The hobbit is a novel written in 1937 by J.R. Tolkien. The book is set in the fictional world of Middle-Earth, where mythical creatures like elves, dwarves and dragons live. Our main character is a respectable hobbit called Bilbo Baggins, who suddenly finds himself in the company of 13 dwarves. They head out on a quest to retrieve their mountain from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Characterization deals with how characters are described, be it by dialog, the way they speak or appearance. This literary device helps us understand and feel sympathy towards the characters. The characters in the Hobbit are interesting characters with their own traits and development.
Firstly, we have the most important ones, the main characters. In the Hobbit the main
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The environment and experiences that they go through shape them as a person and make them grow into something new. Bilbo starts out as cautious little hobbit, but as the journey goes on he grows into the role of a leader and gains self-confidence. He becomes braver than he ever was and isn’t afraid to stand up for himself. There’s a big contrast between the hobbit who fainted upon only hearing about the dragon, and the hobbit who bravely went into its lair and challenged it. Despite all that Bilbo holds onto his values and doesn’t forget who he is, which is what ultimately saves him from falling for the greed that frames everyone towards the end of the book. A great example of this is shown with the very ending of the book, there Bilbo decides to go home. After everything that happened, after all the adventures and fights that no longer make him a respectable hobbit, Bilbo Baggins returns to Bag End. Thorin is the other side of Bilbo’s coin, his opposite. While Bilbo starts out soft and weak, he starts out hard and strong. As the story progresses Thorin starts to unravel, he makes hasty and poor planned decisions, his plans fall apart and while he relies a great deal on Bilbo, his pride makes him refuse to acknowledge him. It is these conditions that make Bilbo grow into the hero and leader he is by the end. Despite Thorin’s shortcomings and eventual fall he is redeemed in the very and at his deathbed. There he says to Bilbo “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world” (Tolkien 237-8), by this Thorin is asking for forgiveness from Bilbo for his rash actions before the battle, claiming that the world would be a better place with more people like
They held a great deal of admiration for their friend who proved his worthiness through his burglaring success. After the final battle, Bilbo talks to Thorin right before the he dies, “‘There is more in you than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in the measure’” (Tolkien 290). The dwarf king realized his original opinion of Bilbo was wrong. Thorin found that Bilbo was brave and honorable, not weak and incapable. The rest of the dwarves developed the same opinion as Thorin, “Then the dwarves bowed low before their Gate, but words stuck in their throats. ‘Good-bye and good luck, wherever you fare!’” (Tolkien 294). Originally, the dwarves were almost unwilling to take the little hobbit along on the journey, but by the end, they were struggling to say goodbye to their friend. Bilbo became more than just a burglar to the dwarves, he became a respected
Every author wants their readers to be engrossed in the story whether it be that a character or characters are relatable in some way to the reader, the plot, or the story itself. In order to create the characters or even the plot line the author needs to make it interesting for the reader to read. Authors use multiple stylistic choices throughout their story, and the readers may not even know that they are reading over the choices useless they are purposefully looking for it. In J.R.R Tolkien's book The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is forced to accompany a group of dwarves: Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, and Gandalf the wizard. They start their quest to take back their homeland from the dragon Smaug. Throughout the story they experience many difficult tasks, such as walking through a forest that is infested with giant spiders, battling goblins that live in the mountains, and Gollum, a malnourished man in desperate need of a therapist. J.R.R. Tolkien utilizes indirect and direct characterization to help the readers understand the characters and help to justify their actions.
The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s
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,
As children develop into adults, certain events and time periods stand out as the reason for important changes in their character. J.R.R. Tolkien portrayed the main character of The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, as a child on his trip into adulthood. Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist, changes from a childlike hobbit to a fully matured hero. J.R.R. Tolkien divides the change in Bilbo's character into the three major part of the book, prior to the quest, during the quest, and after the quest.
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The
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 by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The
Do you ever wonder what kind of person you are? Are you adventurous, perseptive, athletic? Have these traits ever affected your decision making? Because in “The Hobbit” By J.R.R. Tolkien, The protagonist Bilbo Baggins feels conflicted whether he should act like his more daring ancestors, the Tooks by embarking on a perilous journey to retake a kingdom. Or to be like his more respectable ancestors, the Bagginses and stay in the comfort of his warm home. As you can see, the traits he has acquired from his forebears are altering the way he sees the situation. Much like Bilbo, I believe that we all have similar sides to our personalities, whether the conflict is to be brave or timid, or smart rather than foolishly. And it is up to us to correctly
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” writes J.R.R. Tolkien. Within Tolkien’s famous novel The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, thirteen dwarves, and a wizard named Gandalf embark on a journey to reclaim the dwarves’ long-forgotten gold. Although the story seems to be completely original and made of fresh ideas, it is actually influenced by previous literature, like other common novels. Many legends of King Arthur, with unknown authors, influenced J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
The Hobbit tells the story of a Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins that goes on an adventure. It is a captivating story but is has an amazing amount of archetypes within it. It is truly a work of art.
The Hobbit is about is about Bilbo Baggins going on an adventure and becoming the hero that he needed to be I will be discussing Bilbo Baggins and how he develops and changes throughout the story. I
The Hobbit (There and Back Again) is an absolutely wonderful classical book. In fact, it has been made into a three part movie series, two of which have already been released. The two movies that have been released will be what I am covering in this report.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit living in the Shire having a peaceful quiet life in his hobbit hole. One day after living a life of leisure and pleasure he is awakened by a rude knock on his door. In a matter of a few hours he will meet the people that changed his life for good. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is a story about a hobbit and his adventure. His adventure starts with a knock on his door by his old Friend Gandalf. Gandalf then promptly asks Bilbo”I am looking for someone to share in an adventure”(tolkien). Bilbo then denies Gandalf and continuous with his usual day until that night. When Bilbo is about to eat his dinner he gets a knock. He opens it to find two dwarves Dwalin and Balin. Bilbo 's shocked but invites them in. Bilbo does this eval times until he 's left with thirteen dwarves Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Ori, Nori, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and Thorin Oakenshield. They then invite him on a quest that would change his life. During his quest he faces many evils and overcomes them all to become a hero.
The other characters of the story are Gandalf the wizard, Smaug the dragon, Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, Fili, Kili, Oin, and Gloin, the