How Does Bilbo Show Evil

414 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The conflict of good and evil in tolkiens work

Bilbo being a symbol of good and defeating evil shows how Tolkien feels about good versus evil and who will win in the battle. In literature about eighty percent of the time, good will triumph over evil. Tolkien feels that good will triumph over evil, evidenced by Bilbo defeating Gollum. Bilbo’s wisdom helps him defeat Gollum; however one of Gollum’s negative characteristics also assists him in defeating Gollum. Evidence that one of Gollum's’ negative characteristics caused him to fail is when he gets out of the boat to eat Bilbo before he guessed the answer (Tolkien page 73). If Gollum waited longer he would have been able to eat Bilbo, but because he was impatient, Bilbo was able to solve the riddle. Although Bilbo’s wisdom helps him defeat Gollum, a negative trait of Gollum aids Bilbo in his victory. The impatience of Gollum leads to his downfall. When Bilbo is thinking of an answer to one of the riddles, Gollum rushes over to eat Bilbo, he then screams “Give me more time”. …show more content…

There are multiple examples of good prevailing over evil. One example is Gandalf defeating Great Goblin on page 61-62 “Suddenly...got there”. Another example is Gandalf and the trolls. Gandalf was the reason the trolls turned into stone; Gandalf kept them arguing over and over again. On page 40, it is stated that Gandalf was the reason they kept bickering at each other,“Excellent..end of them”. The theme of good repeatedly defeating evil is very common in Tolkien’s writing. Tolkien being a Catholic during his life has given him a very positive view on how the forces of good would go against the forces of evil in a never ending battle. He is able to show this through the conflicts in his books. He shows this in the battles between the good characters and the evil characters. Examples such as the eagles and the wolves, the elves and the goblins, or Gandalf and the

Show More
Related

  • Bilbo's Perseverance In The Hobbit

    490 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the beginning, Bilbo is very abject to go on this adventure. “Don’t be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!” He said to himself, “Thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense...”

    Read More

  • Bilbo Hero Quotes

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Bilbo encounters the strange creature Gollum, he enters into a game of riddles with the creature in order to buy more time. Bilbo’s wit enables him to prevail as he asks the final question, at first to himself, “What have I got in my pocket?” (78). Another example of Bilbo’s cunning wit would be his encounter with the great dragon Smaug. Smaug is a much more daunting opponent this time. As Smaug attempts to lure Bilbo into his hall, Bilbo proceeds to flatter the dragon and talk in riddles. “This is of course the way to talk to dragons, if you don’t want to reveal your proper name (which is wise), and don’t want to infuriate them by a flat refusal (which is also very wise)” (223). Bilbo’s cunning tactics establish Bilbo as being capable of conquering his enemies not with total force, but with the clever use of

    Read More

  • Bilbo Baggins An Outline For The Hobbit

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    He starts off as a hobbit scared of the world and never wanting change in his life to ever become a great hero and adventurer. As he starts off his great journey he showed change for the first time and that he is willing to risk his life. As Bilbo embarks on this journey and continues helping the dwarves many traits form from this experience such as bravely as he stood up to the trolls. Shows the heroism that everyone has inside them even if they don't know

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf And Burton Raffel

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, fairy tales, stories and legends have shared a common theme where good and evil are played against each other. In the story of “Beowulf”, translated by, “Burton Raffel”, there is a hero who plays as a good character, and there is also a demon who rules the dark side. The hero Beowulf, agrees to take a journey to conquer the evil monster Grendel. But when Beowulf is trying to defeat the beast, Grendel fights back, causing integrity and generosity to vanish. The common theme in various tales like in Beowulf is, good vs. evil.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Bilbo In The Hobbit

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Tolkien uses the character of Bilbo Baggins to reveal to the reader the constant struggle between heroic and anti-heroic qualities within Bilbo and ourselves.

    Read More

  • Hobbit Final

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first occurrence we have with the struggle of good vs. evil is the altercation with he trolls. During their journey they notice a faint light up ahead and send Bilbo to investigate it since he was considered the burglar. As Bilbo approaches he notices a group of trolls sitting around a fire. Bilbo tries to steal one of their money bags but in doing so alerts the attention of the trolls, and they capture Bilbo. As the trolls hold Bilbo hostage the dwarves start to come look for Bilbo who has not come back and the trolls hatch a plan to hide in the trees and capture each of the dwarves. In the process of the trolls figuring out what to do with their hostages, Gandalf appears and imitates one of the trolls and starts an argument between them, distracting them of the upcoming morning sun and therefore turning the trolls into stone. In this sequence good triumphed evil, the dwarves were doing nothing wrong just trying to find food, in doing so the evil trolls attacked them for nothing and were about to eat them.

    Read More

  • Temptation in the Fellowship of the Ring

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gollum cannot resist the Ring’s temptation because he has no knowledge of the Ring and no guidance to form good habits and prevent addiction to the Ring. Gollum, originally, Sméagol wanted the Ring because of Its beauty but his friend, Déagol found it first. After Déagol refused to just give the Ring to Sméagol because it was his birthday, “…he [Sméagol] caught Déagol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger,” (58). But after he found the Ring, he had no guidance to form good ...

    Read More

  • Bilbo Baggins, a True Hero

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...s. Bilbo is the one that gives the precious Arkenstone to Bard to help stop a war from starting. If it was not for Bilbo’s courage, Thorin would still be fighting for the Arkenstone and might have also been hurt. Bilbo also helps the dwarves by being a good leader and helping them find a way out of Smaug’s lair. Without Bilbo, the dwarves would not have the audacity to try finding a way out of Smaug’s cave. Bilbo, like a real hero, always makes sure that he finishes the task he sets out to do. Without Bilbo, the dwarves would not be able to finish all the tasks that they want to finish. Bilbo is also the reason why the dwarves are still alive. Bilbo saves the dwarves from many different disasters. The disasters range from the spiders to Smaug. Through good or bad, Bilbo has been able to show the characteristics that a real hero should be able to show.

    Read More

  • The fellowship of the ring

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is the first book in the fantasy-based trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. After his party, he then decides to leave everything behind and join a Fellowship, which has a task of destroying the ruling ring, which will give supreme power to whoever has possession of it. Just before he leaves, Gandalf asks Bilbo for this ring. Due to the power in which the ring possesses while it is in his possession, he does not want to give it up. The novel ends with the destruction of the Fellowship due to the power in which the ring contains. One of the prime facts of the Middle Earth is power. Power is not neutral, but is always evil. It gives wicked the chance to dominate. The good is corrupting and inescapable. This is shown repeatedly throughout the novel, from when Bilbo gives up the ring, to when Boromir tries to take the ring, and finally, to seeing the control that the ring has over Frodo. One incident in the book, which corresponds with how power is evil, would be when Bilbo had to give up the Ring. The ring is very powerful. The power is so enticing that Bilbo is very weary to give up that ring. When Gandalf asks Bilbo if he wishes to give up the ring, Bilbo seems unsure saying yes and no. When it came to having to give it up he didn't like parting with it at all and didn't see why he should have to . Due to the power in which Bilbo feels that the ring had given him, he doesn't want to part with it. By no means does Bilbo want to use the power in an evil manner to dominate all. It is just the thought of power itself that causes this greed to come over him. Although Bilbo in general is a good character, the power of ring corrupts his ways, showing his thirst for power, which he deserves. Another incident, which portrays this corruption of goodness to evil, is when Boromir approaches Frodo and tries to take the ring from him. Boromir has authority, which is being heir to the throne of Gondor, but not the supreme power that he desires.

    Read More

  • Comparing Good and Evil in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

    2386 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Tolkien world, evil is the antithesis of creativity, and is dependent on destruction and ruin for its basis. Conversely, goodness is associated with the beauty of creation as well as the preservation of anything that is created. The symbolic nature of these two ideologies is represented in the Elven Rings, which symbolize goodness, and the One Ring, which is wholly evil. A main theme of "The Hobbit", then, is the struggle within our own free will between good will and evil. "Early in the (Lord of the Rings) narrative, Frodo recalls that his uncle Bilbo, especially during his later years, was fond of declaring that… there was only one Road; that it was lik...

    Read More

  • Symbolism of Evil in J. R. R. Tolkien´s The Lord of The Rings

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ring uses deceit and temptation to destroy the good in the earth just as society sometimes does. Tolkien uses the metaphor of a completely evil item to warn people against their lust for power, descent to corruption, and fall to temptation. As depicted by Tolkien, evil can cast all these things upon us, but we must be strong minded, unlike Sméagol, and refuse to let it turn us into our own form of Gollum. We must not fall to evilness because once it takes a hold of us, it is nearly impossible to be free of its grasp. Tolkien wants us to learn from Sméagol and his murderous crime so that we understand that evil is not relentless and it does not care who it targets. If it does reach a hold of our souls though, it will drive us to madness.

    Read More

  • The Hobbit Passage Analysis

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    At last, it had come down to the last question. Bilbo Baggins asked Gollum what was in his left pocket. It, of course, was the key he had found earlier which Gollum does not know about. Gollum was confused beyond his mind. He had managed to make 3 guesses and each was wrong. Once Bilbo had “won” the sacred riddle game, Gollum had to show Bilbo the way out. First, however, he needed to get one thing before he would show Bilbo how to exit the cave. Hidden in a rock on his island was a gold key called his “birthday present.” Not an ordinary key, but a key which would make Gollum invisible once he slipped it onto his finger. Screeches filled the cave. The key was nowhere to be found. Having a few minutes to escape Bilbo took hold of that opportunity, he scrammed for his life out of the passage. He decided to slip his ring on, still not knowing it was in Gollum’s possession. Gollum had also been running behind him, hoping to get his hands on what was in his pocket. Suddenly, Gollum had run over Bilbo not knowing he even had. The ring made Bilbo invisible and Gollum had no idea where he was. Bilbo, seeing daylight, at last, was suddenly blocked by Gollum blocking his passage to get out of the

    Read More

  • The Hobbit: Thematic Analysis

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bilbo begins his long journey with the dwarves, who at the time were still skeptical of Bilbo’s abilities. The dwarves didn’t see why they needed such a small incompetent hobbit with them along their journey. Gandalf tells them to stop complaining and to trust that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye (Tolkien 6). Bilbo soon shows his courage and heroism for the first time in the story when they run into their first obstacle, three large trolls huddled around a campfire. Bilbo, who was once a shy, non-adventurous type, begins to develop into a hero as he tries to steal one of the trolls’ money purses. This is a dramatic scene in the novel because it was Bilbo’s very first act outside his comfort zone. It was this...

    Read More

  • The Hobbit

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ting points of the plot also relied on Bilbo’s courage. If Bilbo did not have such a valuable trait, the story of the Hobbit would’ve been fairly short.

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil In The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe

    491 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the Lion the Witch and Wardrobe, good vs. evil is teaching children the right from wrong in this book. Lewis uses the archetypes hero and villain very good throughout his novel to also portray right from wrong. His use of archetype the hero reminds readers that Aslan is the hero in his novel. He shows this by the many ways Aslan rescues and saves his people all throughout the novel. His use of archetype villain shows the readers that the White Witch is the villain in his

    Read More

More about How Does Bilbo Show Evil

Open Document