Butkowski, 1

Matthew Butkowski

Mrs. Tharme

AP English Literature

8-30-16

Characterization in The Hobbit

What had originally started as just a run-in on a typical, ordinary day was much more

than that. J.R.R. Tolkiens novel The Hobbit is a fantasy tale about a hobbit named Bilbo

Baggins, who accompanies a group of 13 dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf on their quest to

reclaim the gold stolen from Thorin (one of the dwarves) by the fearsome dragon Smaug. Bilbo

is just a normal everyday hobbit who could care less for most things, and certainly never had any

intentions of going on an adventure of any kind, but a run-in with Gandalf changes all that. The

day after, 13 dwarves show up at his house, expecting a meal and for him to join them on their

quest. Bilbo, being of Baggins descent, originally despises the idea of accompanying them on

their journey, until the Took side of him takes control, and he finds himself going along with

them. This journey is much more, as Tolkien shows throughout the novel how Bilbo changes,

using various different instances along the journey to show just how Bilbo changes from

beginning to end.

The first major instance in which Bilbo becomes a changed hobbit is in Mirkwood, a

forest filled with evil creatures, in which little to no sunlight breaks through the tops of the trees.

At this point in the novel Bilbo has already overcome a few obstacles which could prove him a

changed hobbit, but this instance outright declares it. After becoming separated from the

group, Bilbo encounters a giant spider, which he uses his sword-blade to kill it. He faints
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immediately after defeating it. But as he wakes up, Tolkien explains, he felt a different person,

and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach. (144). Before Bilbo went on this

journey, and earlier as he was on this quest, he would have never attempted to do something of

this sort, nor would he have felt fierce or bold on an empty stomach. This is a subtle change at

the time for Bilbo, but does show and state that he is becoming different as he moves forward on

along this quest. The Took side of himself is gradually replacing the Baggins side as he

continues. However, this is just the first of a few points where Bilbo changes into a different

hobbit.

The second major development toward Bilbos change of character comes when he first

enters Smaugs lair to steal a part of the gold from the dragon. Tolkien explains as Bilbo goes

down the tunnel leading to the main room of the mountain (Smaugs lair) that he was a very

different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket-handkerchief from Bag-End long

ago. (196). Once again, Tolkien outright tells us Bilbo has changed. Hes gone from a hobbit

who did not want anything to do with adventures, quests, and journeys, to one who has faced

goblins, giant spiders, and elves (although not too dangerous). Even now, he is creeping into the

lair of a dragon, something many others of the world would never dare to do. The Took side of

him has further replaced the Baggins side, for now. Bilbo then has the courage to go into the

dragons lair AGAIN the day after, showing that he has indeed changed greatly from the hobbit

he once was. However, this still isnt the end of the change in him that occurs in this novel.

The third, final, and perhaps most obvious way that shows Bilbo has changed is when,

not Tolkien, but Gandalf says it on their way back to Bilbos house. Gandalf says, after Bilbo

recites a song and/or poem, My dear Bilbo!...You are not the hobbit you once were. (274).

Having the author say a character has changed is one thing, its another when even the characters
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in the book say it (and in this case, a wizard no less). When the other characters in the novel

affirm what the author has been saying throughout, it really means that it is not just being said for

the sake of being said. Indeed Bilbo has changed, even if the Took side of him is a bit tired by the

end of the novel. Hes gone from a regular hobbit, with almost nothing special about him, to a

hobbit who has faced goblins, a dragon, and even participated in a great battle, if only for a brief

part of it. In fact, Bilbo has changed so much, that the experiences inspire him to write his own

book about them, titled There and Back Again, A Hobbits Holiday.

As can be concluded, Bilbos experiences have indeed changed him and allowed him to

express the Took side of him, rather than the regular, more ordinary Baggins side. Tolkien

repeatedly points out to us that he is changing, and even Gandalf notices it by the end of the

novel. Although not made clear, the other hobbits have also differed their opinions on Bilbo,

though they have done so by losing some respect for him. It is clear though that Bilbo has

become a different person on his journey, as most experiences change people. They do not have

to be as big as Bilbos experiences, anything helps really. Experience shapes who someone is,

just as Bilbos journey changed him into the hobbit he was at the end of the novel.