The Unexpected Hero in 'The Hobbit': Bilbo's Journey Compared to Traditional Heroism

Essay from the year 2013 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: B-, , language: English, abstract: Throughout history there has been countless examples of different types of heroism. In the Bible David can definitely be described as an imperfect hero when he kills Goliath, Sir Gawain symbolizes the classic Arthurian hero and Lord Byron's Manfred displays the perfect bad boy hero. In J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy, The Hobbit, the central character Bilbo Baggins definitely begins to redefine his own class of heroism; leaving the classical norm of heroism displayed by the Dwarves, specifically Thorin Oakenshield. By analyzing Bilbo's appearance, speech and actions it is evident that Tolkien's new approach to heroism is much different than Sir Gawain, Manfred's and even the obvious leader of the company, Thorin. (...)

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