Bilbo's Journey

“I’m not a hero or a warrior, not even a burglar.”(The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) Although not written in the book, these words were spoken by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It is in this scene that Bilbo describes himself to Thorin as just an average creature, when in reality he is anything but that. Thorin, who up until this time doubted Bilbo, realizes that without him, he would not have survived the previous attack. Character developments and connections like these that could not be easily established in the book were more greatly expanded upon in the film. The limit of a narrator in the novel also made the relationships of characters much harder to explore. Because it is delivered by a third person narrator, The …show more content…
By following all major plot points, the film stays true to most of novel; nevertheless, a crucial distinction between the two pieces can be found in the difference of formality. The use of a third person narrator in The Hobbit produces a more serious and dignified tone. This tone could be described as neutral because it does not contain character biases or opinions that would be present in a novel told in first-person perspective. In short, no are prejudices from the narrator obstructing the reader from the truth because this speaker tells every character’s story. Even certain lines from the book such as, “There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” (Tolkien 4) require much more thought in comparison to the presence of light-hearted humor in An Unexpected Journey. This humor, by nature, creates a more relaxed and informal mood within the film that is not present in the novel. It could even be said of book’s readers that when they went looking, they found the movie. However, if they wanted a film that conveyed the same tone of novel, then they probably did not find what they were after, similar to the …show more content…
As previously demonstrated, The Hobbit’s use of a neutral, unbiased narrator contrasts greatly with the movie’s tactic of presenting Bilbo as the animated storyteller eager to recount his adventures. Compared to the other films in The Hobbit trilogy, An Unexpected Journey could easily be described as the least grim. The film could be classified as unique circumstance because it does not center around battles and villains like the others do. Instead, An Unexpected Journey works to acquaint the reader with the Middle Earth and its inhabitants. Therefore, a spirited tone is required to capture the audience’s attention and to set up the journey that would carry on throughout the next two films. In the final scene of the movie, Bilbo delivers the ironic line, “I do believe worst is behind us” (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey). While this is meant to show the optimism of the dwarves and tie in to the animated tone, it is humorous to the viewer because they know that the worst has really yet to