Thoughts on the Hobbit freewrite

Here I will post my freewrite, as well as some thoughts I have on it that I have since developed.

Freewrite:

Bilbo Baggins was designed to be a relatable character. Only through him are we able to  truly place ourselves within the realm of Middle-earth at the time of the setting of this story. He is a man who is comfortable with where he is in his life, and he more or less fears change, much like all hobbits. Tolkien foreshadows that he is different then some hobbits, however, based upon his relation to the Tooks, who are notorious for their adventures and misadventures, a fact which will continue to play itself out in the Lord of the Rings with Pippin. This is a character who is definitely full of adventures (particularly misadventures) and resembles a problematic child in many ways.

Bilbo however takes this Tookishness inside of him and lets it take him on  a glorious adventure to places far away. Most people would not just invite a bunch of strangers into their homes to make a mess of the place, and eat all their food. The politeness within Bilbo is the reason why he does this, instead of some deep and hidden desire for adventure. But as the dwarves tell them their story, he becomes intrigued. This intrigue ebbs and flows throughout the course of the book, but it is enough to get him out of the door, which is arguably one of the hardest steps of the entire journey, despite the peril which lay ahead of him. This is a very difficult step for most things that I do as well. Once on the journey, it is incredible, but the actual breaking of inertia, aka getting up, putting your shoes on, and going out the door to see whatever the world has in store, is the hardest part.

Bilbo is relatable in this regard that he just wants to stay home, read, and drink tea. He continuously thinks about the comfort of his own home while he is away on his magnificent adventure. I do much of the same. Like when I go backpacking, and my legs are sore, I am exhausted, my bed is uncomfortable, and I am cold. I question my sanity about why I left in  the first place, just to put myself in a situation of discomfort. But when I remember those trips, I don't remember the achy limbs, but instead the magnificent setting in which I can be a part of. I feel that Bilbo looks back on his journey in much of the same way. He recalls the discomfort he was in, but that isn't the lasting influence that the trip has set.

In  regards to the question of Bilbo being socially conservative, I feel that that is a pretty obvious yes. He does have that inner liberal  inside of him egging him on, that his mind has to keep in check so he doesn't find himself in to much trouble. But ultimately that voice prevailed, and he started on the journey. It probably helps that when he woke up that first morning, he was running late. This helped him make the decision, because he made it before he had any time to stop and think about it. He didn't even have time to grab a hat or a pocket handkerchief. This is probably why Gandalf was there in the first place, because he knew that if Bilbo wasn't in a rush, the sedentary hobbit within him probably never would have left. He would have stayed in his hole to whine and mumble as he cleans up the mess that the dwarves had left him after breakfast. It is because he didn't have time to  think that he abandoned his hole and started off down the road, not knowing when or if he would ever return.

I do also feel that Bilbo did not comprehend the true danger of the trip that lie ahead. This is evident in the fact that he thought the adventure would start at the shores of Long Lake, and there would be no danger  up until that point. But how wrong he was. If he fully understood the stakes of his actions, he almost certainly would have pulled his covers up over his head that morning, instead of rushing out the door to join the curious company of dwarves that he had met only the night before, and under much unpreferable circumstances to a hobbit.

Discussion:

Since I wrote this, I was reminded of another instance in the book that I feel perfectly exemplifies the changes that Bilbo undergoes throughout the course of this book. I believe that Tolkien documents two main turning points for Bilbo, which changed the course of his life forever. The first one, him leaving his door to go on the adventure, I talk about above. The second instance occurs in Chapter 12, as Bilbo is walking down the hallway of the secret entrance into the mountain. At one point, he stops and has a tremendously difficult time continuing. Tolkien explains how the act of bravery that it to take the next step was the most courageous thing that Bilbo has ever, or would ever do. 

I think it is notable that neither of these events occurred directly in the face of danger. That one step that he took out his door, or down the hallway, was not immediately consequential to life or death, but it was simply starting on a path that he had never been down before. Both steps were taken with uncertainty about what lay immediately ahead, and Bilbo's capability to face that uncertainty shows the growth that he experiences. 

-Haleth