Examples Of Bilbo In The Hobbit

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A hero is someone who serves, protects, and shows mercy. In J.R.R Tolkien’s book “The Hobbit”, the protagonist is Bilbo who proves to grow to be a hero. Bilbo is a hero because not only does he do everything worthy to be called a hero, but also shows mercy which shows great character. Bilbo shows he is a hero throughout the story by showing selflessness, mercy and courage. A hero, in order to be heroic, must be selfless. Bilbo is selfless. One of the ways Bilbo proves himself to be selfless is by saving the dwarves lives multiple times throughout the journey. For instance, he saved them from being eaten alive by giant spiders, and directed the attention away from them so that he was in harm’s way. Tolkien wrote, “The idea came to him to lead the furious spiders further and further away from the dwarves if he could.” (Tolkien 172). He also was the one who saved them from the Elves prison, by making a clever plan to get them out safely. A hero saves people and is willing to sacrifice themselves for others, Bilbo does exactly this. A true hero also knows how to show mercy when the time comes. Bilbo knows how to show mercy. An example of Bilbo showing mercy is when he decides not to kill Gollum. Bilbo thought to himself, “He must stab the foul thing”, “It meant to kill him” (Tolkien 96). But instead Bilbo changes …show more content…
From throwing rocks at the spiders and taunting them, flying on giant eagles, meeting and sleeping inside the house of a man/bear, talking and outwitting a dragon, and so many more things. Bilbo is courageous and brave. In the beginning all he wanted to do was sit in his house and be comfy. He said to Gandalf, “We don’t want any adventures here thank you” and he called them “Nasty disturbing things”. (Tolkien 7). Courage is having the strength to do something that one is afraid to do. Bilbo gained the courage to leave an easy life to go on a hard adventure. Bilbo has proven himself to be