How Is Bilbo Mature In The Hobbit

“Though he is technically an adult, Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit, undergoes a growth to maturity” (Grace 1). The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is chalk full of literary elements that aid in both storytelling and maintaining the reader’s attention. The story follows Bilbo and his dwarven companions though an adventure of great treasure and great peril. The story also contains many literary elements that this essay will go through, including character, theme, motif, symbol, and conflict.

First, Bilbo’s character develops in a heroic way multiple times within the novel. One example would be when the Elvenking says, “Bilbo Baggins … You are more worthy to wear the armour of elf-princes than many that have looked more comely at it” (Tolkien 248).

He constantly refers to how all he wants or misses is the comfort and safety of his hobbit hole. When Bilbo first meets Gandalf, he freaks out because he has heard of Gandalf’s adventures, “Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not today. Good morning! But please come to tea – any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Come tomorrow! Good bye!’” (Tolkien 7). This outburst displays Bilbo’s fear of adventure perfectly by making him ‘physically scared’ with just the thought of leaving his home. Throughout the rest of the novel Bilbo slowly gets used to being away from home, but he constantly complains and whimpers about how he wishes he was home. The dwarves thought little of him from the start, due to his reluctance to go along on the trip and his annoying complaints, but Bilbo’s conflict with this fear is over soon enough. Once again, Dr. Dominick Grace, from his article The Hobbit, explains, “By the end, he becomes the true leader of the quest and the figure whose values and actions are valorized by the text” (Grace 1). To clarify, even though it was a big influence on the way he lived and what he did, Bilbo’s internal conflict with adventure was short lived and held back his true heroic