Essay --

â€Å"Heroism is a matter of integrity- becoming more and more at each step ourselves.† (Joseph Campbell) The Hero’s Journey is the basic template for all great stories. It includes the start to an adventure, a mentor, initiation by trials an and challenges, victory, and return. In The Hobbit, a fantasy novel by J.R.R Tolkien, the tale depicts the quest of protagonist Bilbo Baggins, a humble hobbit who plays the role of the burglar as he must help dwarves bring back their home held captive by the dragon Smaug. As he makes the quest to the Lonely Mountain he changes, grows, and develops as the inner â€Å"Took† personality grows within himself. The major transforming events test his abilities late causing Bilbo to evoke and reveal his true heroic nature. Before Bilbo goes on the death defying journey he is introduced as a regular hobbit who is calm, and never having the thought of going on an adventure. Bilbo’s background includes his â€Å"Baggins† personality and his â€Å"Took† personality. The Bagginses side of the family is described as â€Å"very respectable, not only because they never had any adventures† (Tolkien 2). On the outside Bilbo is seen with having a Baggins personality which is as of a regular hobbit. The Tooks were however different than many hobbits and was seen by society as â€Å"not as respectable as the Bagginses, though they were undoubtedly richer†(3). Bilbo’s Took side of family was known for going on adventures and being more different than the normal hobbit. Within himself Bilbo possesses a Took personality and realizes only at the end of his journey. Though Bilbo doesn't know this within himself as he later on changes as an individual he begins to notice t he changes occurring. The call for adventure is where the init... ...uch as they use to before. However Bilbo is not bothered by the fact as he has gained more to not care about any of it. In the end he gained more experiences, friends, and tales to tell in the future about the adventures he has made. â€Å"‘My dear Bilbo!’ he said.‘Something is the matter with you! You are not the same hobbit that you were.’†(302). Bilbo has reached the point of becoming a hero as his journey comes to an end. As Bilbo finally returns to everyday life he lives as a different hobbit than before. The Hero’s Journey exhibits the transformation of the character Bilbo Baggins into a brave and confident hobbit as he face many events that exam the abilities and changes through the quest he makes. The development, growth, and changes that occur in Bilbos characteristics makes him able to handle the many challenges and temptations that he is faced with.