The hero of The Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who, at the age of fifty, has never had an adventure and who asserts that no respectable hobbit wants adventures. An adventure, however, comes to him at the instigation of Gandalf, the wizard known to Bilbo only by his reputation for fireworks, great stories, and the ability to tempt young hobbits to try unusual things. The companions of Bilbo and Gandalf are thirteen dwarves, treasure-seekers who, following Gandalf s advice, take Bilbo with them as their official burglar. Bilbo's major assignment is to help them retrieve their ancestral treasures, long guarded by the dragon Smaug. The subtitle of the book, "There and Back Again," suggests the cyclic nature of the quest as the underlying theme: Bilbo accomplishes his quest and returns home, but he is, as Gandalf tells him, a different hobbit than before.

As the quest takes Bilbo "There and Back Again," two related themes develop: the nature of maturity and the nature of heroism. In the early stages of the book Bilbo seldom has an opportunity to make decisions for himself. He is forced by the requirements of hospitality to welcome Gandalf and the dwarves to his "unexpected party." During their planning session he first lets himself be drawn into the discussion because he resents the dwarves' condescending remarks about his size and his ability. When he finds himself running to catch up to the dwarves, his major concern is that he has forgotten to take his pipe and his handkerchief. It is his desire to impress the dwarves that almost turns them into troll food and it is his physical limitations that lead to his encounter with Gollurn.

Gollum's nature and background are not related in this book, but in The Lord of the Rings Gandalf explains to Bilbo's nephew (and to the reader) that Gollum's family had been hobbits. By the time Bilbo meets him, however, Gollum has degenerated from his original happy, friendly nature into a repulsive creature of darkness. The riddle game is Gollum's idea, but once Bilbo has accepted the suggestion he plays alertly, making the most of accidental advantages: solving the "time" riddle and creating the unorthodox "pocket" riddle. This alertness helps him to discover the secret of the ring of invisibility and to turn Gollum's efforts to capture him into an escape route. His ability to think under pressure suggests that Bilbo is maturing, but two other traits emerge during the Gollum episode that give clearer evidence of Bilbo's developing maturity and heroism: his pity for Gollum, which leads him to risk being caught rather than kill a defenseless enemy, and his decision to return to the goblins' cave in search of his friends.

In the adventures with the goblins and wargs, with the eagles, and with Beorn the skin-changer, Bilbo is again relatively ineffective, but his wits and courage are both needed when he rescues the dwarves from the giant spiders of Mirkwood and later from the wood elves. At Esgaroth, where the first human characters figure in the story, Thorin briefly assumes leadership, claiming his title as "King under the Mountain" and obtaining from the Lake-men provisions and transportation for the last stages of the journey to Smaug's Lonely Mountain.

When the companions reach Smaug's cave, they are still without Gandalf, who left them before they entered Mirkwood. By this time the dwarves, even Thorin, have accepted Bilbo as their leader—and their risk-taker. He is the one who recognizes the significance of the thrush when they are trying to find the secret of the door. Once inside, he goes alone to investigate the tunnel and takes a gold cup from the sleeping Smaug. Showing courage and ingenuity, he returns to the angered dragon's lair, flattering Smaug in order to discover his weak spot. After Smaug's furious attack on the mountain side, the dwarves again turn to Bilbo to investigate the treasure chamber and to check on Smaug's whereabouts. While the dwarves wait timidly in the tunnel, Bilbo plunges into the darkness, not yet certain that the treasure-guardian has left. During this solo investigation Bilbo finds and keeps the Arkenston, the family jewel that Thorin is eager to locate. Only when the dwarves are convinced that Smaug is no longer at home do they join Bilbo and move through the tunnels to find the main entrance, a passage down which Thorin is now willing to lead the way.

The leadership roles of Bilbo, Bard, and Gandalf merge when Thorin refuses to share any of the treasure with the Lake-men or the elves. Bilbo takes the Arkenstone to Bard, suggesting that he use it to bring Thorin into a bargaining mood. In doing this, he sacrifices his own claims to part of the treasure and risks losing the friendship of the dwarves in pursuit of the greater good.

Thorin's dying words to Bilbo convey one of the underlying themes of Tolkien's book, a theme that contributes to the appeal of the hero himself: "There is more in you of good than you know . . . If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

The hero of The Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who, at the age of fifty, has never had an adventure and who asserts that no respectable hobbit wants adventures. An adventure, however, comes to him at the instigation of Gandalf, the wizard known to Bilbo only by his reputation for fireworks, great stories, and the ability to tempt young hobbits to try unusual things. The companions of Bilbo and Gandalf are thirteen dwarves, treasure-seekers who, following Gandalf s advice, take Bilbo with them as their official burglar. Bilbo's major assignment is to help them retrieve their ancestral treasures, long guarded by the dragon Smaug. The subtitle of the book, "There and Back Again," suggests the cyclic nature of the quest as the underlying theme: Bilbo accomplishes his quest and returns home, but he is, as Gandalf tells him, a different hobbit than before.

Gollum's nature and background are not related in this book, but in The Lord of the Rings Gandalf explains to Bilbo's nephew (and to the reader) that Gollum's family had been hobbits. By the time Bilbo meets him, however, Gollum has degenerated from his original happy, friendly nature into a repulsive creature of darkness. The riddle game is Gollum's idea, but once Bilbo has accepted the suggestion he plays alertly, making the most of accidental advantages: solving the "time" riddle and creating the unorthodox "pocket" riddle. This alertness helps him to discover the secret of the ring of invisibility and to turn Gollum's efforts to capture him into an escape route. His ability to think under pressure suggests that Bilbo is maturing, but two other traits emerge during the Gollum episode that give clearer evidence of Bilbo's developing maturity and heroism: his pity for Gollum, which leads him to risk being caught rather than kill a defenseless enemy, and his decision to return to the goblins' cave in search of his friends.

The leadership roles of Bilbo, Bard, and Gandalf merge when Thorin refuses to share any of the treasure with the Lake-men or the elves. Bilbo takes the Arkenstone to Bard, suggesting that he use it to bring Thorin into a bargaining mood. In doing this, he sacrifices his own claims to part of the treasure and risks losing the friendship of the dwarves in pursuit of the greater good. Bard's role is to unite the forces of men and elves, to arrange the treaty with Thorin, and to ensure that Thorin keeps his promise. Gandalf, who has arrived from other tasks, resumes his leadership role by uniting men, elves, and dwarves against their common enemies: goblins and wargs. Eventually, the forces of good conquer, even though Thorin dies after being reconciled with Bilbo.

In the adventures with the goblins and wargs, with the eagles, and with Beorn the skin-changer, Bilbo is again relatively ineffective, but his wits and courage are both needed when he rescues the dwarves from the giant spiders of Mirkwood and later from the wood elves. At Esgaroth, where the first human characters figure in the story, Thorin briefly assumes leadership, claiming his title as "King under the Mountain" and obtaining from the Lake-men provisions and transportation for the last stages of the journey to Smaug's Lonely Mountain.

When the companions reach Smaug's cave, they are still without Gandalf, who left them before they entered Mirkwood. By this time the dwarves, even Thorin, have accepted Bilbo as their leader—and their risk-taker. He is the one who recognizes the significance of the thrush when they are trying to find the secret of the door. Once inside, he goes alone to investigate the tunnel and takes a gold cup from the sleeping Smaug. Showing courage and ingenuity, he returns to the angered dragon's lair, flattering Smaug in order to discover his weak spot. After Smaug's furious attack on the mountain side, the dwarves again turn to Bilbo to investigate the treasure chamber and to check on Smaug's whereabouts. While the dwarves wait timidly in the tunnel, Bilbo plunges into the darkness, not yet certain that the treasure-guardian has left. During this solo investigation Bilbo finds and keeps the Arkenston, the family jewel that Thorin is eager to locate. Only when the dwarves are convinced that Smaug is no longer at home do they join Bilbo and move through the tunnels to find the main entrance, a passage down which Thorin is now willing to lead the way.

The leadership roles of Bilbo, Bard, and Gandalf merge when Thorin refuses to share any of the treasure with the Lake-men or the elves. Bilbo takes the Arkenstone to Bard, suggesting that he use it to bring Thorin into a bargaining mood. In doing this, he sacrifices his own claims to part of the treasure and risks losing the friendship of the dwarves in pursuit of the greater good. Bard's role is to unite the forces of men and elves, to arrange the treaty with Thorin, and to ensure that Thorin keeps his promise. Gandalf, who has arrived from other tasks, resumes his leadership role by uniting men, elves, and dwarves against their common enemies: goblins and wargs. Eventually, the forces of good conquer, even though Thorin dies after being reconciled with Bilbo.

Thorin's dying words to Bilbo convey one of the underlying themes of Tolkien's book, a theme that contributes to the appeal of the hero himself: "There is more in you of good than you know . . . If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

When the companions reach Smaug's cave, they are still without Gandalf, who left them before they entered Mirkwood. By this time the dwarves, even Thorin, have accepted Bilbo as their leader—and their risk-taker. He is the one who recognizes the significance of the thrush when they are trying to find the secret of the door. Once inside, he goes alone to investigate the tunnel and takes a gold cup from the sleeping Smaug. Showing courage and ingenuity, he returns to the angered dragon's lair, flattering Smaug in order to discover his weak spot. After Smaug's furious attack on the mountain side, the dwarves again turn to Bilbo to investigate the treasure chamber and to check on Smaug's whereabouts. While the dwarves wait timidly in the tunnel, Bilbo plunges into the darkness, not yet certain that the treasure-guardian has left. During this solo investigation Bilbo finds and keeps the Arkenston, the family jewel that Thorin is eager to locate. Only when the dwarves are convinced that Smaug is no longer at home do they join Bilbo and move through the tunnels to find the main entrance, a passage down which Thorin is now willing to lead the way.

Smaug has been portrayed as a typical fairy-tale dragon: winged, breathing fire, obsessed first by love for his treasure and later by the desire for vengeance on the Lake-men, who, he thinks, are responsible for encouraging the dwarves to invade his premises. While Bilbo and the dwarves are exploring his cave, Smaug flies off to destroy Lake-town. At this point Tolkien introduces a human hero, Bard the dragon-slayer. Warned by the flaming approach of Smaug, Bard plans for defense, directing the filling of water buckets, the destruction of bridges, and the careful positioning of bowmen. Throughout Smaug's swooping attacks, he encourages the Lakemen to keep up their steady defense and, when only one of his arrows remains, he calmly listens to the thrush who brings him news of Smaug's armor free spot and then carefully aims his arrow to kill Smaug. Bard has shown heroic traits during Smaug's attack, and other aspects of his leadership emerge as he directs repairs on the village, sends to the wood elves for help, and organizes an expedition to the Lonely Mountain to claim part of the treasure as compensation for the destruction caused by Smaug.

Smaug has been portrayed as a typical fairy-tale dragon: winged, breathing fire, obsessed first by love for his treasure and later by the desire for vengeance on the Lake-men, who, he thinks, are responsible for encouraging the dwarves to invade his premises. While Bilbo and the dwarves are exploring his cave, Smaug flies off to destroy Lake-town. At this point Tolkien introduces a human hero, Bard the dragon-slayer. Warned by the flaming approach of Smaug, Bard plans for defense, directing the filling of water buckets, the destruction of bridges, and the careful positioning of bowmen. Throughout Smaug's swooping attacks, he encourages the Lakemen to keep up their steady defense and, when only one of his arrows remains, he calmly listens to the thrush who brings him news of Smaug's armor free spot and then carefully aims his arrow to kill Smaug. Bard has shown heroic traits during Smaug's attack, and other aspects of his leadership emerge as he directs repairs on the village, sends to the wood elves for help, and organizes an expedition to the Lonely Mountain to claim part of the treasure as compensation for the destruction caused by Smaug.

The leadership roles of Bilbo, Bard, and Gandalf merge when Thorin refuses to share any of the treasure with the Lake-men or the elves. Bilbo takes the Arkenstone to Bard, suggesting that he use it to bring Thorin into a bargaining mood. In doing this, he sacrifices his own claims to part of the treasure and risks losing the friendship of the dwarves in pursuit of the greater good. Bard's role is to unite the forces of men and elves, to arrange the treaty with Thorin, and to ensure that Thorin keeps his promise. Gandalf, who has arrived from other tasks, resumes his leadership role by uniting men, elves, and dwarves against their common enemies: goblins and wargs. Eventually, the forces of good conquer, even though Thorin dies after being reconciled with Bilbo.

Whether children or Tommies, the hobbits have a deeper dimension: They are capable of moral choices, and one of the most successful characters of the story is one who later proves to be of central importance, Gollum. When he appears, Gollum is so repellent a character that he seems at first to be another species entirely from the wholesome hobbits. As the reader hears his story, however, it becomes quite clear that Gollum’s vice, his overwhelming lust for his precious ring, is only a fault of the ordinary hobbit carried to the extreme.

One may see Bilbo and Gollum as a contrast: Both, perhaps, show a bit more daring than the ordinary hobbit, and both find themselves subjected to temptations outside the ordinary. Both are similar in this, too, that although their adventures in The Hobbit form a satisfying story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, that story will be seen from a more profound perspective in The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955). The depth of Gollum’s lust for the ring and the height of Bilbo’s heroism in renouncing it will be appreciated in their full dimensions only later when, with the maturity of years, the children who read The Hobbit will turn to its adult sequel.

Beorn is a “skin-changer,” or shape-shifter, who sometimes takes the form of a bear and at other times that of a large and hairy man. Some say he is a bear descended from ancient bears; some say he is a man descended from ancient men. He keeps hives of huge bees, as well as talking cattle and horses whom he considers his children. Gandalf leads the company to Beorn’s house one by one, in order to trick Beorn into housing all of them for the night. Though gruff and plain-spoken, he is good-natured and doesn’t care for riches or gold. He fights in the Battle of the Five Armies, helping to defeat the goblins, and he eventually carries the dying Thorin from the field of battle.

Elrond, the wise and noble lord of Rivendell, extends crucial assistance to Thorin’s company. His mixed heritage as half-elf and half-human imbues him with unparalleled wisdom and strength. Elrond’s hospitality provides the travelers a safe haven, and his knowledge of runes unveils the hidden "moon letters" on Thorin’s map, crucial to their quest. His role exemplifies the alliance between different races in Middle-earth, showcasing the potential for harmony amidst diversity.

The Elvenking, lord of the wood-elves. He imprisons the dwarves in his dungeon, whence they escape with Bilbo’s help. Thorin afterward bears a grudge against the Elvenking. After Smaug’s death, the Elvenking, who has a weakness for treasure, marches with an army toward the Lonely Mountain, turning aside to help the people of ruined Esgaroth. With Bard, he besieges Thorin but joins dwarves and men in the Battle of the Five Armies.

Dain, a cousin to Thorin, emerges as a formidable leader after Thorin's passing. He leads his kin from the Iron Hills to aid in the defense of the Lonely Mountain against external threats. Known for his generosity and courage, Dain ascends to the throne as King under the Mountain following Thorin’s death, ensuring the dwarves’ legacy endures through just leadership.

Thorin’s company includes a variety of dwarves, each contributing uniquely to the quest. Balin, as one of the elder dwarves, offers wisdom and later visits Bilbo, maintaining their friendship. Fili and Kili, the youngest, showcase youthful bravery, ultimately sacrificing themselves for Thorin during the final battle. Bombur’s misadventures, such as falling into the enchanted Mirkwood river, add a touch of humor and demonstrate the challenges faced by the party. Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Oin, and Ori each add to the tapestry of camaraderie and diversity within the group, highlighting the resilience and determination inherent in dwarven culture.

The goblins and Wargs serve as antagonistic forces, embodying chaos and malevolence. They capture and pursue Bilbo and the dwarves, and their combined forces in the Battle of the Five Armies nearly tip the scales against the protagonists. However, the timely intervention of allies like Beorn and the Eagles turns the tide, demonstrating the power of unity and cooperation in overcoming darkness.

The old thrush, an unassuming yet pivotal character, connects the past with the present. Its forebears once aided the dwarves, and in the current tale, it relays critical information about Smaug’s vulnerability to Bard, facilitating the dragon’s downfall. The thrush symbolizes the interconnectedness of all beings in Middle-earth, emphasizing the impact of seemingly minor characters on the story's outcome.