The novel begins by introducing the story’s main character, Bilbo Baggins, establishing the fantasy world of the story, and providing the premise for the journey that structures the plot.
Despite being a creature the reader has never seen—a hobbit—Bilbo Baggins is described in physical, psychological, and social terms that are quite understandable. He looks like an adult human, except that he is about half the height, is beardless, and has thick curly hair growing on his feet; a hobbit does not wear shoes. He is quite domestic and enjoys the comfort of his well-furnished hobbit-hole, good food, and a pipe. From his mother’s side of the family, he has a model for adventurousness and also the financial resources to enjoy a life of leisure. The psychological conflict between his love of comfort and a certain inclination to adventure follows him throughout the story, and attempting to resolve it contributes to his character development. He is the protagonist of the story, but he does not appear in any way heroic, which is one of the themes of the story: how someone as ordinary as Bilbo, who does not at all seek adventure, can nevertheless find himself in an extraordinary situation in which he proves to be courageous and resourceful. Here you see him being drawn almost against his will into an adventure that he seems destined to experience.
Hobbits are not the only unusual creatures in this novel. The first chapter introduces a wizard, Gandalf, and thirteen dwarves. While these creatures are not real to the reader’s experience, the narrator describes them in a matter-of-fact way as possessing a history and understandable character traits in addition to their unique physical appearance. The dwarves love beautiful material things; they like to make merry with food, drink, and song; and they can be fierce and vengeful. Their impulse to journey to the Mountain to seek revenge for Smaug’s theft of their treasure contrasts with Bilbo’s hobbit-like reluctance to leave his comfortable home. You are given this history to provide motivation for the journey. The details of the hobbits and dwarves’ social life—pipe-smoking, breakfasts of bacon and eggs, tea-time—contribute an old-fashioned British tone to the setting, which enforces a sense of reality in this fantasy world.
Finally, the plan for a journey to the Lonely Mountain and Smaug in this chapter sets in motion the framework for the plot. The journey plot is one of the oldest in narrative literature and is the basis for many myths and fairy-tales, as well as more modern novels. A plot based on a journey allows characters to encounter many different situations and people, which gives readers an opportunity to see different sides of their personalities and provides some suspense as they appear to succeed and fail at different times in reaching their goals. Frequently, the journey plot has an underlying psychological structure, as it does in this novel, whereby the protagonist or main character actually develops more fully by successfully handling the dilemmas he encounters. Additionally, in this novel, the journey begins quite specifically in April and lasts one year. The full seasonal cycle of the year provides a symbolic sense of completion to Bilbo’s journey.
