How Does Bilbo Show Evil

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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

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