The Hobbitt: A Heroes Journey

Bilbo was one you would never expect to do anything unexpected. He was well respected and renowned in the land of the Shire, being one who scoffed and crinkled his nose at the thought of adventure. But once tangled into the fate of a wizard, one named Gandalf the Grey, and a company of dwarves, Bilbo’s opinion changed within the span of a single night. But he does more than that, he transforms into a hero.

This story very closely follows the heroe’s journey beginning to end except where a few steps come out of the usual order. Starting with the “call to adventure”, this is clearly portrayed as Gandalf expresses their need of someone in which to share an adventure. Closely following is the “refusal of the call”, in which Bilbo shares that the discomfort that he views adventures as. “I should think so – in these parts! We are quite plain folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty, dirty, uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.” {Mr. Bilbo Baggins, Chapter One, page 4.}

The “threshold” pf the story is the point in which the character has to leave behind the security of his known world. Bilbo’s threshold is the meeting of the trolls, in an effort to prove himself to the dwarves. This was the next step in the cycle, but also where we discover that the dwarves are him helpers. Maybe even the beginning of the thought that Gandalf is Bilbo’s mentor, constantly guiding him to the right choice or thing.

After being chased by the goblins, Bilbo finds himself alone in a dark cave. This challenge reflects his needs to survive even with nobody to help him, and the part of the cycle known as “challenges”. Fortunately, in the cave the helper comes to him in the form of the one ring. With the help of the ring, Bilbo escapes Gollum’s hunger, the goblins, and makes his way out of the mountain. The “revelation” part of the adventure takes place when the character’s view on life, or way of thinking changes abruptly. In The Hobbit this point in the story is when Bilbo slays the first giant spider, proving to himself that he is stronger than he had ever imagined himself being. Before the killing, and their rescue, the dwarves never took Mr. Baggins seriously. But afterwards, he is greatly emboldened, thinking on his own more often - - soon, the dwarves began to turn to him for answers.

The character’s entry into “the abyss” is where the greatest challenge of the journey takes place. Bilbo must face his greatest fears and overcome them; ALONG. Bilbo enters the abyss of the journey when he first beholds Smaug in his cave. "Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did...he fought the real battle in the tunnel alone...", {Chapter 12}. Succeeding in taking a magnificent golden cup from the massive wealth stored there. Granted, the company’s joy turns quickly to dismay when the dragon awakens, discovering the cup to be missing, alerting Smaug to their presence.

When Bilbo overcomes his fears, and triumphs over the abyss his “transformation” step is complete. The moment when Mr. Baggins accepts his responsibility is when he gives the Arkenstone to the Bard of Lake town, and the Elven king. Bing aware of how much Thorin values the gem is what drives him to give it to them. This comes to show that he had learned to sacrifice where necessary, and to value like over wealth. This is the final test for Bilbo, calling on his initiative to do what he feels is right. Once again proving Gandalf right when he said there was more to Bilbo than could be seen by the naked eye.

The next phase of his journey, “atonement”, he receives a "boon", a gift granted to him after learning the ways of the outside world. Bilbo gains his portion of treasure, but discovers what he knew better than the dwarves all along; treasure isn’t all that great, when blood had to be shed to gain it. He will also have valuable qualities such as courage, or an extremely perceptive mind, eternally.

The adventure is over, and the hobbit-turned-hero now faces the final stage of his journey---the “return” to his old life. The significance of the return is to start to contribute to the society, but the heroes sometimes get rejected instead. Bilbo comes back to Hobbiton almost a year after that fateful day in May to find that he is "presumed dead." It takes years for the other hobbits to fully accept that he's alive and back, and even then his reputation pronounces him strange and peculiar. Only his Took nieces and nephews don't regard him as someone who should be thought crazy, but Bilbo isn't sorry about any of it. He remains friends with Gandalf, the elves, and the dwarves. He writes poetry, smokes his pipe in his hobbit-hole and still retains his love for food and drink like any hobbit, but the eyes that look at the world never see quite the same again.