Bilbo’s long and perilous journey with the dwarves’ taught him that he does not have to live a life that is considered “respectable” by his neighbors. Bilbo could have adventures and make a difference while still being himself. “Bilbo was no longer quite respectable… He was held by the hobbits of the neighborhood to be ‘queer.’ I am sorry to say, he did not mind.
How Bilbo Baggins went from a Hobbit to a Hero. Bilbo Baggins has been a Hobbit for generations. Bilbo has become a Hero over a little bit of a time period. Bilbo loves adventures and staying home and being lazy. When Bilbo went on a hike and went to the valley he stumbled across trolls and elves.
The “hero’s Journey” begins with a call to an ordinary individual to leave the ordinary world. This calls prompts the individual to leave the common life to venture into the realm of the unknown. The journey continues with the individual leaving the ordinary world to descend into the special world. The decent into the special world brings the individual through different adventures and experiences that reveal weakness and allow for strength and development to conquer those weaknesses. Bilbo baggins journey represents the “hero’s Journey”as he leaves the ordinary world as an ordinary hobbit,enters the special world as a developing warrior,and returns as an unexpected hero.
In the story “The Hobbit” Bilbo can be seen as the hero when he sacrifices his family’s name to be a part of the quest to get Thorin's gold back Bilbo's first approach is his attempt on stealing the trolls’ treasure. He later is met by the goblins, Gollum, elves, and spiders. Each fear he faces develops Bilbo as a hero, getting him ready for his greatest quest, stealing the treasure from Smaug.. Another example of Bilbo putting others before himself is the treasure he willing to give in order to bring peace to the men, elves, and dwarves. Last, but not least, Bilbo is willing to sacrifice his life for a cause bigger than himself.
I believe Bilbo Baggins will be set up as the hero of the story. This is because in The Hobbit, Tolkien describes aspects of Bilbo’s character that fit the characteristics of a hero. One aspect is shown when he describes Bilbo’s ancestry, “That was, of course, absurd, but certainly there was still something not entirely hobbitlike about them, and once in a while members of the Took-clan would go and have adventures” (Tolkien 2-3). Hobbits are generally peaceful in nature and don’t care much for anything unorthodox in their lives. However the Took-clan is an exception to this shown in the the quote above as it describes that they had an unnatural love for the unknown.
Part 4: The Green Berets “Fearless men who jump and die” US Army Special Forces had its genesis during WWII when the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created. The OSS mission definition was intelligence gathering, support of resistance movements, and sabotage. Toward these ends, the OSS created “Jedburgh” teams (named after the English town where they trained) consisting of three men: a leader, an executive officer, and a radio operator. Normally the radio operator was American, one officer was Free French, and the other American.
A hefty portion of us, as children, have watched films in which a brave man goes out to destroy the evil and spares his kin. We always thought of this hero to be brave, tall, strong, and fearsome. Bilbo Baggins is as much as a hero as these heroic characters, however he is only a short, weak, cowardly hobbit who is afraid to leave the Shire, yet by the end, Bilbo Baggins defeats the five armies and spares all of Smaug. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, is written by J. R. R. Tolkien. When Bilbo Baggins gets an unexpected knock on his door, he is called to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor, he refuses, unwilling to escape the comfort of his hometown: the Shire.
From Hobbit to Hero In most minds, heroes are bold, courageous, and popular. In The Hobbit, By J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is introduced, and he really isn’t someone’s idea of a hero. But as the novel progresses, readers see that Bilbo truly is a hero.
A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit, the protagonist Bilbo Baggins shows us that people are not born heroes, but they are forged through hard work and bravery. This story brings us through the development of Bilbo not being a hero, to him becoming a hero, and finally him being a hero. Bilbo starts off the story with almost no qualities of a hero, which is mostly because he is a hobbit. Hobbits are quiet creatures, who offer keep to themselves.
That is what makes him the evil antagonist. Bilbo on the other hand is always the one saving the day, stepping up and taking charge (when Gandalf leaves them). This leads to my conclusion of Bilbo being the heroic protagonist. These are two very different characters, I mean Bilbo was trying to save his own life while Gollum was playing with
The journey that Bilbo endures transforms him into a hero. Bilbo encounters many tests and trials throughout the story which reveal character. These courageous actions display the heroic character of Bilbo. Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo displays the universal message that anyone can develop into a hero. Even the smallest and seemingly weakest creatures and people can become as great as Bilbo.
Bilbo risks his own life to save the dwarves many times during the adventure, which in turn gains him the respect he deserves. This new respect that Bilbo has acquires gives him plenty of confidence in himself to get the job done, whatever it may be. This clearly shows that Bilbo's change from being ridiculed and doubted by the dwarves to being very highly respected is a dramatic one and deserves recognition. All Bilbo needed is a chance to prove the dwarves wrong, and that is what he gets when those same dwarves appear on his doorstep that sunny afternoon. Along with Bilbo Baggins becoming a braver and more respected hobbit, he also develops the most important change in the story; he changes from being incompetent to very resourceful.
Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and Winkler believe after the hero’s departure, they are faced with a trial or many trails to overcome when they finally meet their biggest enemy, “The hero undergoes a series of trials often on a perilous journey.” (Campbell) Bilbo’s first trial is after Bilbo escapes from Gollum which he is reunited with the dwarves and are surrounded by Wargs but after it seems all hope is lost, eagles swoop down and save the adventures before it is too late. In Mirkwood, the dwarves and Bilbo are starving when they get captured by spiders, and Bilbo has to save them, “Bilbo saw that the moment had come when he must do something. ”(Tolkien 64) Bilbo escapes by himself and then finds the dwarves trapped and defenseless against a mob of spiders which Bilbo has to defeat by calling them names, and angering them until Bilbo has unraveled the dwarves.
Bilbo is just a little hobbit and even says it himself. Because of this many people don’t expect much from him. Despite this, Bilbo shows great character development, bravery, and strength. One of the more prominent times that Bilbo shows newfound strength and bravery is when, on page 156, he fights off a giant spider himself. “Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, mad a great difference to Mr Baggins.
Along the way, they overcome many obstacles that threaten their lives and put their trust for one another to the test. Bilbo learns that there is more to him than he realizes and through hard work and dedication, he can accomplish almost anything. Overcoming these problems and learning more about himself helped Bilbo change from an ordinary, self-doubting hobbit into a clever, courage-filled, loyal hero. In the beginning, Bilbo has no desire to go on an adventure of any kind, but he quickly learns about the cleverness he obtains when he is forced to make quick decisions.
