At first when Bilbo is asked to join in the journey he simply replies, "we don't want any adventures here"(Tolkein 26), but with a small bit of coercion by Gandalf he skeptically decides to join on their journey. In the beginning Bilbo is very insecure about his capabilities as a member of the group, but as the book progresses he gains more confidence and develops into the bona fide hero G

In perhaps their most dangerous mission together, Bilbo becomes the true unquestionable hero in this novel. There is much growth as a hero in this excursion and Bilbo now becomes cognizant that he has grown. The crew finally reaches their destination and must steal a treasure that is rightfully theirs from Smaug, a fiery red dragon who will do anything to protect his bounty. Smaug is cruel by nature, but Bilbo rises above their fears and ventures to steal the cup. The group goes through yet another set of tunnels and DeKoster states, "once inside the tunnel, Bilbo makes another heroic decision-to keep going further despite the agonizing fear he feels when he hears Smaug's snoring and sees his red glow"(63). He is deathly afraid of the huge dragon but goes on because he does not want to let down the dwarves because he "is now the real leader in their adventure"(Helm 23). Bilbo was considered the burglar and the others insisted that he take the golden cup from under Smaug's nose and he succeeds. Bilbo successfully steals the cup and is a hero for the entire group. The others w Bloom states that when Bilbo steals the golden cup from under Smaug's steaming nose it is "an excellent example of the growth of heroism in Bilbo"(Bloom 100). Now many creatures have a great deal of respect for Bilbo because he has stolen the magnificent Smaug's cup. Bilbo's heroic character has come full circle and his "growth of heroism is accentuated by Smaug's dream of 'a warrior, altogether insignificant in size

The group's first adventure occurs while voyaging through the underbelly of the Smokey Mountains. In order to completely understand the severity of Bilbo's plight and how his actions are heroic one must take try to understand the situation that he was in. Inside the mountain's tunnels they are captured by trolls who are no more intelligent than a doornail. In this encounter it becomes dreadfully obvious that Bilbo has lead a "very sheltered life in which keeps him from understanding the ways of the world"(Crabbe 41). While Bilbo is lost he is searching for either his friends or an exit, and happens to stumble upon a magical golden ring, which makes one invisible except for shadows. Bilbo's first act of heroism and bravery is when he meets the slimy, slithery beast known as Gollum. Here is a true testament of the mental and physical stamina that Bilbo has deep within himself. Here is a heroic action within itself because he has to try to me

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1661
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)