Week Six: Fantasy

The Hobbit definitely reflects or fulfills most aspects of The Hero’s journey, with only a few exceptions. The book starts off in the innocence of the shire, with a more than content Bilbo living in a comfortable routine, and relatively unschooled in life beyond his grassy home. His comfortable routine is then disrupted, when he is visited by the wizard Gandalf, and asked or volun-told, that he would be participating in a quest with a group of dwarfs. This represents the literal call to adventure, which is then followed by an abrupt refusal of the call by Bilbo. The story fits pretty well with the classic Hero’s Journey map from there on out, as he ventures through the dark belly of subterranean caverns, faces war, capture, and dragons. He then goes on to receive the ultimate boon; The Ring.  He even makes it back alive and becomes the master of two worlds both – those both outside and inside the shire.

While the story fits pretty well with the Hero map, there are still a few obvious missing elements not present in The Hobbit. One would be the meeting with the goddess. The lack of women in the hobbit is very noticeable, but also makes it read a little bit more like an old war story, or a young boys childhood adventure through the woods.  Another element that doesn’t quite add up would probably be the refusal to return. Throughout the story Bilbo maintains pretty consistent in wanting to return to the comfort and regularity of the shire.