Quote Analysis #5 - Dreams of What is Lost

“So ended the adventure of the Misty Mountains. Soon Bilbo’s stomach was feeling full and comfortable again, and he felt he could sleep contentedly , though really he would have liked a loaf of butter better than bits of meat toasted on sticks. He slept curled up on the hard rock more soundly than ever he had done on his feather-bed in his own little hole at home. But all night he dreamed of his own house and wandered in his sleep into all his different rooms looking for something he could not find nor remember what it looked like.”

In this moment, we see the first instance in which Bilbo begins to experience true character growth. Yes, he has escaped Gollum, out-dodged goblins, and flown with the wings of eagles, but here is the hinge on which Bilbo’s life will swing. From the very beginning of the journey, Bilbo wishes over and over for his hobbit hole and wonders why he ever left, yet in this moment of clarity, he commences to leave behind those desires. For a sublime night, he sleeps better on a rock than he ever did at home. Yes, he still desires the comforts of food, but now he is no longer certain what drives his desire for home.

During his dream, he wonders his home, searching for something he can’t remember what it is. While he might consciously long for the comforts of a warm fire, subconsciously he no longer craves home. He desires adventure and can’t understand what home represents. In a powerful sense, he’s losing his Baggin’s personality as the Took side becomes more dominate. Were Bilbo to go home at this very moment he would never be content – he would always feel as though something is missing.

From this moment on, Bilbo begins to take control of his own destiny. The dwarves rely on him more heavily and he begins to step up to the responsibility, until the crowning moment when he strives to avert a war with a single act of burglary.

-E