Hobbit Essay, Research Paper

The story begins with Bilbo Baggins a hobbit, enjoying a pipe after breakfast.

Bilbo is middle-aged, and resides in a clean warm burrow in the ground and

leads a fairly quite and normal life. One morning Gandalf, a mystical wizard

stops by to chat with Bilbo. Gandalf tells Bilbo that he is looking for someone

to go on an adventure with him. Bilbo is tempted with the idea of going on a

adventure, but declines in the end. After Bilbo’s decision Gandalf decides to

leave but not before Bilbo invites him for tea the next morning. The next day

Bilbo hears his doorbell and expects Gandalf to be at the door, but is met by

dwarves. Thirteen dwarves to be exact. They all invite themselves into Bilbo’s

house. One of the dwarves is Thorin son of the dwarf king. Thorin starts to tell

and outline a plan on they are going to regain the treasure that was stole by the

evil dragon Smaug. Bilbo is shocked to fine out that these plans involve him. He

realizes that Gandalf had tricked him by inscribing on his door that he was a

burglar that was looking for a job with lots of excitement. Gandalf reveals a key

and a map of their journey which ends at the Lonely Mountain. On Lonely

Mountain is where Smaug guards the treasure of Thorin’s ancestor. The quest

begins when the group meets at the Green Dragon Inn. From the Inn they set

out on their venture through the Lone Lands. quickly into the adventure heavy

rains begin to fall, and Bilbo notices that Gandalf is missing. This is odd for

Bilbo at first but it will happen allot through out the rest of the story. When the

rain starts to pour, they stop to look at a light. After investigating the light they

find three trolls pour they stop to investigate a light. There Bilbo finds three

trolls talking about food. Bilbo trying to show he is cool decides to live up to

title of burglar and attempts to pick pocket one of the trolls. However that is

quickly cut short because Bilbo is captured. The other dwarfs see what is

happening and try to save Bilbo. Their rescue party is a complete failure and all

but Thorin is caught. With everyone else captured Thorin devices a plan to save

his captured comrades. Thorins plan is also a failure. Then Gandalf returns and

occupies the trolls till dawn. Once dawn all of the trolls turn to stone. They

group escape and take the two swords and a knife the trolls were carrying. The

travelers then come across the Secret Valley. They stop at Elrond ’s Last

Homely House. There Elrond tells them the only way to use the key that Thorin

possesses is to wait where the thrush knocks and the setting sun will shine up

on the keyhole. With this new information they set out again towards Misty

Mountains. A violent storm has caused the group to seek shelter in a cave. The

safe cave they took for shelter turns out to be a entrance to a goblin kingdom.

Like with the trolls the group is captured again. this time Gandalf is the only

one free. Gandalf saves the group by slaying the Goblin King. However during

the escape Bilbo is knocked unconscious and left behind. Bilbo awakes and finds

himself with a ring that makes him able to go invisible when put on. Bilbo puts

the ring upon his finger and disappears. He follows Gollum toward the exit of

the cave. Once outside Bilbo is quickly reunited with his dwarf friends. After

escaping the goblins they quickly encounter Wargs (large savage wolves). The

Wargs chase the group into the trees. Up in the trees they feel pretty safe. So

Gandalf uses his magic to make all of the pine cones catch fire. When the pine

cones catch fire it scares away the Wargs and they figure they are safe. The

plan then backfires because the trees they used for refuge is now ablaze. If it

wasn’t for the King of the Eagles they would have died. The eagles spotted

them and the eagles swooped down and carried the group to safety. The eagles

dropped the group near Mirkwood Forest, where they were heading. Here is

were we meet Beorn. Beorn is a man who can change himself into animals such

as a bear. Beorn and the group make friends and Beorn puts the party up for the

nights and also helps get them supplies for there adventure into Mirkwood.

Beorn also tells them some advice about the forest. He tells them not to go off

the path and not to drink from a black stream no matter how thirsty, or they

would fall to sleep for days. Just as the party is about to enter the forest

Gandalf announces that he will not be going with them. The group isn’t happy

with this but they still go’ on. In the forest they come across a black stream,

and it is here were Bombur falls in and is put in deep sleep which he can not

awake from. Soon food starts to become scares and the group is led off the path

by visions of elves feasting in the forest. Once they get close enough and

announce themselves the elves disappear. Soon Bilbo is found separated from

the group again. Bilbo figures he will have a quick nap and awake and find the

group. Once he awakes he finds himself tied down by a giant spider. Bilbo uses

his sword to cut himself free from the spider. Then he attacks the giant spider

and kills it. Bilbo feels very proud of himself and decides to name his sword

“Sting”. Bilbo then decides to look for his friends , he finds them captured also

by spiders. Bilbo puts on his ring and goes invisible and helps the group escape.

The group is celebrating their escape from the spiders when they are captured

by Wood Elves. Bilbo is the only one to escape the capture by wearing his ring.

While invisible he follows the elves to their home where his friends are held.

Once inside he gets the idea to free his friends by putting them into barrels.

Once in barrels he put them in the river so they could float to Lake Town and be

free. In Lake Town they get more supplies and venture on to the Lonely

Mountain. On the mountain they heard a thrush drop a snail to the rocks.

Recalling what Beorn told them about the thrush and sunlight, they quickly

found the hidden back entrance to the dragon Smaug’s lair. Bilbo puts on his

ring and goes to confront the dragon. Once there he notices that on Smaug’s

stomach there is a scale missing. this place on Smaug’s stomach is his one

weakness. After taking to Smaug while invisible he returns to his friend and

tells them about Smaug’s weakness. Smaug however is angry about his little

invisible visitor and decides to go destroy Lake Town. When Smaug attacks, a

thrush told Bard (the captain of the archers) that Smaug has a weak spot in his

stomach. Bard used his black arrow(which he never misses with) to slay the

beast. Then the towns people are so happy that they make Bard king of Lake

Town. With Smaug dead the men and elves go to claim the treasure. Dwarf

troops under Thorin’s kinsman Dain also appear. There bickering was soon

changed to alliance when the Wargs and Goblins approached… and so began The

Battle of the Five Armies. During the battle Thorin is hurt and killed and Bilbo

gets knocked unconscious by falling rocks. The eagles as well as Beorn, in bear

form join the fray. The Wargs and goblins were quickly eliminated. Bilbo later

returned to his burrow under the hill with a with treasure, a invisible ring and

he proved to himself a lot. Bilbo is very glad that he went on this once in a life

time journey.

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