The Hobbit: A Quest for Identity

Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from JRR Tolkein's, The Hobbit, undergoes a growth of character
over the course of a journey he is forced to take by Gandalf, a wizard, who sees potential
leadership skills in the creature. While Bilbo is reluctant, he goes on the adventure anyway and is
able to gain some valuable skills. He acquires these skills through the many physical and mental
battles with which he must deal. As he proceeds, he becomes a more assertive and mature
member of his group. His companions come to depend on him for his courage and intelligence.
Bilbo's quest with the dwarves mirrors a growing child's quest for identity. In the end, Bilbo
gains maturity and resourcefulness as he moves into his fullest potential.
Bilbo Baggins shows normal behavior for a hobbit, with a calm and dull existence in his
home (Meyers). He enjoys the calm, tranquil, satisfied lifestyle, which involves eating and
making smoke circles (Lewis). Unfortunately, things do not remain the same. When visited by a
company of dwarves, Bilbo stashes rations away, to prevent the dwarve's consumption. Bilbo
was said to look like a clerk by one of the dwarves, which causes Bilbo to want to be considered
courageous, even if it meant he had to forgo his luxuries (Chance). However, his lifestyle
restricts him. Bilbo comprehends the wisdom from the saying sitting on the doorstep and
thinking, due to it being a fond activity of his (Trokhimenko 276). Further, the general hobbit
fondness for luxury, food, and safety, which mirrors that of children (Meyers) combines into the
fact that the race of hobbits have no lust after status (Day 340).
Bilbo was chosen by Gandalf to partake in the adventure. However, Gandalf must
abandon the dwarves, and needs a partner that is skilled in the nuances of decoding meanings
(Hopkins 260). This leads Bilbo to be chosen. Later on, the Dwarves are grateful for Gandalf's

choice of Bilbo, as though thievery was a small part of Bilbo being selected, it is as critical as the
other parts (Hopkins 259). However, Bilbo wasn't quite ready:
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 unwashedup, 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 (Tolkien 28).
This causes some issues. Bilbo's manhood, suppressed, causes him to hang onto immature
tendencies (Mathews 583), resulting in actions like complaining.
Frequently in the early stages of the quest, Bilbo causes problems. He frequently
complains, such as when traveling in the rain, that he wishes that he was at home in my nice
hole by the fire (Tolkien 30). He also has to be carried, such as in the Misty Mountains (Tolkien
63). The cause of these activities is the fact that his manhood is suppressed still, and he still
hangs onto immature tendencies (Mathew 583). He also burdens the group further. He is
unaware of the mark on his door, making him seem not as knowledgeable, and furthermore
shows that he lacks skills (Hopkins 259). Early in the quest, another scenario occurs. Bilbo is
sent to find out about a fire, rather than steal from the Trolls that built it. However, it is shown
that Bilbo has some success, managing to pilfer access to the Trolls' provisions (Chance).
Following that event, another encounter occurs. Escaping from the caves of the Misty Mountains
with some assistance, Bilbo cancels his plan to find the Dwarves after hearing the conversation
among them. If the Dwarves remained undiscovered, Bilbo would have carried out his plan,

however, the Dwarves would have done the reverse (Partill).

Following these events, Bilbo has more opportunities to grow. The Dwarves are captured
by spiders in Mirkwood. Bilbo fights a giant spider, with no assistance, and it has an impact,
making him more courageous, with the violence (Chance). When Thorin's group is captured,
Bilbo manages to save them using cunning and courage, which he did not think were in him
(Meyers). This shows the appearance of some leadership. Furthermore, it seems that the
traditional jobs were switched, with Bilbo freeing the Dwarves from the foe, even though he is
weaker (Post 75). Bilbo also hones skills. He recalls methods of detection, after the dwarves
were held captive by the Elvenking, and manages to overhear where Thorin is kept (Hopkins
260). Remaining unseen, to find the Dwarves, he lays a plan to use the river to flee, in
wine barrels (Chance). This display of cleverness lead to the breakout from captivity, the
Dwarves leaving the Woodelves, and shows that Bilbo is ready for leadership (Mathews 113).
Bilbo's growth shows itself at various times in the book. Within the Misty Mountains,
Bilbo finds a ring that makes him invisible. Using the ring, he created confusion among the
spiders, distracting them from their meal, and made them abandon their quarry. Even the
Dwarves were surprised, when Bilbo managed to approach without the guard they had placed
noticing (Partill). Bilbo doesn't grow from just the ring. As Bilbo gains maturity, he recalls useful
proverbs, or creates them (Trokhimenko 276). He also uses his cunning to fool Smaug, tricking
the dragon into showing his weak spot (Chance). Bilbo is also the one who remembers the use
for the object that Thorin possesses, which goes to the hidden door at the end of the path that he
locates at the Lonely Mountain (Hopkins 260). From this, Bilbo gains leadership. Following his
trial in the caves, Bilbo assumes some role of command, with Gandalf's departure from the

group. This furthers, over time, resulting in him becoming a parent figure to the dwarves,
evolving to be in charge (Partill). Bilbo grows in other ways from the trials he undergoes. When
he undergoes a test, the result shows growth or the lack thereof (Mathews 122). Bilbo is aid to
have the intrinsic traits of bravery, loyalty, and humility, particularly in his bravery against
foes. When Bilbo was trapped by the Trolls, he had enough bravery to confront them, even
though it was Gandalf who saved him (Partill). He does not shy away from these challenges,
rather accepting them (Mathews 112). However, there is more than one type of courage. In order
to stop the stalemate at the Lonely Mountain, he steals the Arkenstone, giving it to the enemy
host of humans and elves to parley with. He also returns to the dwarves, for the punishment that
he will receive for the act (Partill). When Thorin dies, Bilbo is told that he has a mix of bravery
and a sense of right and wrong (Chance). This sense shows his moral courage.
In The Hobbit, Bilbo undergoes several trials in order to grow. From these trials, he
grows in both courage and wit, allowing him to overcome his earlier self. As he became more
mature, growing from his protected, childish self, he discovered characteristics about himself
that he didn't know he possessed. Bilbo's growth isn't just limited to fiction, though. Many
people experience growths similar to this, as they undergo challenges and trials, causing them to
develop into people that they were not before. Even children experience something similar, as
they mature. From The Hobbit, a reader is able to reflect back on themselves, and their own
personal growth.

Works Cited
Chance, Jane Tolkien's Art: A Mythology for England. University Press of Kentucky (2001): pp.
48-73. Rpt in J.R.R Tolkien. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing,
Inc, 2008. Bloom's Literature. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.fofweb.com>.
Day, David. The Genesis of the Hobbit. Queen's Wuarterly 118.1 (2011)L 115-129. Rpt. In
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 299. Farmington
Hills, MI: Gale 2014. 20th Century Literature Criticism Online. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
<http://go.galegroup.com>.
Hopkins, Lisa. Bilbo Baggins As a Burglar. Inklings 10 (1992): 93-99. Rpt. In TwentiethCentruy Literary Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 299. Farmington Hills, MI.
Gale, 2014. 20th Century Literature Criticism Online. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
<http://go.galegroup.com>
Lewis, Jennie MacDonald. The Hobbit. Masterplots, Fourth Edition. (2010) : 1-4. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. <http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Mathews, Dorothy. The Psychological Journey of Bilbo Baggins. A Tolkien Compass. Ed.
Jared Lobdell. Open Court, 1975: 29-42. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed
Dedria Bryfondski. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale 1980. Contemporary Literary Criticism Online.
Web. 30 Mar. 2015. <http://go.galegroup.com>
Mathews, Dorothy. The Psychological Journey of Bilbo Baggins. A Tolkien Compass. Ed.
Jared Lobdell. Open Court. 1975: 29-42. Rpt in Novels for Students. Ed Marie Rose
Napierkowski and Deborah A. Stanley. Vol 8. Detroit: Gale 2000. 94-113. Gale Virtual

Reference Library. Web. 8 Jan. 2015. <http://go.galegroup.com>

Meyers, Walter E. The Hobbit. Masterplots II: British & Commonwealth Fiction Series (1987)
: 1-4. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. <http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Purtill, Richard L. Hobbits and Heroism. J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion. New
York: Harper and Row, 1984. 45-58. Rpt. in The Hero's Journey. Bloom's Literary
Themes. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Bloom's
Literature. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 13 Feb 2015. <http://www.fofweb.com>.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.
Trokhimenko, Olga V. 'If You Sit on the Door-Step Long Enough, You Will Think of
Something': The Function of Proverbs in J.R.R Tolkien's Hobbit. Proverbium 20 (2003):
Rpt. in Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J Trudeau. Vol 299.
Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. 20th Century Literature Criticism Online. Web. 30
Mar. 2015. <http://go.galegroup.com>.