The Hobbit

“The Hobbit” is one of the defining novels in the fantasy genre, and has held up for decades against more contemporary works (including three “sequels”). It combines all the classic characteristics of the hero’s journey with Tolkien’s trademark adventurous themes and world-building. “The Hobbit” began some of the most iconic characters and stories in literature, and has become a staple in most libraries and summer reading lists.

Surprisingly, Bilbo, the hero of the story, is as unlikely as they come. He is from a small town, has no real ambition, no yearning for adventure, and is even fairly advanced in years (even for a hobbit). However, when opportunity comes knocking on his door in a wizard’s hat, he is (forcefully) convinced to take hold of his destiny and be a driving force in it.

While this might be an familiar scene for many fantasy readers, the particulars of the situation isn’t in the slightest. Bilbo is in every way the underdog, and really doesn’t mind being so. However, Tolkien leads him through the same challenges and mental roadblocks that the standard hero often is lead through, and the outcome remains basically the same for both characters. Through his various experiences on his journey, Bilbo is changed. Whether or not he enjoys the fact, he is no longer ordinary by any means, and maybe never was to begin with.

Tolkien shows that no one can be ordinary; we all have that potential within us, and whenever it is released it will change us. We cannot be truly content until we have tapped into the hero within ourselves, whether that is as grandiose as a fantasy-fueled treasure hunt or just a quiet journey through a mainly mundane life. We all want to know ourselves, and the hero’s journey is the prime example of how we can better get to know ourselves as said “hero”.

Bilbo’s journey tests him in many ways: his wit, his will and his overall sense of self. He wins some, loses others, but can only come through as a conqueror of his own destiny. This is because no matter the outcome, he took control. He turned a tumultuous situation into a hero’s journey, and while it might not have sprouted of his own free will, it certainly ended that way. Bilbo is the primary example of an unlikely hero twisting destiny through a journey, and is the mainstay for fantasy novels wanting to explore the twists of the hero’s journey.