Bilbo: Everyone's Inner Child? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Bêthberry · 05-30-2006, 12:39 PM

Well every one loves Ray--er-- Frodo, and hobbits have charmed their way into most readers' hearts, and Sam is beloved by many, but it might be said that Bilbo Baggins is the character who is recalled most affectionately. He is, after all, The Hobbit. He also has pride of place among the famous characters of children's literature. Alice, Toad, Pooh, Peter Pan, Bilbo... all from a glorious first flowering of children's literature.

Here on the Downs we have argued endlessly about whether the The Hobbit is simply children's literature but I'm not sure we have given Bilbo a close look. What kind of character is he?

Yes, he is the hero. Yes, he does learn a thing or two about himself on his adventure, and yes he does return home changed but still with all his hobbity tastes and habbits intact. Can we say, however, that Bilbo is truly an adult in TH? Is he an adult as, say, Argorn is in LotR, or Elrond, or Boromir are? Or is Bilbo a curious mixture of the child and the adult? It is safe bet I think to say that he does have some childish traits, for in part such characterisation is what wins over children's admiration. Yet hobbits come of age at 33 and Bilbo is roughly 50 when he answers the knock on his door. He's thirtysomething in human terms.

Yet other than some stodgy habits, does he act like a thirtysomething? Or is he most often given thoughts, character traits, dispositions such as a child might have?

Is he really an adult's inner child, and therein lies his charm? Has he kept, as Peter Pan has, the child alive in him? (Although as an aside I must say that Peter has a dark side to him which I think Bilbo does not have.) Alice is still thoroughly a girl, with some very astute ideas of things and some very strong views of adult behaviour. I don't think we would characterise Alice as adult at all. Her value as a character lies in her being a child.

How are we to characterise Bilbo? Adult? Child? Child's view of adult? Adult's view of child? Is he the adult who is able at a later age to take up that road not taken in his wilder and younger years?

05-30-2006, 12:39 PM	#1
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Bilbo: Everyone's Inner Child? Well every one loves Ray--er-- Frodo, and hobbits have charmed their way into most readers' hearts, and Sam is beloved by many, but it might be said that Bilbo Baggins is the character who is recalled most affectionately. He is, after all, The Hobbit. He also has pride of place among the famous characters of children's literature. Alice, Toad, Pooh, Peter Pan, Bilbo... all from a glorious first flowering of children's literature. Here on the Downs we have argued endlessly about whether the The Hobbit is simply children's literature but I'm not sure we have given Bilbo a close look. What kind of character is he? Yes, he is the hero. Yes, he does learn a thing or two about himself on his adventure, and yes he does return home changed but still with all his hobbity tastes and habbits intact. Can we say, however, that Bilbo is truly an adult in TH? Is he an adult as, say, Argorn is in LotR, or Elrond, or Boromir are? Or is Bilbo a curious mixture of the child and the adult? It is safe bet I think to say that he does have some childish traits, for in part such characterisation is what wins over children's admiration. Yet hobbits come of age at 33 and Bilbo is roughly 50 when he answers the knock on his door. He's thirtysomething in human terms. Yet other than some stodgy habits, does he act like a thirtysomething? Or is he most often given thoughts, character traits, dispositions such as a child might have? Is he really an adult's inner child, and therein lies his charm? Has he kept, as Peter Pan has, the child alive in him? (Although as an aside I must say that Peter has a dark side to him which I think Bilbo does not have.) Alice is still thoroughly a girl, with some very astute ideas of things and some very strong views of adult behaviour. I don't think we would characterise Alice as adult at all. Her value as a character lies in her being a child. How are we to characterise Bilbo? Adult? Child? Child's view of adult? Adult's view of child? Is he the adult who is able at a later age to take up that road not taken in his wilder and younger years? __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.