What factors define a person's identity in The Hobbit? Do individuals have any power over whom they become, or are their characters entirely determined by static factors such as family and race?

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12/2/03

The Hobbit  What factors define a person's identity in The Hobbit? Do individuals have any power over whom they become, or are their characters entirely determined by static factors such as family and race?

Identity is the basis of individuality. It determines who one is; who one chooses to be; how one is perceived by others. This philosophy is applied no differently in ‘The Hobbit’, written by J.R. Tolkien. It is a fantasy-adventure tale about a peaceful creature called a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who is hauled into an adventure by a well-known wizard, Gandalf. He sets off with thirteen dwarves in a quest for the treasure belonging to the leader of the dwarves, Thorin. On the way, they encounter hungry trolls, wicked goblins, loyal eagles, giant man-eating spiders and other strange creatures unknown to man. Their biggest challenge will have yet to come, however. A vicious dragon by the name of Smaug. Once they are past this, victory is theirs. Or is it? ‘The Hobbit’ is a deeply analytical story. Each character has been brought alive by Tolkien with its own characteristics and features. To continue with the opening matter that was started earlier, each character has its different personality and identity. The three main characters, as you may have probably already guessed, are Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin. These are the most important characters, with the most different attributes one can possibly imagine. Bilbo, being the ‘hero’ of the story, is the definite protagonist, while Thorin, one would perhaps say, is the antagonist. Gandalf is a character that is basically a ‘good guy’, but doesn’t show up as often as the others. One of the reasons for the choice of these specific characters was because of their extremes in persona. The following content will analyse these three individuals: Their identity, and their power.

        Bilbo Baggins is introduced at the beginning of the book as an ordinary hobbit; hairy, hungry, and happy. He is pleased with his comfortable life filled with meals and snacks. He is not keen of going off on adventures, or seeking any excitement whatsoever, unlike his mother, Belladonna Took. His tense and tremendously apprehensive condition becomes incredibly apparent when he screams in a fright during the dwarves discussion of their forthcoming adventure. Initially, he is fussy with neatness and attention, such as skipping one meal out of his daily five. As the plot thickens, he becomes a kind-hearted and wise hero, risking his own life for his companions. Eventually he becomes their leader, despite Thorin’s position as heir to the king of Thror. Bilbo, as the chief characters, is included in each theme and instalment in the novel. The quest, which primarily belonged to the dwarves developed into being his as well. In verity, the pursuit for Bilbo is not only for the treasure, but for his own self-discovery. At the start, however, he does not know this. Bilbo uncovers things about himself that he didn’t even know possibly existed within him. In the cliché theme of ‘good versus evil’, Bilbo, without question, automatically jumps to the ‘good’ side. In his character, there are no uncertain borders, as there are in the temperaments of the dwarves. From the beginning to the end he stays an honourable and honest hobbit, untouched by the appetite and greed for valuable material items such as gold and jewels, and the useless demonstration of worthiness and power, very much unlike the dwarves. Bilbo’s inner growth develops portion by portion. Each adventure he comes across makes him braver and braver. It starts with a withdraw of fear to face trolls. Even though this occurrence doesn’t prove successful, this was only the beginning of his transformation. The encounter with the nasty creature, Gollum gives him his first taste of self-satisfaction. He managed to escape and outwit the creature with riddles, and also steal a magic invisibility ring that aids him greatly as he traipses along his adventure. This is when the dwarves begin to see Bilbo in a new light. His escapade with the spiders, however, brought him a feeling of complete and utter victory, as he not only rescued the dwarves and brought them to safety, but also earned their immense awe and respect. By the time the troops reach the Lonely Mountains; Bilbo is depended on for direction. His most courageous act, though, is his choice to conquer his fear of Smaug and decide to finally be the one to face Smaug. The cowardly dwarves turned to Bilbo when this vital time came when they were actually supposed to regain the treasure. Regardless of what could become of him if he did not survive Smaug, he confronts the dragon in an attempt to defeat him. Usually after he performs a brave act, he starts to wish he was back in his comfortable hobbit hole, but it is clear that, as Gandalf says’ he is no longer the hobbit he was. Throughout the story, even though Tolkien shapes Bilbo into a genuine hero, he also gives him a sense of mystery. He makes sure that Bilbo still requires more analysing and understanding. Till the end, Bilbo remains an unpretentious and demonstrative person. He is one who stands by his word. He has no herculean powers and is no muscle-man like comic book heroes. He is a true human being, whom despite his descending into despair sometimes, escapes from it with his own efforts. Tolkien created Bilbo as someone with whom identification and relation are possible. A very ‘human’ hero, with qualities that one can be associated with.

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        Gandalf is a wizard known to all. His talent for having sudden adventures to sprout up wherever he goes is widely famous among Middle-Earth. His reputation as an adventurer makes him a astounding person to come across, and many don’t want anything to do with him. Gandalf may not appear very often throughout the novel, but he is nonetheless still very important. This is because he is the character that sets the plot into action by choosing Bilbo as the fourteenth adventurer. During the story of the plot, it is Gandalf that rescues the Dwarves and Bilbo from several different ...

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