Bilbo Baggins

"Bother burlging and everything to do with it! I wish I was at home in my nice  hole by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!" It was not the last time that he wished that!

Indeed it wasn't. There was a large amount of times that Bilbo repeated that desire through the novel. I have come to the point were I must analyze the protagonist of the book... And I dread it, I have several amounts of text highlighted waiting to copy onto my computer and then attempt to understand someone like Bilbo and discuss him in this blog (which I remind you is for an English project... I am coming down to the last posts I will blog, and with a fried brain I question my ability to continue... but oh well, here we go).

Bilbo Baggins is a vastly developed character. His partaking in this journey was an experience that pretty much changed everyhting about him and his reputation amongst his people of Bag-End, Hobbiton, The Shire, or wherever the hell he's from. We come back to main purpose of the novel: a prelude to The Lord of the Rings. It introduces Bilbo, whom returns in the sequels, and his adventures. But out of all h is adventures, only one minuscule part is one holding vast importance: the discovery of the Ring of Power. If he had not kept it for so long, someone would have found it (because the Ring had travelled away from Gollum, since he is always seeking his master and wanting to be rejoined with him), and the fate of Middle-earth would have been very different.

In this story the Ring only acts as a magical tool that can turn someone invisible. But what is not discussed here is how it eventually manipulated and poisoned Bilbo, After carrying for many years, and we discover in The Lord of the Rings that some of the qualities of Gollum lied now in Bilbo, because he bagan to undergo the same corruption. However, that is not a part of this story, so I have already drifted into less important matters... Let's get back on track.

Bilbo as a hobbit is an important symbolic element. Hobbits represent friendly, caring, fat, unselfish, loving, funny, merry, innocent, and unadventurous folk whom seem unfit for the world out there. But Bilbo partaking in this journey and his role in it brings him much happiness and changes the image we have of hobbits. 

We can connect this to the theme that "THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM," and that "ONE SHOULD NOT JUDGE UPON APPEARANCE." Bilbo lived up to Gandalf's prediction that he was the correct one for the task, and he will aid them and prove a helpful advantage in their quest.

We learn from the first chapter that Bilbo's Tookish side sparked inside him, when he accepted boldly to go with Thorin & Co. on their adventure. That ignition continued to shine and only flamed and burned more intensely as the novel progressed. The first test is when he is sent to investigate in the forest and he finds trolls. 

He was very much alarmed, ad well as disgusted; he wished himself a hundred miles away, and yet-somehow he could not go straight back to Thorin and Comany emptyhanded.

The following phase of his heroic development is when he wakes up stranded in the caverns of the Misty Mountains.

"Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!"

And he completes his first stage when he confronts Gollum, wins the game of riddles, and escapes the caverns with the One Ring. This is his first complete true accomplishment, which he manages unaided but for the ring.

"What did I tell you?" said Gandalf laughing. "Mr Baggins has more about him that you guess."

His next test lied in Mirkwood forest, after Gandalf had deserted them, and the dwarves had all been captured in the forest. When Bilbo woke up he was all alone in the dark.

That was one of his most miserable moments. But soon he made up his mind that it was no good trying to do anything till day came with some little light, and quite useless to go blundering about tiring himself out with no hope of any breakfast to revive him. 

He notices a spider had been tying him up in her web, and he quickly removes his Elven sword and duels with the spider, a fight out of which Bilbo emerges victorious.

And when Bilbo names his sword, it symbolizes his rapidly growing development into a true hero. It ends that test for boldness and courage. His next stage comes when he must free the dwarves from the Elvenking's prisons. This proves to be the greatest challenge yet, because Mr Baggins had to endure survival in solitude inside the caves. He had to continue to steal food and provisions form the elves, and that aids him in resuming his ongoing thievery to become a burglar. After finding the dwarves however, he becomes frustrated of having to rescue them. Bilbo is not used to being the hero, and he has become a bit tired of always having to save the day, nevertheless, he goes to their aid.

Bilbo however, did not feel nearly so hopeful as they did. He did not like being depended on by everyone, and he wished he had the wizard at hand.

Mr Baggins even shows signs of this frustration by replying in witty remarks to the dwarves complaints about the uncommodities of the escape in the barrels. 

"Come along in your cells, and I will lock you all in again, and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan-but don't suppose I shall ever get hold of the keys again, even if I feel inclined to try."

By the time they reach the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo has grown into a far better hero than any of the dwarves, though has not earned enough recognition from the dwarves for it. His encounter with Smaug is of great importance, because it begins the final stage in his heroic character development.

Already they had come to respect little Bilbo. Now he had become the real leader in their adventure. He had begun to have ideas and plans of his own. When midday came he got ready for another journey down into the Mountain.

Bilbo remains but the driving force in the troupe's spirits. He is the one one making decisions, planning their actions, leading the way through their path. Upon being trapped in the mountain, all dwarves despair but "Bilbo felt a strange lightening of the heart," and encourages that they find their way out.

He finalizes his stage as a burglar when he steals the Arkenstone when sent to inspect and climb the mounds of treasure, looking for treasure. He, such as Thorin and Gollum, showed a flaw in his heroism and humble purposes. He was easily drawn in by treasure, so when his gaze fell upon the enchantment of the Arkenstone, he steals it for himself, and although what his actions end up doing with the Arkenstone, his intentions when committing that thievery were very selfish and wicked.

"Now I am a burglar indeed!" thought he. All the same he had an uncomfortable feeling that the picking and choosing had not really been meant to include this marvellous gem, and that trouble would yet come of it.

Bilbo disliked the coming of a war, and much began to realize Thorin's selfishness and greed. He was displeased with their plans, and undoubtedly, he felt he was in the wrong side. He had only come for a part in the treasure, and now he had to remain there and endure more quarrels. He remains a humble and disinterested hobbit then, not even claiming or demanding credit that it was he whom discovered the dragon's weak spot. In order to end the quarrels, he takes the Arkenstone to the elves and men in order to help them restore peace. 

But how is it yours to give?" asked Bard at last with an effort."O well!" said the hobbit uncomfortably. "It isn't exactly; but, well I am willing to let it stand against all my claim, don't you know. I may be a burglar - or so they say: personally I never really felt like one - but I am an honest one, I hope, more or less."

And after being offered quarters with them, Bilbo refuses and decides to go back to the Mountain.

"I don't think I ought to leave my friends like this, after all we have gone through together. And I promised to wake old Bombur at midnight too! really I must be going, and quickly."

In the end, his heroism is proved. Even if Bilbo did not partake in the battle with the goblins, had it not been for him, an alliance would not have been formed, and things would have ended in a tragic calamity.

"So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending!" The Tookish part was getting very tired, and the Baggins ws daily getting stronger. " I wish now only to be in my armchair!"

Bilbo's metamorphosis into the hero remains an impact in his life. While his burglar persona slowly regresses through his journey back, he feels slightly saddened to be coming back to Underhill.

"My dear Bilbo! Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you once were."

Of course he wasn't. Upon his return, everything about Bilbo had changed. His reputation amongst other hobbits had changed forever because he was now looked upon as strange, queer, and odd. But Bilbo could less, the hobbit remained very happy and content for the rest of  his days.