Confidence in the Quest Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit and Sierra from Shadowshaper both start out as characters who do not know much about the fantastic that is in their lives. Bilbo knows a miniscule part of what lies beyond his hole in the ground, but never imagined being a part of any adventure because as a hobbit they stay with comfort. Sierra on the other hand is an artist that knows nothing of what was to come in her future. At the beginning of the book it shows that after leaving the mural she is excited to go to the first party of the summer, just like any normal teenager. Bilbo and Sierra are similar in the way that the fantastic enters their life in an unexpected way. Through their journey, they come across magical tools such as
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One of the many tools that Bilbo recovers from his quest is the ring. After the battle with the goblins where Bilbo is left unconscious, he discovers a ring (Tolkien, Ch. V, 65). The ring, which turns him invisible once he puts it on, teaches him how to use magic, or the fantastic, correctly. The first time that Bilbo uses the ring is to escape Gollum in the goblin’s cave (Tolkien, Ch. V, 79). At this time Bilbo did not understand what was happening to him and what powers the ring possessed, but he knew that the ring would come in handy for him in the future. As their quest continues Bilbo uses the ring a second time in Mirkwood. After Bilbo, himself escaped the giant spider that tied him up, he used the ring to go save the other dwarves (Tolkien, Ch. VIII, 146). At this time is when Bilbo receives a new type of confidence. After killing the giant spider, he decides to name his knife in which he killed the spider with. Bilbo proclaims, “I will give you a name, and I shall call you Sting” (Tolkien, Ch. VIII, 144). In other stories involving a quest, naming your weapon is a symbol of heroism. At this point Bilbo sees himself as something more than a hobbit, and gains confidence in this. He can see that through all his trials he is becoming a different person, that is not a hobbit or a …show more content…
Throughout The Hobbit, we see Bilbo exchanging riddles with his rivals during his quest. Riddles for Bilbo also boost his confidence along with the usage of the ring. We first see Bilbo using riddles with Gollum, at the same time that he first finds and uses the ring (Tolkien, Ch. V, 70). Gollum and Bilbo essentially start a riddle battle so Gollum would not eat him, or find out about the ring. Bilbo’s growth in confidence can be shown towards the end of the novel when he is faced by Smaug. While wearing the ring, as Bilbo enters the cave Smaug can smell him and asks who he is (Tolkien, Ch. XII, 204). At this point is where Bilbo uses riddles to confuse Smaug and try and find his weak spot. The only reason that Bilbo went inside the cave in the first place was because the dwarves turned to Bilbo for leadership. After Bilbo saved them from the spiders with the ring, therefore the dwarves gained a whole new respect for Bilbo. This newfound respect would lead Bilbo to become the leader for them and have to maintain his confidence that he gained through the quest in order to be the leader the dwarves
One of the many tools that Bilbo recovers from his quest is the ring. After the battle with the goblins where Bilbo is left unconscious, he discovers a ring (Tolkien, Ch. V, 65). The ring, which turns him invisible once he puts it on, teaches him how to use magic, or the fantastic, correctly. The first time that Bilbo uses the ring is to escape Gollum in the goblin’s cave (Tolkien, Ch. V, 79). At this time Bilbo did not understand what was happening to him and what powers the ring possessed, but he knew that the ring would come in handy for him in the future. As their quest continues Bilbo uses the ring a second time in Mirkwood. After Bilbo, himself escaped the giant spider that tied him up, he used the ring to go save the other dwarves (Tolkien, Ch. VIII, 146). At this time is when Bilbo receives a new type of confidence. After killing the giant spider, he decides to name his knife in which he killed the spider with. Bilbo proclaims, “I will give you a name, and I shall call you Sting” (Tolkien, Ch. VIII, 144). In other stories involving a quest, naming your weapon is a symbol of heroism. At this point Bilbo sees himself as something more than a hobbit, and gains confidence in this. He can see that through all his trials he is becoming a different person, that is not a hobbit or a …show more content…
Throughout The Hobbit, we see Bilbo exchanging riddles with his rivals during his quest. Riddles for Bilbo also boost his confidence along with the usage of the ring. We first see Bilbo using riddles with Gollum, at the same time that he first finds and uses the ring (Tolkien, Ch. V, 70). Gollum and Bilbo essentially start a riddle battle so Gollum would not eat him, or find out about the ring. Bilbo’s growth in confidence can be shown towards the end of the novel when he is faced by Smaug. While wearing the ring, as Bilbo enters the cave Smaug can smell him and asks who he is (Tolkien, Ch. XII, 204). At this point is where Bilbo uses riddles to confuse Smaug and try and find his weak spot. The only reason that Bilbo went inside the cave in the first place was because the dwarves turned to Bilbo for leadership. After Bilbo saved them from the spiders with the ring, therefore the dwarves gained a whole new respect for Bilbo. This newfound respect would lead Bilbo to become the leader for them and have to maintain his confidence that he gained through the quest in order to be the leader the dwarves