Before The Lord of the Rings, there was The Hobbit -- J. R. R. Tolkien’s original tale that laid the groundwork for his history-making trilogy. It followed a group of Dwarves as they embarked on a quest to reclaim their lost Kingdom of Erebor. Years before, the great, fire-wielding dragon Smaug had laid waste to their home and taken up residence in their halls, claiming their gold as his own personal hoard.
Accompanying the group of Dwarves was a wizard and Hobbit. Gandalf organized the adventure, but at first glance, the Hobbit -- whose name was Bilbo Baggins -- was an odd addition to their party. In fact, the Dwarves themselves protested the idea of Bilbo coming along on their quest. That notwithstanding, Gandalf insisted that Bilbo was the perfect person to help accomplish the Dwarves' goals. Here’s why.
There are actually a number of reasons that Gandalf chose Bilbo, and the first one had to do with Gandalf’s modus operandi. The Dwarves would have loved nothing more than a frontal assault on Smaug’s lair. However, a fire-breathing behemoth against a handful of Dwarves wouldn’t have ended well for them. So, Gandalf went looking for help in the form of some great warrior. He said, “I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands.” With that option off the table, Gandalf settled on another way to defeat Smaug -- “burglary.”
With the help of Thoron -- the Dwarves' leader and rightful king -- he devised a plan to sneak into a hidden door in the side of Erebor. However, Gandalf wanted to be extra careful. He knew that Dwarves were not the quietest beings in Middle-earth, and he also knew Smaug was familiar with the smell of Dwarves. Choosing a Hobbit as an addition to their party was the perfect solution to both of Gandalf’s dilemmas. They were notoriously light of foot, and Smaug was wholly unfamiliar with the concept of a Hobbit and says as much in the book.
Choosing a Hobbit, then, was a logical choice for a burglar. However, there were a few determinant factors for picking Bilbo over other Hobbit contenders. For starters, Bilbo was a Took on his mother’s side, and Tooks were said to be more adventurous than the normal, respectable Hobbit. On top of that, Bilbo displayed some of that adventurous spirit from time to time, according to the Unfinished Tales book.
Therefore, Gandalf saw some untapped potential inside of Bilbo. That’s why he told the Dwarves, “Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say that he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea about himself."
Whatever it was that caught Gandalf’s eye, he was right because Bilbo accomplished so much more than anyone would have expected. In fact, Gandalf’s choice highlighted the major theme of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings -- sometimes the biggest things can be accomplished by the smallest or most unexpected people. It may seem like a rudimentary bit of story-telling, but given that The Hobbit was technically written as a children's book, choosing a Hobbit as the hero is a solid message and a fitting visual application.
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