This was an assignment from the summer before ninth grade. The theme we studied that year was "the hero's journey," which almost always contains certain steps that result in either the protagonist's success or failure.
Biography
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, known to most of the world as J.R.R. Tolkien, was born on January 3, 1892. During his lifetime, Tolkien was a Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. In addition, he is the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the most famous of his works. Tolkien is often attributed to inventing the fantasy genre, with the wide variety of creatures such as men, elves, goblins, dwarves, hobbits, and more that his stories revolve around. Even after his death on September 2, 1973, his works were popular throughout the world; The Hobbit has been translated into more than thirty different languages. This is fitting for the man who, in his youth, made up his own languages for amusement and mastered several modern and ancient languages as a teenager. His talent for linguistics has reached and spellbound millions of readers all over the globe, and still does today.
Summary
Bilbo Baggins is a typical hobbit who resides in his snug hole in the ground and loves an afternoon snack of cakes and tea. The world as he knows it crashes, however, when his friend Gandalf the wizard sends him on a quest with thirteen dwarf comrades. The dwarves seek to reclaim their gold from the dragon that guards it in a mountain cave. They face many dangerous unknown obstacles during their journey. Bilbo grows along the way, facing the challenges as they're tossed in front of him. The dwarves doubt Bilbo's capabilities at first, but he proves himself exceptionally brave and clever and by the end is highly regarded by all his companions. Bilbo discovers more courage and "Tookish"-ness in him than even he knew he possessed, and transforms in ways he never would have imagined.
The Separation
The Call
The Call can be answered willingly or forcedly, but the initiate is always faced with the opportunity to go on an adventure and gain something from it. Bilbo Baggins is thrust into an expedition for stolen gold only because Gandalf chose him as their fourteenth man. He is caught completely unprepared for it and is, for the most part, very reluctant. But the Tookish part of him, the blood he inherited from the adventurous, not-entirely-hobbitlike side of the family, is roused when the dwarves poke fun at him, doubting Bilbo's suitability to the position. So Bilbo hurries out of Bag End, answers The Call and embarks on his Hero?s Journey.
The Threshold
The Threshold is the point in the journey where the initiate has to enter the unknown and leave behind the security he has in the known world. Bilbo's threshold is the meeting of the trolls, when he faces his first change to prove himself to the dwarves---not that he's left with much choice. As the official "burglar" of their group, Bilbo is expected to sneak into the trolls' camp, and listen for any information. He doesn't want to go, but without any alternatives and the knowledge that he actually is the best suited for the job, he deserts the Bilbo who would have fled from there as fast as possible. The new Bilbo sneaks into the trolls' camp, only he fails to keep it a secret. Just when the trolls have settled on roasting (instead of boiling) them, Gandalf comes to the rescue and acts as the first helper on the journey. Gandalf also plays the role of Bilbo's mentor, or guide. He keeps Bilbo focused on the goal and provides him some reassurance that he'll be there when he's really needed. The only threshold guardian in this case is Bilbo's mind, however, warning him that it's too dangerous to go on.
The Initiation
The Challenges
After being chased by the goblins, Bilbo finds himself alone in a dark cave. Since it's the first time he's completely alone and in danger, he needs to overcome his fear and awkwardness to these kinds of situations. Challenges tend to strike the initiate's greatest weakness and always reflect his needs and fears. This challenge reflects his needs to survive even with nobody to help him. Fortunately, in the cave a helper comes to him in the form of the ring, although he doesn't know it at the time. With its help, Bilbo escapes Gollum, a cave dweller, and the goblins. He finds his way out of the mountain successfully---he overcomes his weakness of fear of the unknown, and the adventure goes on. Bilbo also faces many other challenges during his journey, all very perilous and risky to take on. The episodes with the Wargs, the giant spiders, rescuing the dwarves from their jail cells, and just getting through each day without the comforts he had in the Shire are all challenges to test and transform Bilbo. But these challenges just lead up to the greatest challenge of all, the abyss.
Into the Abyss
The initiate confronts the greatest challenge of the journey when he reaches the Abyss, where he has to "become one" with the adventure. He must face his greatest fears and overcome them, alone. Bilbo encounters the abyss of his journey when he first sees Smaug in his cave: "Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did...he fought the real battle in the tunnel alone...", chapter twelve. He does go on, and succeeds in taking a magnificent golden cup from the much wealth accumulated there. After his adventure in Smaug's cave he feels dazed and simply relieved to have made it out, not even taking pleasure in the high praise he receives. Granted, their joy quickly turns to dismay when Smaug discovers the cup missing, signaling their presence---but Bilbo accomplishes his task, so he can move on to the remaining steps of the hero's journey.
Transformation
When the initiate overcomes his fears and triumphs over the abyss, his transformation is completed. But a part of Bilbo has to die so that a new part can be born, a sort of rite of passage where the initiate has to learn to accept all that's happened. One of the moments of transformation is in the trolls' camp, where Bilbo works up the courage to attempt his first burglary, also the Threshold. The next notable event of transformation occurs in the goblin tunnels with Gollum when he's all by himself. He learns to use his wits to survive, and after the ordeal he's looked upon with more respect. He realizes that he can survive alone and is more confident of his capabilities from then on. All of the challenges are transforming occasions, each time making him braver and more experienced. The almost on-going deprivation of food and drink, as well as rugged traveling conditions and the flow of adrenaline, also transform him. Although he still longs for his home back in Hobbiton, he isn't found being as fussy as he was on that first day of the journey. He goes from being someone pushed into an adventure, tagging along without any real attributes to have around---to someone very much respected and looked to for answers when in a crisis; he even cheers up the dwarves once, when they are all beginning to lose heart.
The moment when Bilbo really accepts his responsibility, however, is when he surrenders the Arkenstone to Bard the king of Laketown, and the Elvenking. He doesn't let anyone know what he's doing beforehand, signifying his independence. He's aware of how much Thorin values the precious gem, which is precisely why he gives it to them. By this, it shows that he has learned to sacrifice where necessary, and to value life over gold. This is the final test for Bilbo, calling on his initiative to do what he feels is right. As Gandalf says, there is more about Bilbo than anyone expects.
Revelation
The Revelation is part of the transformation process and an abrupt change in the way the initiate thinks or views life. This is a critical moment because it changes the initiate into a genuinely different person. In The Hobbit, the revelation leads the initiate into the abyss. Bilbo experiences his revelation in Mirkwood, after slaying the giant spider. "Somehow the killing of the spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach...", chapter eight. Before the killing, the dwarves tolerate him, not taking him entirely seriously, and Bilbo isn't as confident as he would like to be. But Bilbo is greatly emboldened after he kills the spider, thinking on his own more often---and after the battle with the spiders, the dwarves also turn to him for answers. They never seemed to depend on him for anything before. Because of his success with that first spider, he even names his sword; the feeling of success also overcomes his hunger and other discomforts. Bilbo's revelation triggers his mind to view the world as something he has the power to alter, instead of constantly being in its mercy.
The Atonement
After the transformation our initiate completes the Atonement, which indicates that he is in harmony with the new life and self he has procured. This becomes so because the problem and call that compelled him to go on the journey in the first place has been answered. The initiate has gone through the steps of his journey and is fully reborn a hero, at ease at last. Bilbo goes through many ordeals, and is changed dramatically in the process; he?s braver, bolder, and more adaptable and confident. By fulfilling all that?s been required of him and accepting that he?s different now, Bilbo has become a hero. He receives a "boon", a gift granted to him after learning the ways of quests and the world outside his hobbit hole in general. He gains his share of the treasure, of course, but discovers what he knew better than the dwarves from the first anyway---treasure isn't all that great, especially to be fighting and dying over. He will also possess valuable qualities such as courage and a shrewd, perceptive mind, forever.
The Return
The adventure is over, and the initiate-turned-hero now faces the final stage of his journey---the Return to his old life. The significance of the return is to start to contribute to the society, but the heroes sometimes get rejected instead. Bilbo comes back to Hobbiton almost a year after that fateful day in May to find that he is "presumed dead." It takes years for the other hobbits to fully accept that he's alive and back, and even then his reputation pronounces him strange and peculiar. Only his Took nieces and nephews don't regard him as someone who should be thought crazy, but Bilbo isn't sorry about any of it. He remains friends with Gandalf, the elves, and the dwarves. He writes poetry, smokes his pipe in his hobbit-hole and still retains his love for food and drink like any hobbit, but the eyes that look at the world never see quite the same again.