Heroism In The Hobbit
The Hobbit, which was written by John R. R. Tolkien, was published on September 21, 1937. The Hobbit was a written prequel to the world renowned series, The Lord of The Rings. This fantasy novel brings readers to a completely different place, called middle earth, which is full of many different surprises, both good and bad. It is in this place that Tolkien introduces us to Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who was completely oblivious in the beginning to the fact that he would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien displayed the theme of heroism.
Bilbo Baggins displays true Heroism throughout the book, but the main places his heroism is displayed is when he puts others lives above his own. Although the dwarves who accompanied him on his adventure were very sceptical of his abilities, Gandalf persuades them to give him a chance. Bilbo wasn’t some strong, awesome, admirable super hero, because his main “powers” were derived from his smarts and ability to out think his opponents. An example of this is when, during the story, the group gets ambushed by goblins and bilbo, though not captured, gets lost in dark, damp, mysterious caves. It is here that he meets gollum. Gollum is a being of pure evil, trapped in the caves eating anything he can find. When he sees Bilbo, he immediately thinks about an early dinner, and how hobbits taste. Bilbo sees this and tricks Gollum into playing a game, a game of riddles, where if he loses, he dies. Bilbo outsmarts Gollum in this game, triumphant over evil, and escapes unharmed. Another example of this is when Bilbo finds, in the lonely mountains, what is known as the Arkenstone. This one stone, thorin oakenshield valued above all else.
When Bilbo finds out thorinaaaaaaaaaawants this, Bilbo gives it to the elves as a bargaining chip do avoid war against the dwarves. This is yet again proof of Bilbo's heroism since he, instead of in fear gave the arkenstone to thorin, gave it to the elves stopping a massacre. Bilbo when behind thorin, defied the dwarven king himself, and snuck out of the castle to deliver this stone. Bilbo Baggins starts out as a very timid, mild hobbit who typically kept to himself and refused adventure. Throughout this novel you see the udder transformation of Bilbo, taking the timid hobbit and turning him into a hero. Bilbo shows his newfound strength many a time in this book, saving what could be hundreds of lives, including the lives of his close friends. This is J. R. R Tolkien's hidden message in the Hobbit, that anyone no matter how short or tall, fierce or timid, strong or weak, can become a hero if they are willing to step up and accept the challenge.
