Watch What Happens
Every well-crafted story needs a hero; the hero may not be the typical muscular, ultra-strong savior, but instead may be a quiet and thoughtful individual who thinks through problems logically and does not run headfirst into danger. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, does not fit into a stereotypical hero. He is quiet and longs for the peace and quiet of his hobbit-hole; he does not typically like adventures. Thorin Oakenshield, a dwarf and the rightful King under the Mountain seems like your typical hero; he is strong, brave, and craves the power of his birthright. However, Thorin Oakenshield is not the true hero of The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is. By making Bilbo Baggins, a shy and peaceful hobbit the hero of The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien illustrates the importance of not undervaluing those who at first glance may seem unimportant because they may end up being the most important asset. The Hobbit starts off with a description of a hobbit-hole and hobbits themselves. Hobbits are ordinary, “there is little or no magic about them” (Tolkien 4), and do not partake in adventures. Bilbo Baggins’ mother, Belladonna Took would occasionally go off adventuring, and she passed down her sense of adventure to her son, albeit only a sliver. Bilbo’s Took blood makes him special and peculiar in the eyes of his fellow hobbits because he has a small and deeply buried natural disposition towards adventuring which does not reflect typical hobbit-ness. Even though this small pull towards adventuring makes Bilbo unique, he is still a hobbit who does not want or like adventures as far as he is concerned.
After Gandalf and the dwarf company show up unannounced at Bilbo’s hobbit-hole, Bilbo makes an important decision: he joins the company despite his fear and uncertainty because Thorin and his company have asked for his help, and Bilbo feels obligated to help those who need his help. He embarks on a journey/adventure to reclaim a mountain from a Smaug, a fierce dragon. The company deems him a “Burglar” (Tolkien 23) despite never explaining how or why he is to fulfill his title; he does not know what he will be burglarizing, but he follows along anyway. The Tookish part of him longs for the uncertain yet exciting future.
After encountering trolls, goblins and Beorn, a skin-changer, Bilbo and the dwarves head into Mirkwood, a dark and evil forest filled with giant spiders and home to the elven-king. In Mirkwood, Bilbo demonstrates his effectiveness as an unlikely hero. Upon first entering the forest, the dwarves heed Gandalf’s warning to “DON’T LEAVE THE PATH!” (Tolkien 152), but eventually are sidetracked by hunger and thirst. After veering off the path, they encounter giant spiders, and these spiders proceed to tie up and attempt to eat the dwarves. Bilbo escapes being eaten because of the magic ring he found in the goblin caves. Because of his invisibility, Bilbo is able to distract the spiders by singing:
Old fat spider spinning in a tree!
Old fat spider can’t see me!
Attercop! Attercop!
Won’t you stop,
Stop your spinning and look for me? (Tolkien 173)
His taunting is heard by the spiders, but not seen, and this gives Bilbo the perfect opportunity to cut the dwarves free from their sticky spider webs. Even though Bilbo deceives the spiders and the dwarves with his ring, he inevitably saves the dwarves’ lives. A small, shy and respectable hobbit turns a potentially deceitful act into an act of heroism because of his willingness to help his companions despite the harm that could befall himself.
Bilbo’s most courageous act occurs right before the battle of the five armies; he takes the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain, and one of Thorin’s most sought after possessions. He thinks to himself, “‘Now I am a burglar indeed! But I suppose I must tell the dwarves about it… They did say I could pick and choose my own share; and I think I would choose this, if they took all the rest!’” (Tolkien 257). This thought lends itself to the impression that he is wicked and underhanded, but in the end, he uses his “share” of the treasure in order to stop the senseless fighting that is bound to ensue because of Thorin’s inane pride over the treasure. Bilbo’s intentions are not wicked in nature; he is only trying to help and save his friends and avoid a battle which ultimately claims the lives of Thorin, Fili, and Kili. His ability to think ahead and attempt to problem-solve allows himself to become a respectful burglar.
Bilbo Baggins is not the typical hero; he is not a strong and muscular warrior. He is a quiet and thoughtful hobbit who values respect and civility over brute strength and wickedness. While he does have his moments of deceitfulness, the underlying intentions behind his actions are respectable and kind. Gandalf says, “he has more about him than you guess” (Tolkien 150), and he is right. Behind the short and meek exterior lies a heart of gold and a solid foundation on which the dwarves thrive and “come to respect” (Tolkien 240). Cunning and deceptively thoughtful, Bilbo Baggins truly embodies the hero; a hero is not known just for the exterior, but the interior: the motives, thoughts, and reasoning count for more than one would think. While an unlikely hero, or burglar, from the start, Bilbo blooms into a well-rounded character.
