Bilbo's Heroism

Bilbo’s Heroism
The Hobbit’s main theme is Bilbo’s development into a hero, which more broadly represents the development of a common person into a hero. At the beginning of the story, Bilbo is timid, comfortable, and complacent in his secure little hole at Bag End. When Gandalf talks him into embarking on the quest with Thorin’s dwarves, Bilbo becomes so frightened that he faints. But as the novel progresses, Bilbo prevails in the face of danger and adversity, justifying Gandalf’s early claim that there is more to the little hobbit than meets the eye.
Bilbo possesses hidden reserves of inner strength that even Bilbo himself cannot perceive when he firsts sets out on the quest. Confronting the trolls, escaping with Gollum’s ring, slaying the spider, rescuing the dwarves in Mirkwood, and speaking face-to-face with the great dragon Smaug all provide Bilbo with opportunities to test his resolve. As he builds confidence and resourcefulness, Bilbo emerges as a true hero.
Because Tolkien acknowledged that the idea of hobbits was rooted in his experiences with rural Englishmen of his own time, Bilbo’s development might allegorically represent the heroism of England in World War I or the inner, latent heroism common to everyone. But given Tolkien’s stated distaste for allegory—his main motivation for writing was storytelling, not the exploration of a literary theme—it is questionable whether Bilbo’s story should be taken to refer to anyone except Bilbo himself.

In crafting The Hobbit, and later The Lord of the Rings,
J. R. R. Tolkien surely had this biblical pattern at the forefront of his mind. By choosing Bilbo Baggins (and later Frodo) as the unlikely hero of his there-and-back-again adventure story, Tolkien makes it clear that there can be great strength in weakness and great wisdom in humility. The petit bourgeois Bilbo, with his love of simple creature comforts and his risk-aversive approach to life, seems wholly lacking in the qualities necessary for a hero. Yet a hero he becomes.

well, I think he is and isn't. he made Smaug mad and therefore inderectly caused the destruction of Laketown, and I don't think he should've given the Arkenstone to Bard. on the other hand......he rescued the Dwarves from the Elv's(sp?) prisons and from the giant spiders think he's a hero in a way. I mean, he yelled and woke up the dwarves before they were all taken down to the goblins. That gave Gandalf time to get away. He also saved them from the spiders and helped them out of the Elvenking's house. And he saw the bare spot on Smaug where there was no armor and he tried to make peace between the dwarves and the elves. But, as vigoldenflower said, he also caused the destruction of Laketown and gave away the Arkenstone, when it wasn't really his to give.