Bilbo's Archetypes In The Hobbit

Can the lust for adventure alter the everyday thoughts and actions of the common man or woman? Will this person choose to leave their home and the place that where they know they are safe for a world of unknown and possible danger? In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo, a common hobbit of the Shire, is startled one morning during his second breakfast to find the great wizard Gandalf at his door. Gandalf alerts Bilbo of an upcoming quest, and asks him to join him and the Dwarves on a journey across Middle-Earth. At first he refuses, but eventually, Bilbo joins the Company of Dwarves on the epic quest to regain their homeland and the treasure buried inside. The Hero’s Journey is a pattern or type of novel that applies to many adventure stories.

One of those character archetypes is the mentor. In the story, the mentor is played by the great wizard Gandalf, an old and mysterious man with a talent for sorcery. By looking back at the Hero’s Journey Model, we see that the hero must be jettisoned into action by a mentor, and Gandalf does just that.Throughout the story, Gandalf guides Bilbo on his journey, keeping him on the right path and giving him the confidence to keep going. “That leaves you just ten minutes. You will have to run, said Gandalf. But-, said Bilbo. No time for it said the wizard. But-, said Bilbo again. No time for that either! Off you go!”(pg 28). Another character archetype in The Hobbit is the everyman. The everyman is the everyday person, the common man, the character the reader can relate to. In The Hobbit, the everyman is Bilbo. Bilbo is just a regular hobbit when he goes on an adventure for treasure and revenge for Dwarvish Homeland. “To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more”(pg 29). Another Character Archetype is the Evil Shadow or Final Boss. This is the

Why did he leave the only place he felt comfortable for a world of possible danger and horror around every corner, for a quest that he personally had no connection with? His conscious told him to refuse, but his gut told him to accept. A hunger for adventure had struck Bilbo Baggins, and even though he had no appetite, he feasted as a hero at the table of