Bilbo

’s Transformation In The Hobbit Essay, Research Paper

Bilbo’s Transformation in the Novel The Hobbit

Some people say that people never change, while others believe that if given the chance, they will. In this case, J.R.R. Tolkien gives the character Bilbo Baggins the chance to change dramatically in his book The Hobbit. Bilbo undergoes many significant changes in his personality as a result of engaging in Gandalf’s journey with the dwarves. The most important transformations include Bilbo going from cowardly to brave, from being ridiculed to respected and from being helpless to resourceful.

At the beginning of the story, Bilbo seems very cowardly, but soon proves that he is indeed brave. Bilbo is very tied up in his very boring, monotonous life and he really does not want to go on the adventure that he is being hauled into: “Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not today. Good morning! But please come to tea – any time you like! Why not tomorrow. Come tomorrow! Good-bye” (p. 6)! Bilbo does not really like the idea of an adventure and tries to rush Gandalf off in hope that he might forget that he even asked him to go. Hobbits are not considered to be very adventurous creatures, and bravery certainly does not come to mind when thinking about Bilbo Baggins sitting in his nice warm little Hobbit hole at the beginning of the story. The first sign of bravery is when the great spider tries to tie him up and Bilbo fights him off with his little sword:

The spider lay dead beside him, and his sword-blade was stained black. Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its empty sheath. (p. 155)

Bilbo does not have anyone to back him up or tell him what to do when the huge black spider tries to tie him up. The attack of the spider is like a spark hitting him, and all of the sudden he knows without thinking, what to do. At this point in the story, Bilbo realizes that he does have courage within himself, giving him more confidence to carry on in a more brave and courageous manner. Bilbo shows even more bravery by being the one with enough courage to go and check out Smaug in the first place:

Then the hobbit slipped on his ring, warned by the echoes to take more than a hobbit’s care to make no sound, he crept noiselessly down, down into the dark. He was trembling with fear, but his little face was set and grim. Already he was a very different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket-handkerchief from Bag-End long ago. He had not had a pocket-handkerchief for ages. He loosened his dagger in its sheath, tightened his belt, and went on. (p. 212)

This is Bilbo’s greatest test of bravery. Even though he is scared, he continues on into the mystery of Smaug’s mountain that lay ahead. None of the other dwarves are up to the task except little Bilbo, who we would have never expected, went in and stood up to his fears. At the beginning of the novel, Bilbo is very cowardly and all he does is sit in his cozy little home. Once the great adventure is over, Bilbo comes back having fought off the giant spiders, saving the dwarves many a time, and worst of all facing Smaug, the dragon. This clearly shows that Bilbo, once given the chance, changes dramatically into a very brave hobbit.

Bilbo does not only become a much braver hobbit, he also becomes greatly respected among the dwarves as opposed to how he is ridiculed by them at the beginning of the novel. The dwarves are in doubt of his burglary skills when they first meet Bilbo and they are not sure if they should believe the good things Gandalf says about him:

“Will he do, do you think. It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this

hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragons and all of his relatives, and kill the lot of us. I think it sounded more like fright than excitement! In fact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house. As soon as I clapped eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat , I had my doubts. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar!” (p. 17)

The dwarves do not respect Bilbo Baggins at this point in the story, in fact they merely ridicule him about his skills and wonder if he will get them killed in the end. Bilbo has not yet had the chance to show them what he can do, but he is determined to prove them wrong and gain their respect. Later on in the story, respect is shown towards Bilbo immensely when he finally escapes the Goblin tunnels and meets up with the dwarves again:

Bless me how they jumped! Then they shouted with surprise and delight. Gandalf was as astonished as any of them, but probably more pleased then all the others He called to Balin and told him what he thought of a look-out man who let people walk right into them like that without warning. It is a fact that Bilbo’s reputation went up a very great deal with the dwarves after this. If they had still doubted that he was really a first-class burglar, in spite of Gandalf’s words, they doubted no longer. Balin was the most puzzled of all; but everyo