Bilbo Baggins Journey

“’He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary’” (Tolkien 72). The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R Tolkien, is about a hobbit, Frodo Baggins, who is called on an epic adventure by a wizard to destroy a magical ring gifted to him by his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. Along this journey, he builds his fellowship and goes through numerous harrowing obstacles in an attempt to reach his ultimate destination, Mordor, where he can destroy the powerful ring. During Frodo’s journey, he often reminisces on advice Bilbo provided to him when he was younger. Before Frodo left for his legendary adventure, Bilbo specifically suggested that when beginning a journey,

He credited much of his inspiration to an Old English epic called Beowulf. In this poem, the hero, Beowulf, defeats monsters and a dragon who guards a mass of gold. The spiritual and physical conflict Beowulf faces is greatly infused in The Fellowship of the Ring. For example, the greatest threat to Frodo in part I of the novel is the physical and external evil he faces (National Geographic Lord of the Rings). Several dangerous encounters, such as being ambushed by Black Riders and captured by Barrow-wights, threaten his life. However, in the part II of the novel, Frodo must overcome evil that is derived from internal forces. These evils include resisting the Ring and battling his own self-doubt. Frodo eventually realizes that he too can become a monster under the power of the Ring. This “Master Ring” belongs to the Dark Lord Sauron and it is a force that can easily corrupt those who possess it. The inscription on the Ring reads: “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them” (Tolkien 49). These two lines show the purpose of the Ring, which is to find all of the other magical rings and bind them in darkness. Along the journey, Frodo is constantly undergoing internal battles to resist this Ring’s evil

In this chivalric romance, Sir Gawain is faced with many temptations that challenge him to be honest and brave. This theme of resisting temptation is also prominent in The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo often has to resist putting on the Ring, which allows him to disappear in embarrassing situations, like falling off of table tops at the Inn. At other times, Frodo also has to resist putting on the Ring to escape dangerous situations, which would leave his friends vulnerable. While traveling with only Pippin and Sam, the Hobbits hear hoofs approaching them and Frodo is tempted to disappear from the scene. As Tolkien writes, “He felt that he had only to slip it on, and then he would be safe” (Tolkien 73). Frodo does resist this urge, but he faces similar temptations in future situations. Throughout the journey, Frodo also fights the temptation to give up on the quest and just go home. This internal conflict is one of the many themes within this mythological