Bilbo Baggins's Archetypes In The Hobbit

The halfling, Bilbo Baggins created by J.R.R. Tolkien in his story The Hobbit, is no longer respected by the other hobbits within Hobbiton when coming back from his adventurous journey. On this journey he uses many of his characteristics to his advantage to assist the dwarves and Gandalf the Grey on their quest to reclaim the arkenstone. A treasure which rightfully belongs to a dwarf named, Thorin. Not only does he use many of his characteristics which he already beholds but he begins to be shaped into a much more courageous hobbit and one which later finds adventures not so bad after all.

In 1949, Joseph Campbell discussed the hero’s journey, the foundation commonly used in stories throughout history. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the hero’s journey narrative is used to tell the story of Bilbo Baggins’s adventure. The novel follows Bilbo Baggins and a company of dwarves as they seek to take back the dwarves’ fallen kingdom. As the story progresses, Bilbo’s character develops and the dwarves perception of him develops through the many trials before the death of Smaug the dragon and the final battle between a variety of mythical creatures. In The Hobbit, the dwarves originally doubt Bilbo’s abilities but as Bilbo encounters more obstacles and succeeds, the dwarves perception turns to one of respect and admiration.

Many science fiction fantasy novels have a hero or heroine. In J.R.R Tolkien’s novel the hobbit Bilbo Baggins is a hero, Even though he finds a ring of invisibility that allows him to preform surprising feats. Some of his acts of heroism are when Bilbo make his first attempt at burglary when he steals from the trolls, when he creates a plan to free his friends from the ElvenKing and follows it through and when he goes down to visit Smaug for the first time to fulfill a promise.

One of the most apparent character archetypes used in this novel is the everyman, a simple, adventure less, commonplace character that is played by Bilbo Baggins. In the beginning of the story, Bilbo is the classic everyman that lives in the Shire, but is soon thrust into a world he does not understand. As the story progresses Bilbo fulfills the role of the hero all while making a full circle back to the beginning and thus completing the Hero’s Journey. Another important figure in The Hobbit is Gandalf, who takes on the role of both the herald and the mentor. Gandalf’s role as the herald is clear as he embarks Bilbo on his adventure in the beginning of the novel. His role as the mentor is a longer and more subtle one as he guides Bilbo through his obstacles while letting Bilbo overcome them himself. His dual role helps support the storyline in building the full circled journey. The shadow role and the threshold guardians create a conflicting force that rivals the protagonists. The shadow is portrayed as Smaug and can be referred to as the antagonist throughout the expanse of the book. Bilbo and the dwarfs entire journey is based on their rivalry against the dragon guarding the homeland of the dwarfs, The Lonely Mountain, as he stands in the way of what they want, "Bilbo was now beginning to feel really uncomfortable. Whenever Smaug's roving eye, seeking for him in the shadows, flashed across him, he trembled, and an accountable desire seized hold of him to rush out and reveal himself and tell all the truth to Smaug. In fact he was in grievous danger of coming under the dragon-spell" (231). The use of this character in the Hero’s Journey is what creates a story and adds the necessary conflict to create the plot and engage the reader with the momentum it builds. Threshold guardians play a similar role in gathering momentum,

These were all characteristics of the main character - Bilbo Baggins. The process of becoming a hero, which Bilbo goes through, begins with a simple knock on his door one morning. Soon Bilbo is recruited, unknowingly and unwillingly, as a burglar into Thorin’s expedition, by the mysterious wizard, Gandalf. Bilbo is soon called to adventure. This was probably the only opportunity a hobbit such as Bilbo would ever get to go on such an expedition, but Bilbo was very reluctant, at first. Bilbo was good hearted, sacrificing and loyal. He would have given up his life for the betterment of others and this is what made him a true hero. At first, he didn’t want any adventure, but then he saw Gandalf’s faith and belief in him, and he decided to go on the adventure. Bilbo, like a real hero, always made sure that he finished the work he set out to do. Without Bilbo, the dwarves would not be able to finish all the tasks that they wanted to finish. Bilbo was also the reason why the dwarves were still alive. Bilbo saved the dwarves from many different disasters. The disasters ranged from the spiders to Smaug. Through good or bad, Bilbo always showed all the characteristics of a real

The Hobbit is a sci-fi fantasy tale about the journey of a hobbit that is volunteered by a wizard to take back the inheritance of the dwarves defeating the mighty dragon Smaug. Bilbo, the hobbit is uneasy about the job at first and has his doubts. He builds courage as the novel progresses. Varieties of archetypes of The Hobbit are going to be pointed out symbolizing the author’s plot.

To begin with, Bilbo Baggins can be classified as the hero of “The Hobbit”. Mr. Baggins has shown a tremendous amount of growth throughout this journey. And he also illustrates willingness to sacrifice himself for the safety of his companions. To demonstrate, in Chapter 8 of “The Hobbit”, Bilbo finally begins to show his bravery and courage by rescuing the dwarves from the spiders: “He gave a shout and slashed at the spiders in front of him. They quickly gave way, and he scrambled and fell down the tree right into the middle of those on the ground. His little sword was something new in the way of stings for them. How it darted to and fro!” (Tolkien, J. R. R., “The Hobbit”, #177). As this quote explains, Bilbo was bravely rescuing the dwarves and fighting off the spiders. It also shows how willing he is to sacrifice himself for this dangerous journey. In addition, citations from “The Hobbit” shows that Bilbo also volunteers to be the first one to enter the tunnel and confront Smaug: “Then the hobbit slipped on his ring, and warned by the echoes to take more than hobbit’s care to make no sound, he crept

The most prominent archetype in The Hobbit is the hero’s quest, because Mr. Bilbo Baggins goes on a mission to help retrieve gold from a fearsome dragon that rightfully belongs to the dwarf friend’s he has made. According to Mr. Thomas C. Foster in his book, How To Read Literature Like A Professor on page 3, he states that a quest “consists of five things: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there.” The Hobbit has all five of those basic structures.

Imagine a world where dragons talk and trolls are real. This image is a reality in “The Hobbit,” written by J.R.R. Tolkien. In “The Hobbit,” the hero’s journey is the adventure Bilbo takes to find treasure. Within a hero’s journey, there are several different archetypes that add depth and lengthen the story. In “The Hobbit,” many of these archetypes are shown through the character’s actions and language.

Throughout one’s life, one meets many different people, some of which seek to harm one, and some of which do not. This is also true for books: A variety of characters are introduced. Characters assume different roles of varying importance, and some seem “benevolent,” while others become labeled as “wicked.” Some guard an item or area, and yet others’ intentions are impossible to discern. These concepts especially apply to The Hobbit, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, which is an excellent example of The Hero’s Journey. The Hobbit showcases many archetypes, including Bilbo Baggins as the hero, Gandalf the Wizard as the mentor, and Smaug the Dragon as the shadow.

The Hero, The Mentor, and The Shadow are necessary archetypes that can be found in The Hobbit, and three characters fit these roles perfectly. First of all, the archetype, The Hero, is represented by Bilbo Baggins, and for this archetype, they sacrifice themself for the service of the journey. They grow and learn during this time. For example, in chapter three, the text states, “He was thinking once again of his comfortable chair before the fire in his favorite sitting - room in his hobbit - hole, and of the kettle

Every book is related. They all include tons of archetypes. Like what it actually means to eat food together or how the real reason of a quest is always self-knowledge. In “The Hobbit,” by J. R. R. Tolkien, there are many examples of these archetypes. “The Hobbit,” is a great book and in order to understand here’s a quick preview.

In many stories, there is a hero ‒ a character who rescues, saves, survives, and sacrifices in order to help the greater good. He usually is of mysterious origin and often starts off seeming ordinary and insignificant. However, as the hero eventually grows and develops, he follows the hero’s journey, or the general structure of a hero’s adventures. Such is the case in J.R.R. Tolkien’s renowned The Hobbit, a high fantasy novel detailing the adventures of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, a small furry creature known as a hobbit. Bilbo lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until he is compelled to join a dangerous quest with Gandalf the wizard and thirteen dwarves. As Bilbo Baggins progresses along his hero’s journey, he transforms, develops, and changes into an extraordinary hero.

Heroes are usually known as the brave, strong, and popular characters in a story. That is not how Bilbo Baggins is in the story, The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins is a character who usually sits at his house while smoking his pipe. Nonetheless, he becomes a hero by saving the dwarves out of the spider’s web, rescuing the dwarves out of jail, and hiding the dwarves from the elves. Which helps him on the journey that he was currently on.

In the book The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, a normal hobbit, becomes a hero of the story, but how is he a hero? What is a hero? At the start of the book, Bilbo was just like every hobbit that doesn’t like adventure. But Gandalf, one of the most extraordinary wizards in the world, pushes Bilbo to become a hero. So the three scenes which I think show that Bilbo is a hero is when he tries to pickpocket the trolls, when he finds the Ring of Invisibility, and when he finds a way to free him and his friends from Esgaroth. So overall, I believe Bilbo is a hero.