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Archetypes In The Hobbit

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An Expected Expository Essay The shadow, the herald, and the trickster. These are all archetypes that all play a part in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The Hobbit is a fantasy novel based in a land called Middle Earth. There are many inhabitants in Middle Earth, much like orcs, humans, elves, dwarves etc. But the story needed a “protagonist” that the audience would never expect, a hobbit. Within “The Hobbit” by J.R.R Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and Gollum represent, the shadow, the herald, and the trickster. The shadow was a tricky one to find, but the conclusion was that the shadow is Bilbo Baggins himself. The main reason this is true is because, Bilbo still has a lot of self doubt about himself that he needs to conquer in order
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The easiest archetype to apply to The Hobbit is the example of a quest, as a quest is what the majority of the book consists. The author of How to Read Literature like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster, states that a quest contains a quester, a place to go, a stated reason for going there, challenges along the way, and lastly, the real reason for going there. The quester in the book is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit that once lived comfortably in his hole in a hill. He informed of his place to go when twelve dwarves, their leader Thorin, and the wizard Gandalf, barge into his home, somewhat uninvited. He must go to the Lonely Mountain and help the thirteen dwarves retake their fortune and land from the dragon, Smaug.

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Essay Topic 1: The Hobbit does use and fit the archetypal pattern of a quest adventure. The first part of the pattern being the call of adventure. Which is where the hero usually finds a helper at this stage. The Hobbit fits into this first part of the pattern by the time of the first chapter, “An Unexpected Party.”

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In The Hobbit, there lots of great characters. An archetype explains the characters role in the book such as a hero, the trickster, and many more. Archetypes are great ways to define a character. Every character has a reason to be in the book. Not many people get that deep into thought when they read books, but if you use archetypes it changes the way people think of the book.

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The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein is a fantisy novel that explores the message of steriotypes. Through characters such as dragons,elves,goblins and a hobbit Tolkein uses their similarities and differences to convay that people cant be defined by steriotypes. The novel uses the mystical journey of 13 dwarfs and a hobbit to show how people can change and defy steriotypes through their own experiences and adventures. The elemnt of setting created defined good and evil settlements, this allowed characters to have a journey where they could learn and develop. Three examples of deifing steriotypes are Biblo a young Hobbit who discovers his courage and defies his respectable timid nature, Thorin who was thought to be "king under the mountain" was united by

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In The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, The dwarves portray the hunting group of companions archetype because they helped Bilbo by leading the way around, they made Bilbo feel comforted by singing for him and they protected Bilbo throughout the novel. The hunting group of companions are loyal companions that will risk their lives to protect someone or a group of people. The dwarves are this archetype because companions lead the way for someone that they care about. The dwarves took Bilbo back home without getting lost.

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1174 Words | 5 Pages

“The Hobbit,” a timeless classic containing dragons, dwarves, elves and more, is a great tale to read again and again. But “The Hobbit” is not only impressive because of all the daring adventures, it is impressive because of how the story develops. From the beginning, middle to the end, the story flows, and adapts to each conflict Bilbo Baggins faces. By captivating the reader, J. R. R. Tolkien takes his audience along with Bilbo Baggins through each step of the hero’s journey developing greatly along the way. Each part of the story plays a crucial role to piece together the masterpiece that is “The Hobbit.”

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Why do most stories have characters with similar traits? Most novels or any type of story, they have different archetypal characters. In the novel “The Hobbit” by J.R.R Tolkien the three characters Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the wizard, and Smaug the destroyer, they are all archetypal characters. Throughout the story Bilbo goes on an adventure to defeat smaug. Bilbo eventually defeats smaug and returns what he finds.

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Smaug Beyond The Surface Within the universe of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien the evil figure archetype is shown through Smaug, this is due to his greedy nature, his destructive tendencies, and his proficient lack of sympathy. As I said, one of Smaug’s main nefarious traits is his lack of moral sympathy. Thorin very early on in the novel tells that Smaug was, “...devouring so many of the dwarves and men of Dale...” (20.)

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1610 Words | 7 Pages

“‘My dear Bilbo! he said. Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit you once were’”(302). Tolkien uses this in the book because The Hobbit is based around the very change of Bilbo and his transformation into a hero following him along his journey.

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In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien challenges the traditional epic hero archetype ingrained in classic characters like Odysseus from Homer’s, The Odyssey. Following trials eliciting his hidden heroic qualities, Bilbo pursues the initiate hero archetype. Contrastingly, Odysseus follows the traditional epic hero archetype and does not depend on events from the plot to draw out these qualities. His preexisting fame for his god-like quick thinking strikes fear and respect in the hearts of others, whereas Bilbo gains the respect of his friends as gradually as his skills build up. Later in the story, he betrays his friend, whereas Odysseus stays true to the traditional epic hero archetype by staying loyal to his crewmates.

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Initially portrayed as a timid and unassuming hobbit, Bilbo surprises both the dwarves and himself by cleverly stalling the trolls until dawn, showcasing his quick wit and resourcefulness in the face of danger. This moment marks the beginning of Bilbo's transformation from a reluctant adventurer to a capable hero. Another key event occurs during the escape from the goblins in Chapter 5, where Bilbo's leadership skills emerge as he guides the group through the perilous tunnels, making crucial decisions under pressure. His ability to take charge and navigate the treacherous terrain demonstrates a newfound confidence and courage that Gandalf foresaw. Additionally, in Chapter 6, Bilbo's interaction with Gollum reveals his moral compass and inner strength.

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1144 Words | 5 Pages

Why do authors make up characters with similar traits? Sometimes readers and viewers can have confusion on which archetype fits each character best like in the novel The Hobbit. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is about an average old Hobbit who is offered the opportunity for an adventure. He ends up completing the task and eventually becoming the hero of the novel. Throughout the story, other characters are introduced that act as Bilbo’s friends or enemies.

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1027 Words | 5 Pages

During the feast with the dwarves, Tolkien writes, Bilbo becomes anxious at the prospect of an adventure and tries to sneak out of his Hobbit hole and hide. In the film, Bilbo makes no such attempt. (character) Beorn does not know Gandalf in the book (characters) Radagast the Brown, one of the five wizards who exist in Middle Earth, plays a substantial role in the film.

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In the novel, Margaret Atwood uses the literary device of symbolism to point out the symbols that represent gender roles for women that they need to follow or else they start a conflict between genders and become outsiders in society. Being a maid in the nineteenth century, symbolized one of the roles for women that they need to conform, but there are some women who did not want to work as a maid. Dora, a maid that works at Dr. Jordan’s hotel is an example of someone who does not appreciate working as a maid and Dr. Jordan can see this in her. “It’s obvious that she detests being a maid-of-all-work; he wonders if there is anything else she might prefer. He has tried imagining her as a prostitute…but he can’t picture any man actually paying for her services.”

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A hero was a figure in a literature who went beyond the human’s limitation. Among countless heroic literature that were published, The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first Western Literature that portrayed an epic hero. Since the epic was written between 2150 and 1400 BCE, Gilgamesh was the Western Literature’s first known hero. Although each hero had similar characteristics, each hero had different situations and personalities, which led to different heroic archetypes. Depending on each situation and journey, the hero had different roles in literature such as either an epic hero or a tragic hero.

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