Bilbo's Transformation In The Hobbit

Many stories tell tales of brave heroes’ adventures and the great monsters they slayed. These heroes undergo the same pattern of events and eventually lead them to their ultimate boon. The journey of Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien and Greek demigod Perseus share more differences than similarities because of the different internal transformations that each hero underwent and the rewards they gained for the actions they chose. However, they do share a similarity, which both heroes required the help of an external aid to complete the quest.

The internal transformation of Bilbo was more prominent than Perseus’ as he faces more challenges that helps him gradually help him defeat his final adversary. Bilbo initially refused his call

Bilbo fails to steal a bag from a Troll’s pocket when he was told to observe the red light from the dwarves’ camp. (43) From this failure, the dwarves begin to doubt his usefulness as a burglar, causing him to lose faith in himself. As time progresses, Bilbo proves to the dwarves, especially Thorin, and himself of what he is capable of. He gains confidence with the defeat of each of his enemies. “Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all along by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves…He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder.” (181). Bilbo transforms from a follower of the company to a leader when they are finally faced with Smaug. “[Bilbo] would often borrow Thorin’s map and gaze at it, pondering over the runes and the message of the moon-letters Elrond had read.” (238) When Thorin first arrived at Bilbo’s hole, he was the one that was reading the map. However, Bilbo is the one now opening the map

Bilbo returns home with the portion that was bestowed on him from the dwarves but only a small amount because he does not know any use for these riches. “In the end he would only take two small chests, one filled with silver, and the other with gold, such as one strong pony could carry.” (337) When Bilbo finally reaches his home back in Bag End, he witnesses other hobbits auctioning off his possessions as he is presumed dead. (347) Bilbo’s family, the Bagginses, were a respectable family because the never left for an adventure. (4) Bilbo loses his respectable reputation as a Bagginses as he is labelled ‘queer’ among the other hobbits in the area for making the choice to leave his hobbithole for something unexpected. (348) On the contrary, Perseus was celebrated as a hero for killing the greatly feared Gorgon, Medusa, that longed terrorized everyone. Polydectes was the one that sent Perseus on the adventure to bring back the Gorgon’s head as a wedding gift in hopes that Medusa would kill Perseus off. Perseus receives the satisfaction of killing Polydectes by showing him Medusa’s head since it still had the potential to turn someone into stone. The rewards that the heroes’ acquire are different for the decisions they made for their