Essay/Term paper: The hobbit

Essay, term paper, research paper:  English

Bilbo"s Journey


Before Bilbo Baggins meets Thorin, he was a tiny and modest creature living as an ordinary hobbit, in his average hobbit hole. Thorin, who plays the role of a guardian angel in this story, watches over Bilbo as he seeks to complete his journey . The series of events that Bilbo has to face on this journey will change his life forever! He might be at this moment a common hobbit, who is afraid of almost anything, but after his journey he will be fearless and full of confidence!!! He will be a hero of his fantasy world and stories will be told of him for ages to come. However, there are many obstacles that block Bilbo from completing his journey: Goblins, a creature named Gollum, wolves, and dragons (smaug).
The first obstacle Bilbo and his friends run into are the goblins, wicked and savage creatures, who pillage all who tend to be in their destructive range. They come upon a crowd of scrawnier individuals (the dwarves and Bilbo), in great numbers. They steal food as well as destroy all things that intervene with their plundering. Bilbo escapes the goblins" terrible onslaught of rage and destruction through a big cave in the side of the mountain, only to get lost deep within the massive walls of the dark and dreary caverns!!!
The next barrier Bilbo has to overcome is his confrontation with Gollum, Whom he meets after he escapes from the goblins. Way down deep in the caverns of misty mountain, Bilbo finds himself telling riddles in pitch darkness for his freedom. Now you may ask why was he telling riddles? Well, Gollum loves riddles, and he promises Bilbo, that if he tells a riddle that Gollum can"t answer, then he will show him the way out. So they go back and forth telling each other different riddles, many of which are really hard to figure out:
1. Thirty white horses on a red hill,
First they champ,
Then they stamp,
Then they stand still.

2. An eye in a blue face
Saw an eye in a green face.
"That eye is like this eye"
Said the first eye,
"But in a low place,
Not in a high place."

They do this until one riddle stumps Gollum, Bilbo outwits this notorious creature with his keen sense of intellect. However, Bilbo"s confrontation with Gollum is not over. Gollum goes back on his word and decides that he will not show Bilbo the way out of the mountain. He attacks, and misses, and Bilbo runs into the darkness. Now Bilbo knows he does not know the way out of the darkness, so he hides, and lets Gollum believe he knows the way out. When he passes, Bilbo follows him to the entrance. Gollum sits down in front of the doorway. Then, at that very moment, Bilbo jumps over the mingled mass of pulsating flesh and runs to his freedom.
Soon after, Bilbo catches up to Thorin and the others, and they continued on their journey. But they do not travel very far, until they reach yet another hurdle. This time it is evil wolves with huge fangs. Bilbo and his journeyman have to climb trees and stay there until the wolves depart. After the wolves leave they continued on there quest.
Now, where nearing the end of there expedition, and Bilbo has to face the dreaded dragon…To give you a better sense of what the dragon looks like, this is how the book describes him: "There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils, and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low and slumber." Bilbo steals some riches, and later he has to fight the dragon. He defeats this gigantic foe, by shooting an arrow through the one spot where the dragon could be harmed: A patch of unprotected area in the underneath of his body.
These are just some of the many dangers that Bilbo has to overcome to complete his trek with Thorin and the others. As you can see, while on his journey, Bilbo faces many perils, yet he conquers them one by one, becoming stronger, wiser, and more confident about himself. He also manages to prove his worth in his society, so people treat him with more respect and dignity than they did before. Before Bilbo"s quest he was an ordinary mystical being, but after, he is a courageous adventurer, a hero, and a legend all throughout his land.