Sunday, April 26, 2020

Week 06 - The Hobbit


The Hobbit reflects the classic journey of the hero clearly, and can be used as an excellent example of this. Being used to his calm and quiet life in almost isolation, Bilbo is called to an adventure by Gandalf. He, obviously refuses this call, but crosses the threshold and joins the band of dwarves, setting off to fight the dragon, Smaug, that took their treasure. They go through the road of trials, crossing through the Misty Mountains, tricking Gollum and the goblins, Mirkwood, etc. The ultimate boon in this story is not the fight against Smaug, but the teaming up with dwarves, humans, and elves against the goblins and wargs for the treasure afterwards. Bilbo returns home as a master of two worlds, living as a hobbit, but interacting with those he worked alongside with. At the end of the novel, he has the freedom to live peacefully in his home, awaiting his next adventure.

This novel doesn’t follow the hero’s journey perfectly, however. As far as I know, there was no meeting with a goddess, or a “belly of the whale” moment. But it still provides many examples, and serves as a go-to when researching the topic of the hero's journey.

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