He departs from his home, is initiated into a more mature mindset, undergoes a road of trials, goes through his innermost cave, and is returned home and reintegrated into society. Bilbo’s journey is also a quest for self identity, because he realizes his place as “quite a little fellow in a wide world” and learns to balance out his respectable Baggins heritage with his adventurous Took background (Tolkien
In conclusion, The hero’s journey in The Hobbit explores ideas of strength and courage through Bilbo's journey as he becomes a more lively and valiant through his realizations of who he really is. In the beginning, he wishes nothing more than to sit outside, eat, and smoke. This is drastically different to his personality at the end, courageous and outgoing, which develops through his abyss and numerous challenges. Bilbo’s return to the Shire finds him a better person, a
Tolkien to be very good. He develops the story gradually, building up to the climax, and changing the main characters attitude. In the beginning Bilbo, the main character, starts as a very timid hobbit who knows nothing beyond his home, and is overwhelmed by the appearance of the twelve dwarves sudden appearance to his house. Although he grudgingly agrees to join them in their quest, he is very unhappy, and conveys it through this quote: “I wish I was home by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!” This shows how unhappy Bilbo was at the beginning of the story. Over the course of the story, J.R.R. Tolkien develops Bilbo into a brave character who had proved himself through his many acts of bravery. In conclusion, the author did an excellent job developing Bilbo as a
Heroes are present in many of the films produced today and these heroes generally follow both Campbell’s “Hero’s journey” and “Heroic Archetypes”. Some of Campbell’s tenets for a hero are that he must be called to a quest, he will face trials and tribulations, face temptation, complete a task, and eventually return home. The hero must also fit an archetype and its quest, fear, dragon, task, and virtue. Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is in fact one of the aforementioned heroes. Bilbo Baggins has always wanted an adventure and one day he is called on a quest to win back the Dwarfish kingdom of Erebor from the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo had not realized at the time of his departure that he was a hero and at first he even refused to go on the quest. Bilbo fits many of the tenets of the departure, initiation, and return of Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” along with one of his archetypes. Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his life to something bigger than himself” and this is what Bilbo Baggins has done by accepting his quest to aid the Dwarves on their journey to the Lonely Mountain.
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit, Bilbo develops not only the ability to be a hero, but also the mindframe to believe he can be a hero. In the beginning of the book, he starts out as a timid, scared hobbit. As he goes on more adventures, his self-confidence and heroism grows. He discovers how he can be a Baggins while also being a Took. Bilbo can also be compared and contrasted to another archetypal hero, Odysseus, from Homer’s The Odyssey.
...s. Bilbo is the one that gives the precious Arkenstone to Bard to help stop a war from starting. If it was not for Bilbo’s courage, Thorin would still be fighting for the Arkenstone and might have also been hurt. Bilbo also helps the dwarves by being a good leader and helping them find a way out of Smaug’s lair. Without Bilbo, the dwarves would not have the audacity to try finding a way out of Smaug’s cave. Bilbo, like a real hero, always makes sure that he finishes the task he sets out to do. Without Bilbo, the dwarves would not be able to finish all the tasks that they want to finish. Bilbo is also the reason why the dwarves are still alive. Bilbo saves the dwarves from many different disasters. The disasters range from the spiders to Smaug. Through good or bad, Bilbo has been able to show the characteristics that a real hero should be able to show.
Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, changed quite a bit throughout the story. In the beginning when he was first recruited to go on the quest with the dwarves, he was a well-respected, quiet, member of his community. He lived in his hole in the side of a hill and never thought of adventure. As he is on his quest every encounter he has with people, animals, and beasts helps him to become braver and more adventurous. After Smaug had been killed, Bilbo went back to his home (the hole in the hill) which was being auctioned off because he was presumed to be dead. After he got everything straightened out in that situation he went back to being a quiet little hobbit that lived in a hole, thinking back on his adventurous quest.
In conclusion, it is through Bilbo’s intelligence and courage, and the loyalty he showed to the others around him that establish him as an indubitable hero. Bilbo was able to heroically lead the dwarves and without his contribution in the adventure, it would not have been possible for them to achieve what they did. Bilbo is a small person with a big heart, who was able to make a difference without fighting or using his power to change anything through force. He was able to demonstrate his compassion, innocence, and ethics in his development into a hero. Nevertheless, his heroic deeds did not change whom he is as a person, which contrasts greatly with how a hero is defined today. Overall, Bilbo was a hobbit with courage that contributed into shaping his world into one where honesty, peace, forgiveness, and merry meals make it a better place.
When legends are told throughout the world about heroes, the picture that we have of that hero is someone like Beowulf. However, the reason why we see Bilbo Baggins as a hero is because he is so similar to the rest of us. He portrays the average person but Bilbo has gone the extra step. He takes risks and faces battles that seem impossible to conquer. This is why we he is a hero. He does everything that we wis...
...y a little fellow, Gandalf hints that even he was impressed by the large role Bilbo played in their journey, adding irony to the theme of heroism. Bilbo was the perfect character for Tolkien to express the theme of heroism because he was just the average, everyday character with a kind heart. He wasn’t some wizard or renowned warrior, but a hobbit, a simple hobbit who didn’t ask for heroism. Bilbo would much rather stay in the quite of his own home, but fate would have him do much more, even though Bilbo wouldn’t say so himself, he was indeed…a hero.