The Heros Journey In The Hobbit: A Hero's Journey

Movies are an important part of modern entertainment and is a great way to pass on myths and stories from earlier times. Most movies follow a similar pattern in the plot process. There is a hero, trials, and the hero eventually saves the day and possibly a damsel in distress. This common plot line is mainly called the Hero’s Journey, and is used in myths, books, movies, and even T.V shows. The cycle is important if you are trying to create a plot for a movie about a hero or a group of heroes and how they saved the day. This cycle is even used in some of the most popular movies these days. Movies like Avengers, Batman, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter. The movie that I chose that fits the ancient formula of a hero’s journey is titled The Hobbit

The Hobbit begins with introducing our hero, Bilbo Baggins, who is a respectable hobbit that lives in the Shire. His ordinary life is a middle-aged hobbit that does not go on adventures, even though he longs to do something exciting like his deceased mother. His call to adventure starts with Gandalf the Gray, a wizard, who was also a friend of his mother. Gandalf shows up to try and convince Bilbo that he is needed for an adventure, though he does not go into detail about what the adventure would entail. Gandalf leaves after Bilbo refuses the call to adventure and wishes him a good day. He is later surprised by a company of dwarves that show up during dinner time, this moment is in which I believe to be a second call to adventure for Bilbo. They explain to Bilbo about their journey and how it is meant to help take back their mountain from Smaug the dragon. This conversation really begins to ignite Bilbo’s desire to leave the Shire and travel with them, though he again refuses the call to adventure that night. The morning after dinner he suddenly decides to accept the call and races out his door to meet up with the dwarves. He then spends the rest of the movie working through the rest of the hero’s

Bilbo’s first test begins with the company losing their ponies due to trolls and him attempting to rescue them. The dwarves end up captured and he uses his quick thinking to delay the trolls until the sun rises. This is his first trail with the company which begins their bond for the rest of the movie, though his mentor Gandalf does not show up till the very end to help. As they continue their journey, Bilbo faces Gollum, another enemy, and defeats him in a battle that leaves Bilbo with a magic ring. The magic ring is a helpful object in this movie, as it allows him to disappear from danger and having possession of it allows Bilbo to help save the company multiple times. One of those times is when the company tries to fight off giant spiders and all but Bilbo end up captured by mean-spirited Mirkwood elves. Bilbo spends weeks using the ring to sneak around the dungeon and later figures out an escape plan for them. Though the hobbit does come with a lot of trails and enemies, it also provides the group tons of allies. They found allies in Beorn a bear shape-shifter that feeds them and allows them to stay at his home for a while, the Rivendell elves who throw them a feast, and the giant eagles who save them from being killed. The use of the hero’s journey cycle and great writing allowed J. R. R. Tolkien to make this series interesting even sixty years in future. This is one of