Bilbo's Growth In The Hobbit

In Tolkien's The Hobbit, Bilbo goes through different stages of growth that are caused by the trials and tribulations of being an adventurer. With Bilbo’s hobbit hole being the embodiment of his comfort what does Tolkien imply about comfort and how it relates to growth? What comfort produce, which is complacency, is what is holding Bilbo back from growth. Complacency can be defined as “The fact or state of being pleased with a thing or person; tranquil pleasure or satisfaction in something or someone” (OED). Being in a tranquil state there is no pressure to grow and that complacency is what was holding Bilbo back from growth in the first place. Why does Tolkien use the words “meet and clash” as a description of Bilbo’s growth? “Meet and clash” …show more content…
Bilbo made a transformation from essentially being a burden and the others in his party being skeptical of prowess of as a thief to being well respected and valued. Tolkien said “Now he had become the real leader in their adventure.” A leader can be defined as “One who conducts, precedes as a guide.” (OED). Bilbo demonstrates these traits near the end of his adventure, he conducts plans of his own and guides the dwarves. The dwarves eventually become dependent on Bilbo’s leadership which shows that they have to trust him. The word real can be defined as “actually existing physically as a thing, substantial;not imaginary” (OED). The word real shows that Bilbo’s leadership is legitimate and not in question due to the fact that when something is a not imaginary but a tangible item it is impossible to dismiss as fake. Furthermore, Bilbo becoming a leader signifies that his stages and progression of growth has reached the end result which started from the initial discomfort of leaving the hobbit hole then meeting new people and situations and having violent clashes with them, the eventually trusting himself and his instincts which finally helped him become a