Fear in the Hobbit

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The characters' ability to overcome their fear is a crucial element in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. If the characters couldn’t overcome their fears, then Bilbo wouldn't have come on the adventure in the first place. One example of this is when the party is traveling through Mirkwood, they encounter a large spider web. The dwarves all get caught in it, and fortunately, Bilbo was there to save the day. He uses the sword that he had taken from the elves and kills the spiders, despite his fear of being eaten by them. “It had thought of starting the feast while the others were away, but Mr. Baggins was in a hurry, and before the spider knew what was happening it felt his sting and rolled off the branch dead” (160). Bilbo not only wants to overcome his fears, but he can follow through on his thoughts. He had the sword to kill the spider, yet Bilbo was still nervous. Also, if Bilbo hadn't overcame his fear of being eaten by the spiders, he would have never killed them and freed the dwarves, and without the dwarves there wouldn't have been a story. Another prominent scene in which Bilbo overcomes his fears is when the party is sitting in Smaug’s cave, wondering if he is there, “'If you mean you think it is my job to into the secret passages first, O Thorin Thrain's son Oakenshield, may your beard grow even longer,' he said crossly,'say so at once and have done! I might refuse'” (210). In this example, Bilbo shows that he is somewhat nervous about going through the passages and advancing towards Smaug. Eventually, Bilbo gives in to Thorin’s plan and leads the party through the dark passages to Smaug. If Bilbo didn't overcome his fear of Smaug in this situation, the party would have never seen the vast amount of treasure that Smaug had until he had died. In another experience, Bilbo gets very nervous and doubts his plan multiple times, yet he still follows through on it. His

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