Paper on The Hobbit's Heroic Odyssey: Bilbo Baggins' Journey for Treasure

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit explores through the main character's Bilbo Baggins heroic journey to regain lost treasure that is guarded by the dragon Smaug. Unlike most heroic stories that use extraordinary personnel, such as Hercules and Superman, the author introduces an uncommon hero in the form of a hobbit. The novel traces a long journey undertaken by Bilbo Baggins alongside other dwarves until they reach their destination and accomplish their mission to recover the lost treasure. While on the unexpected journey, Bilbo experiences many challenges which he fights to overcome until he accomplishes his mission. Through the story, the author also presents the main character's growth to maturity as he develops courage and becomes the hero in his community.

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Richard Tyre's article, "You Can't Teach Tolkien," may be used to describe Bilbo's heroic journey to and from the Lonely Mountain. According to Tyre's six-step theory, there are six steps that a hero must follow to accomplish his mission (Tyre 19). Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit is an excellent example of Tyre's archetype, who adheres to the six elements on his journey before he fulfils his objectives to acquire the treasure. Tyre outlines the six steps which must be presented chronologically as "(1) those who hunt treasure, (2) must go alone, (3) at night, (4) and when they find it, (5) they must leave some of their blood behind, (6) and the treasure is never what they expected" (Tyre 19). Therefore, Tyre's theory can be used to explain Bilbo's journey to the Lonely Mountain, where each element of the theory is important in his life journey from amateur to experienced hero who encounters many challenges to regain treasure belonging to his community.

Not everybody in society can have the courage and endurance for treasure hunting. The first step in Tyre's theory involves selecting the perfect individual for treasure hunting (Tyre 19). Although many other characters in The Hobbit could have seemed fit for the treasure hunting, it is only Bilbo Baggins who was selected to take up the task. The hero is therefore identified among the members of a community, as observed from the novel.

Bilbo's initially lived a normal life among other hobbits whose actions in doing predictable and ordinary activities earn them laymen's respect among other members. However, his ability to perform unexpected tasks is already noticed by the wizard known as Gandalf (Tolkien 4). Since he was used his normal life, Bilbo is in doubt of his ability to embark on the proposed journey.

Despite his reluctance, no one else is pointed to go for treasure. It shows that only the selected few can be up for treasure hunting. Treasure hunters portray attributes of passion and enthusiasm to overcome multiple trials and hardships until they capture their hunt. For instance, Bilbo is said to portray high skills in a burglary, which not only helps him to acquire the treasure but also proves to be significant in solving some challenges on the way.

From the element in Tyre's theory, the hero in a course must, therefore, be identified before the actual task is undertaken. Besides being an expert in burglary, Bilbo is also presented to having attributed to sneaking around without being detected, a quality he efficiently displays when he later manages to enter the Smaug's cave (Tolkien 198). The selection of non-heroic characters can lead to jeopardizing of operation, and thus failure of a treasures hunt.

Ordinary characters cannot manage to take a solo course undertaken by treasure hunters in their heroic journey. Tyres' second steps outline that those who hunt for treasure must go alone ( Tyre 19). In the novel, The Hobbit, "alone" is used both literally and figuratively to describe Bilbo's actions in the journey for the treasure hunt. In the first instance, Bilbo finds himself alone in the village after failing to wake up early as agreed with other dwarves during the planning. However, since he is the mastermind of the whole plan, Bilbo, through Gandalf's help, manages to arrive on time at the point of departure (Tolkien 5).

Throughout the journey, the hero is left to fight most of the battles alone, while the rest are either absent or overpowered by the enemy. Bilbo's solo heroic act is witnessed on the first day of the journey. When the gang is hungry and tired, Bilbo is alone sent to investigate the sign of a shining light they had seen away from the banks. As he goes to investigate, Bilbo notices three huge trolls sitting by the fire. He makes a daring move to get away with one of the troll's money purses (Tolkien 10).

Although not the actual treasure he is meant to hunt, money is symbolically used to portray treasure that the hero identifies to have significant value to save his companions from danger. Moreover, Bilbo solely does another heroic action to notify the rest of the incoming threat. While the other members are in a deep sleep, Bilbo is solely awake to ensure the safety of the rest of the group.

According to Tyre (19), the hero's lone actions are important quality in the heroic journey for treasure hunting. At the Mirkwood, Bilbo awakens to find his legs bound by a sticky thread and an enormous spider approaching him. Again, he displays another heroic move at this juncture when Bilbo slashes his legs free from the thread and manages to slay the killer spider (Tolkien 109). Killing the spider is his greatest solo accomplishment since he began the journey, which elevates his courage to move forward. This is a crucial turning point in Bilbo's heroic development.

After slaying the spider, Bilbo feels like a "different person" (Tolkien 109), thus pronouncing to the sword that "I will give you a name…and I shall call you Sting" (Tolkien 109). Besides, as Bilbo explores in the troll's territory, the reader realizes that the sword is used to represent heroic epics in which so many aspects in The Hobbit are founded. The hero alone has the power to name the sword after using it to neutralize the threat he faces alone as he is on the journey for the treasure hunt.

Darkness presents a perfect condition through which a hero's courage and endurance are tested. According to Tyre's six-step theory, the third element suggests how the hero goes alone at night. "Those who hunt for treasure must go alone at night" (Tyre 19). The biggest challenge that Bilbo encounters mostly occurs at night. During their first day of the journey, Bilbo is sent at night to investigate the troll's territory (Tolkien 10). Literally, darkness poses the perfect situation through which a hero can maneuver foreign territories, developing traits of courage and endurance to counter challenges associated with darkness.

The adventure through the black forest of Mirkwood and the fight with the goblin significantly emphasize on Tyre's third element. Tolkien employs darkness symbolically to portray the magnitude of challenges that the hero must overcome (Tolkien 42). For instance, goblins are only attributed to being active at night. They pose the first battle that Bilbo encounters, which facilitates his growth to a mature and reliable hero. After being captured by the goblins, "The Great goblin shouted, "Slash them! Beat them! Gnash them! Smash them! Take them away to the dark holes full of snakes, and never let them see the light again!" (Tolkien 42). Bilbo's heroic journey at night also helps to emphasize Tyre's first element that not everyone is meant to be a hero since no one else could overcome such challenges. At night, Bilbo discovers the most effective weapon that helps him to advance his course. This magic ring helps him to disappear and manipulate his antagonists at night to helping him get out of the caves and to the Misty Mountain (Tolkien 45).

Finding the treasure marks the climax of the hero's journey for treasure hunting. The fourth element in Tyre's six-step theory states how the hero locates the treasure (Tyre 19). This step is accomplished upon reaching the place where the treasure is placed. In Bilbo's heroic adventure, the treasure is at the Lone Mountain, where it is heavily guarded by the fierce dragon named Smaug. Despite the challenges encountered, Bilbo manages to reach Lone Mountain and find the dragon sleeping by the treasure (Tolkien 141).

On his journey down the river out of Mirkwood, Bilbo spots his final destination from far and begins his quest to maneuver towards the Lone Mountain direction. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Bilbo's heroic development advances to another stage of courage as he looks forward to finding the treasure. The hero must have the capability to determine the best way to follow for him to find the treasure. When he reaches the main entrance, Bilbo realizes that he can fail to find the treasure if he approaches the cave through the gate used by the Smaug (Tolkien 148). The hero's determination to finding the treasure makes him develop strategies that ordinary characters may not be able to deduce. Bilbo realizes the danger that awaits him in his final stage of finding the treasure, and hence he searches and locates a secret door.

Moreover, for the treasure hunter to find the treasure, he must portray some qualities to enable him to solve puzzles that may be used to protect the treasures from being accessed by intruders (Tyre 19). Besides being protected by fierce Smaug, the secrete entrance also contains a puzzle that needs to be solved. After trying to open the door with no avail, the hobbit suddenly remembers the riddle on the map that is required to open the door (Tolkien 149). Also, in trying to find the location of the treasure, Bilbo uses the magic ring to make him invisible to the Smaug and thus enabling him to find the treasure. Since finding the treasure is the optimum objective, Bilbo fights a lonely battle in the tunnel as he approaches the deadly Smaug (Tolkien 152). As he walks through the tunnel, Bilbo is reborn and receives the utmost traits of a hero that enables him to fight his fear as he approaches the sleeping Smaug.

The heroic accomplishment must involve some aspects of losses and casualties. Since most heroes are ordinary beings with a magnificent ability to solve problems, they are prone to hurt and injuries that mark the difficulties encountered in the heroic journey. The fifth element points out that the treasure hunter must leave some of his blood behind before acquiring the treasure (Tyre 19). Tolkien's The Hobbit takes the reader through the obstacles encountered by Bilbo before laying his hands on the treasure.

He has to fight several battles and face dangerous opponents who subject him to near death. Tyre uses blood to symbolize the challenges that Bilbo encounters on his heroic journey (19). The first main obstacle Bilbo encounters at the territory of the goblins (Tolkien 42). Although he solely manages to secure food and sword from the goblins, Bilbo finds himself lost in the middle of dark caves, where he is forced to establish some tricks to survive. Also, Bilbo comes near to his death when he encounters Gollum after escaping from the goblins (Tolkien 50)—realizing that he is about to be eaten, Bilbo's heroic knowledge enables him to manipulate his enemy's foolishness to escape the trick.

The treasure hunt leads to an unsatisfactory ending with the hero experiencing a high level of dissatisfaction. The last element in the hero's journey states that the treasures do not always turn to be what the treasure hunter expects at the beginning of the treasure hunt journey. Thus, the six-step theory states that "Those who hunt for treasure must go alone at night and when they find it they must leave some of their blood behind, and the treasure is never what they expected" (Tyre 19). Bilbo aspires to return home with a lot of treasure as part of his heroic reward.