In the novel "The Hobbit", Bilbo Baggins is a character that really is intelligent in the common sense. He figures most things out and like the other stories that I have read this marking period he has had limited or no schooling. But who even knows if hobbit's do go to school. There are many examples in the book where Bilbo Baggins has to save the life of his friends the dwarfs. Basically the character Bilbo is one who knows what is going on. He is certainly a character that goes from being very shy and kind of a hobbit that kept to himself. He lived in a house that he did not really earn for himself but yet it was almost given to him by his parents. In the beginning of the book Gandulf the wizard that goes around with the dwarfs and Bilbo is the character that is mainly responsible for taking care of everyone else. As Gandulf becomes more distant with the journey Bilbo is the character that really emerges as the leader of the pack. Bilbo Baggins life totally changes from being a reluctant character to a character that really accepts the role of a hero. There is this one scene which really is the beginning of the hero in Bilbo. It is where he kills the spider after falling asleep and waking up to being tied up. He feels good about his victory and soon after this he not only saves his life, but the lives of others. "There was the usual grey light of the forest-day about him when he came to his senses. The spider lay dead besides him, and his sword-blade was stained black. Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarfs or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath. I will give you a name , he said to it, and I shall call you Sting." (page 155).

There was also another scene where Bilbo was able to save all of the dwarfs through a lot of planning from wood-elves who did not intend to hurt the dwarfs but just keep them as prisoners. Bilbo was almost caught by the wood-elves along with his friends but he escaped thanks to a magic ring that he found, or stole which makes him invisible. "Eventually, after a week or two of this sneaking sort of life, by watching and following the guards and taking what chances he could, he managed to find out where each dwarf was kept. He found all their twelve cells in different parts of the palace, and after a time he got to know his way about very well. What was his surprise one day to overhear some of the guards talking and to learn that there was another dwarf in prison too, in a special deep dark place. He guessed at once, of course, that was Thorin: and after a while he found that his guess was right. At last after many difficulties he managed to find the place when no one was about, and to have a word with the chief of the dwarves............For some time Bilbo sat and thought about this water gate, and wondered if it could be used for the escape of his friends, and at last he had the desperate beginnings of a plan."(page 173-176) It ended up that Bilbo's plan worked like a charm and he was able to get the dwarves out in no time all by himself. So as you can see the character of Bilbo has already really taken huge steps toward being a much better hero than he could have ever imagined.

At almost the end of the book right before a war had broken out between all of the different groups, Bilbo in a desperate attempt to make the fight not happen gave Born, the leader of the men a special gem that would make him happy. Although the plan went wrong, something like this would have never been thought of by Bilbo in the beginning of the book. Basically what I am trying to say is that Bilbo grew up right in front of the readers eyes, the once reluctant hero was now a star.