Character+analysis

=Bilbo Baggins= Bilbo Baggins is the main character of the book, ”The Hobbit”, the protagonist. The book is built up in a fantastic universe, and this makes a perfect environment for a peculiar creature like Bilbo, a Hobbit. I’m going to tell you about this curious little Hobbit’s physical appearance, thoughts and actions, and how this affects the book and the story.

Hobbits in general are small, even smaller than dwarves - about the half the size of humans. Bilbo is no exception here. Other typical features of hobbits are big hairy feet, which is why they don’t wear shoes, in addition to no beard and a love for food. This is how J.R.R. Tolkien describes them, and he especially points to Bilbo:

//“I picture a fairly human figure, not a kind of fairy rabbit as some of my British reviewers seem to fancy: fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and 'elvish'; hair short and curling (brown). The feet from the ankles down (including the bottom of the feet), covered with brown hairy fur that are extremely small. Clothing: green velvet breeches; red or yellow waistcoat; brown or green jacket; gold (or brass) buttons; a dark green hood and cloak (belonging to a dwarf).”//

Bilbo is about 50 years old in the book, which makes him a middle-aged hobbit. Hobbits usually live until they’re around 100 years, though some of them reach 130. In Lord of the Rings he celebrates his 131th birthday, which makes him the oldest hobbit ever. Because he is so little, he gains an advantage as burglar, which is what the dwarves and Gandalf hired him as. It’s an advantage because if you’re a burglar, you don’t want to be noticed, and being small is a great way to prevent this. Also, I think being small gives him a psychological advantage, as people usually underestimates others, just because of their size.

Bilbo undergoes a development though the book. Initially, he has a calm personality and is a bit reluctant to go on an adventure. Later, his personality develops and he becomes more mature and confident. For instance he becomes braver and he even saves the dwarves from giant spiders and goblins and finds Smaug’s(the dragon) weak spot.

As I said, he undergoes a development through the book, but this doesn’t mean his personality changes. He’s still the same person after the adventure, but has discovered abilities he didn’t know he had. By this I mean that he doesn’t change his values, nor does he become arrogant. In the end he even decides to go back to Hobbiton. I think this shows that he’s still the same, even after his adventure. This gives us a good impression of Bilbo’s personality, and shows us that people can change, positively. It might motivate other to make a difference.

There's more to him than you might think. Hobbits might seem simple-minded to most people, but this isn’t the case. Bilbo is for example the one who leads them to the treasure and the one who keeps a calm head when everyone else is corrupted by greed.

He is reluctant in the beginning, but as the story progresses he is slowly becoming wiser, and is the force keeping the group together later in the story. I think he discovered himself in the adventure and that that’s a major reason why he grows more important to the group. He was probably just going to stick with the others, and not stick out, but as he developed he found out that he was supposed to be in a more leading role.

All this makes Bilbo an interesting character which shapes the story to what it is. Now you’ve heard about the main character, the protagonist, in “The Hobbit”, and it’s time to go read the book yourself.