Premium Essay

Bilbo Heroism

Submitted By
Words 339
Pages 2
The third element of Tyre’s theory is “(3) at night” (Tyre 19). This element is still relevant to The Hobbit even though the entire journey did not take place at night. The important events that help transform Bilbo into a hero happen at night. “At night” could also be generalized as a state of darkness. Bilbo did do many heroic things in the actual nighttime but while on his journey, he had one encounter that was very symbolic. This particular scene, could have been literally at night but Bilbo was not sure when it was because he was in a cave that was full of darkness. Bilbo is awakened from being unconscious after the dwarves were taken by the goblins. He finds himself in a cave and while feeling around on the floor, in the darkness, he

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Hobbit Analysis

...main character of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins lives a comfortable peaceful life in his spacious hobbit-hole under the hill. But one day, his peace and quiet are shattered by the arrival of the wizard Gandalf, who asks him to join 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the treasure taken from them by the evil dragon Smaug. After some hesitation, Bilbo agrees to join the dwarves on their adventure, encountering many dangers along the way, such as trolls, goblins, and even a life-or-death game of riddles with a slimy creature in an underground cavern named Gollum. Bilbo wins the game, and gains both freedom from the tunnels of the goblins and a mysterious golden ring that grants its wearer the power of invisibility....

Words: 838 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Hobbit: or, There and Back Again from the Viewpoint of a Mythological, Biographical, and Historical Critic

...J.R.R Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit follows the journey of one central hero, Bilbo Baggins, and his company of dwarves as they embark to Erebor to retake the dwarves’ homeland. This epic tale can be analyzed using a mythological, biographical, or historical critic’s point of view. There are also a few themes seen throughout the novel, including greed and the journey. From a mythological standpoint, one could mention the works of literature that Tolkien himself said has influenced his fantasies about the fabled land of Middle-earth: Iceland’s Poetic Edda and Beowulf. Some tales in Norse mythology can also be analyzed to apply to Tolkien’s novel. Based on a biographically and historically opinion, one might talk about the World Wars’ effect on Tolkien and his novels. Another approach that could be taken is one based on the archetypes seen in The Hobbit; the hero, Bilbo Baggins, and the villain, the dragon Smaug. One could connect the archetypes and events of The Hobbit to those of Beowulf. The Hobbit could also be seen as a novel of the genre bildungsroman, which means “coming-of-age” and focuses on the emotional and physical development of the main character. The use of mythological criticism in the analysis of J.R.R Tolkien’s first novel The Hobbit is by far the most popular among renowned literature critics – one of whom was CS Lewis, an author of children’s fantasy novels himself. It is easy to explain the story from a mythological point of view; many ancient texts have themes...

Words: 4640 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Changes of Bilbo Baggins

...Changes Of Bilbo Baggins Since its first publication in 1937, The Hobbit has been rendered into more than a dozen film adaptations. Each of these films portrays a new perspective to the original work with variations big and small. Essentially, the movie versions can be seen as interpretations of Tolkien’s text since visual media cannot fully convey the events and character entirely. Once put on a screen, the plot must be shortened to fit the running time, character simplified and made symbolic. A case in hand is the 2012 movie edition directed by Peter Jackson. The main difference between the film and the text is that the movie focuses more, maybe too much on the character Bilbo Baggins. As a result, in Tolkien’s text the story is told by an omniscient narrator whereas the movie from Bilbo’s Perspective. Tolkien’s description of Bilbo reflects the culture and underpinnings of Middle-earth during the third age by presenting him as a “Baggins”, a well-respected family among the Hobbit community, an eager adventurer and a philosopher who is a product of his time while the movie presents him as a cowardly man, afraid of the world outside of the Shrine. Consequently, viewers of The Hobbit see Bilbo differently, which dilutes Tolkien’s portrayal of Bilbo’s personality trait as a hero. Firstly, in Tolkien’s narrative text, the themes of heroism and Bilbo’s character development from being an average hobbit into the hero at the end of the story looms largely not only as an exposition...

Words: 707 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

How Does Bilbo Show Loyalty In The Hobbit

...The Hobbit is an epic fantasy tale written by the renown author J.R.R Tolkien. It is about a quiet little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who goes on an adventure with a group of homeless dwarves and a sage wizard. Throughout the adventure, he put himself into dangerous positions and learned how to rely on himself. The journey that Bilbo Baggins went through was vital to his character. He faces situations that encompass good versus evil. Bilbo learns about loyalty, greed, courage, morality and how it can all make a huge impact. A common theme throughout the story is loyalty. Without the virtue of loyalty, the story would not have been as it is. Loyalty is often displayed by Bilbo as he never leaves the dwarves side. He constantly puts himself in...

Words: 1392 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Lord of the Rings and Sociology

...The Lord of the Rings: From A Sociological Perspective The Lord of the Rings, is a fantasy style movie filmed from 2001 to 2004. It is set in the setting of Middle Earth where Sauron forges a great ring from the fire of Mordor to provoke havoc upon the lands. Frodo, a hobbit from the Shire, is "gifted" the ring of power from his uncle Bilbo, when he stumbled upon the ring from his adventures in his past time. Gandalf the Grey, an old friend of Bilbo, figures out this ring Frodo beholds is the one ring of power and decides the only option is to destroy the ring from where it came from, Mordor. Frodo stumbles upon people who accompany him on the way to Mordor, when they all decide to form a "fellowship" with all the same mission to help Frodo the destroy the ring. This fellowship starts off as a group of mostly strangers to each other in the beginning, but across the three movies they all become a family. (IMDB) They all split up in different ways at the end of the first movie, but each group becomes a family within a family throughout the movie. Enemies become friends, friends make sacrifices for each other, and each "family" serves a purpose for the quest of destroying the ring. I'll explain more in the paper about each "family" and why I'm writing this paper on this movie. While re-watching this whole series from a sociological standpoint, it opened my eyes in a different way. I wasn't just astounded by the acting or directing, but by the whole plot and how it indirectly points...

Words: 3083 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Fcir

...Ivan Caicedo Professor field English College Now 21 May 2014 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Vocabulary 1. Unobtrusive - inconspicuous, unassertive, or reticent; not noticeable or conspicuous 2. Perilous - involving or full of grave risk or peril; hazardous; dangerous 3. Imbibed - to absorb liquid or moisture; to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat 4. Warren - a building or area containing many tenants in limited or crowded quarters 5. Commodity - an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service; something of use, advantage, or value. 6. Pavilion - a light, usually open building used for shelter, concerts, exhibits 7. Scintillating - animated; vivacious; effervescent; witty; brilliantly clever 8. Phalanx - (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping; a number of individuals, especially persons united for a common purpose. 9. Provender - dry food, as hay or oats, for livestock or other domestic animals; fodder; food 10. Waistcoat - a man's body garment, often quilted and embroidered and having sleeves, worn under the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries. 11. Perfunctory - performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic 12. Spasm - a sudden, abnormal, involuntary muscular contraction, consisting of a continued...

Words: 2371 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Bilbo

...Characterisation, The Hobbit Anna Valvik, K12 In chapter five it is evident that Bilbo is the good character, and Gollum is the evil one. From the very beginning it is Bilbo we follow, we know what he is thinking and it is not bad thoughts. Bilbo is cautious and afraid, which the evil one in stories seldom is. Gollum is a mad, eerie and savage person. Gollum also eats people, which is not quite normal for nice and good people. Bilbo is a bit anxious of the creatures in the mountains, it is shown when he says “I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was”. Bilbo is altogether a person who is afraid. Bilbo is not that clever; his riddles are bad compared to Gollum’s riddles. Bilbo is extremely sneaky when he makes up the ridiculous riddle “What have I got in my pocket?” which Gollum obviously cannot guess. Bilbo is clever at a few things like which kind of material his sword is made of and where it was made. Bilbo has a good sense of location or rather he must be used to walking in the dark. He can walk partly fast without hurting himself. Gollum is absolutely obsessed with the ring Bilbo is wearing, since it once was Gollum’s. ” Gollum is a very curious creature. It is shown when he watches Bilbo from his rock in the middle of the lake “With pale eyes like telescopes”. Gollum know a lot of riddles and he has an amazing memory, he has been living in the mountains for lots of years and he still remembers the answers to the riddles, which has a lot to do with his...

Words: 460 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Hooray

...The Best Film I Have Ever Seen Lots of people find watching films one of the best ways of spending their leisure time. Due to numerous video facilities, which have emerged in this country over the past years, we have a chance to watch the most popular and new films. As for me, I am always impressed by films screened after a book. Moreover, I find it enjoyable to reread the book which I don't remember very well to be able to compare it with the screen version. The film «The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug» directed by Peter Jackson and with Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen as leading actors is the screen version of the book written by the popular English writer - John Tolkien. The film was released in 2013. The story concerns Bilbo Baggins. He’s a rather plump hobbit and he finds himself unwittingly drawn into an adventure by the wizard Gandalf. Along with thirteen dwarves, he finds himself bound for Lonely Mountain, where a dragon named Smaug hordes stolen treasure. But the road is wrought with danger. Using magic and quick thinking, with the help of giant eagles and man who can turn into a bear, they manage to complete their quest, only to realize that there are more important things in life. The film is rather long, but it’s amazing. The plot is great! And acting impressed me a lot, because of the excellent cast! It’s in 3D, so the effects are fascinating and exciting. This is not the 1st 3D film I have ever seen, but this version of the video continues to amaze me. Thanks...

Words: 318 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Bilbo In The Hobbit

...In the book The Hobbit Bilbo is asked to go on a quest with thirteen dwarves where they are going to try and capture back all the gold and other goodies that the dragon has stolen from other who have tried to do the same thing before them. Bilbo gets invited to go on this quest not only because he has the ability to be sneaky but he is also smart and on any quest you have to be smart and intelligent if you are strong that helps but not in Bilbo's case. Cases of this being evident is when one of the ponies bolts another example is when Bilbo has to go searching for food, and the final example is Bilbo also has to be smart to not make the rash decision to fight the trolls but he has to be smart to make the decision to hide. Bilbo has to be smart because if he was the opposite he would have chased after the pony instead of trying to go find food and shelter. In this situation Bilbo and the dwarves had a pony that had their food and blankets and clothes the pony bolted instead of thinking he was good to go for the next couple of days he was smart and decided to go hunt for food shelter and clothes. Meaning while the others were sitting around Bilbo was trying to find them food and shelter if he was not smart he would be with them. This is very important because if Bilbo did chase after the pony he probably...

Words: 576 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Is Bilbo A Hero

... In The Hobbit, Bilbo, a hobbit from the Shire, is recruited as a burglar to go on an adventure to help reclaim the land of the dwarves. Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves encounter many different creatures along the way, some who want to help them and other who want to kill them. Through the journey Bilbo must grow into a true hero to save the dwarves and himself. Bilbo grew into a brave, selfless, and important member of the team who came to recognize good and evil. Bilbo through his many troubles during the adventure had to learn what it means to be a true hero. Bilbo was a coward in the beginning; he never wanted to leave his home. Whenever Bilbo was in the slightest danger, he turned into a coward complaining “Why did I ever leave my hobbit-hole” (p. 62, Tolkien). Bilbo...

Words: 746 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Hobbit Is A Classic Essay

...The Hobbit is a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien illustrating the adventure of Bilbo Baggins on his quest to help his dwarf friends. Through the journey, Bilbo discovers the true potential of his loyalty, bravery, and cleverness. I believe The Hobbit should remain a classic in our modern world. This is due to its expression of life and morals, the work’s renowned recognition after over 75 years, its appeal to the over 100 million copies sold, and its connections to the modern literature that the work has influenced. I feel that the despite the change of time, The Hobbit has withstanded and exceeded expectations securing itself the right and justification to be a classic. The meaning of good over evil, and right over wrong, are concepts that author...

Words: 810 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

How Does Bilbo Grow Out In The Hobbit

...1). His name is Bilbo Baggins, his door was like a porthole, painted green with a shiny yellow brass knob in the middle. For hobbits there was no going upstairs the kitchen, bedrooms, dining-room, and bathroom all on the same passage. Bilbo, he has big hairy feet, dresses in bright clothes, half size of an human, and can’t grow a beard.Bilbo likes to stay in his hobbit hole and in his town. Bilbo is a very organized, he likes to have every “in place” where it goes. Also likes to be safe in his hobbit hole with no danger around him. He does not like to travel, preferring the safety of his hobbit-hole, but he has inherited a streak of adventurousness from his mother's side, the Tooks. His adventurous Took side and his comfort-loving Baggins side are in conflict throughout much of the story....

Words: 614 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sterotyping the Hobbit

...be. We view them this way because that is how we see them on the show Jersey Shore. All of the people on the show are dressed, and look like the picture I brought in. In reality only some Italians look that way. The majority of them look and act like ordinary people. Just because someone is Italian does not mean that they dress and act like what we think they should. You cannot judge someone based on how they look. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, this proves very true. There are a few characters throughout this story that break the stereotypes of themselves. The biggest example of this is with Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is a hobbit. Hobbits are described as tiny, little beings who love to eat, drink, relax, and blow smoke rings. They are not fond of anything that deals with adventure, and they would prefer to stay in their cozy little hobbit holes all day long. As a hobbit, Bilbo would seem like the most unlikely hero you could ever imagine. As the story progresses he becomes more of a hero, and less of a scared little hobbit. Evan though he is such a...

Words: 791 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Hobbit Chapter 1

...counterparts. The hole occupied by the hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins is called Bag End. It is quite a pleasant dwelling, with comfortable furniture and a well-stocked kitchen, nestled in a snug little village under a hill. Bilbo’s ancestry is somewhat noble by hobbit standards: his father was from the well-to-do, conventional Baggins family, but his mother was from the Tooks, a wealthy, eccentric family infamous for their unhobbitlike tendency to go on adventures. Despite his Took blood, however, Bilbo prefers to stay at home and live a quiet life. On the day the story begins, Bilbo is enjoying a pipe outside his front door when an old man with a long cloak and a staff arrives. After the old man introduces himself, Bilbo recognizes him as the wizard Gandalf, who has created spectacular fireworks displays on holidays in Hobbiton, but Bilbo still looks on the old wizard with a suspicious eye. When Gandalf asks if Bilbo would be interested in going on an adventure, Bilbo declines and quickly excuses himself. He invites the wizard to come over for tea sometime but only so as not to seem rude—in reality, he wants nothing to do with Gandalf and his adventures. When the doorbell rings the next afternoon, Bilbo assumes it is Gandalf. To his surprise, a dwarf named Dwalin pushes past him and promptly sits down to eat. Soon, other dwarves begin to arrive, and as Bilbo’s neat little home becomes crowded with dwarves, Bilbo becomes increasingly confused and annoyed. At last, Gandalf...

Words: 613 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Hobbit and Myth

...Vladimir Propp, the reader may use their concept to read the book with insight and clarity that opens up a whole new way of looking at the hobbits adventure and the journey he partakes in. After one has a knowledge of the sequence of events that help to make up an adventure story it is hard to look at many books and films you’ve already seen in the same way. My hopes is that by the end of this, you will see The Hobbit in a new light. The Hobbit embodies significant aspects of the “hero’s journey” and the exploration of these using different authors works helps the reader to understand the analyzation and important theories of this work of literature and other pieces they already know and love. The adventure begins in the Shire, home to one Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of no extraordinary reputation or worth. He is no born leader, muscular athlete, or rising star in the community; just an average hobbit that likes his comfort, food, and pipe. Not exactly what you would expect a hero to be,...

Words: 2872 - Pages: 12