The New Frontier - Exploring the Movie Further

Exploring Further

At the beginning of The Hobbit, Bilbo lives as the imposter "Baggins of Bag End." To Bilbo, this title sums up the ideal Hobbit life. He gets this answer by taking his identity questions to the Shire culture and folk around him. They are the magnets that drive him onto that Imposter Path. As a "Baggins of Bag End," Bilbo never does anything outside the "norm." He avoids everything considered "adventurous" that goes against the Shire status quo. But that all changes when Gandalf, the grey wizard, appears on his doorstep one fine morning and calls Bilbo into adventure.

Bilbo does as any good Shire Folk would do. He shoos Gandalf off, claiming no one in the Shire wants that. Gandalf leaves, but that evening, a rowdy bunch of dwarves crash the hobbit's solo dinner plans. None of the newfound chaos makes sense until Gandalf arrives again. The wizard and dwarves discuss a plan to take back their great dwarven kingdom of Erebor, stolen by a great dragon named Smaug. Bilbo listens silently, engrossed in the story, until the dwarves begin talking as if HE will help them! Bilbo tries to disown any involvement, but before he knows it, the dwarves give him a contract with all the "terms" and "liabilities" for joining the company. Overwhelmed, Bilbo passes out.

After he wakes, Gandalf tries to convince him that the adventure would be good. Bilbo reinforces his Imposter Life by claiming he is a "Baggins of Bag End." Gandalf counters and reminds him of his true identity by telling Bilbo of the Tooks, a family of hobbits living outside the Shire known for their adventurous nature. Bilbo's mother was a Took; that same adventurous nature is in his blood. Bilbo can't stomach the idea of changing- having to become someone different. His Imposter Life as the "ideal Hobbit "protects him, and he will sacrifice any part of his True Identity to keep it. When confronted with the reality of change, Bilbo rejects the call.

The following day, Bilbo wakes up in an empty home. He ensures he is the only one present, and in triumph, he swings his arms, happy to be rid of the dwarves. But as he settles back into his Imposter Life, he finds the contract from the dwarves, and something shifts in him. Something Tookish awakes in his heart. As he looks out the window into the world beyond, he feels the spiritual magnetic pull of his heart toward the adventurous. For a moment, it's like he believes Gandalf's words about his true identity, and his Tookish nature takes control. The cost of MISSING the adventure is higher than the cost of CHANGE, so Bilbo runs out his door and joins the company. He accepts Gandalf's call by leaving his Imposter Life behind and enters the Wilderness.

As soon as Bilbo catches up with the company, he faces the Difficulty of the Wilderness. He is forced to ride a pony, which makes him uncomfortable; only a few minutes later, he realizes he forgot his handkerchief and stops the company, claiming he must return for it. A dwarf named Bofur rips off a portion of his shirt and throws it to Bilbo as a substitute. Gandalf tells Bilbo that now, in the Wilderness, he will have to detach from his life as "Baggins of Bagg End" and remove the magnets of Shire culture if he will make it to the end of the journey.

From the trolls to the wargs and orcs, Bilbo faces Wilderness Trial after Wilderness Trial, and he must decide whether he will wander in the Wilderness or battle through till the end. Eventually, the difficulty of these trials wears on him. If that were not enough, Bilbo contends with the opposition within. His imposter wants Bilbo to abandon the adventure, and he nearly does in Rivendell. Young places within constantly eat away at Bilbo's resolve. He struggles with false beliefs like, "You don't belong here." or "You are just a burden on the company." These false beliefs are reinforced by people like Thorin, who don't believe in Bilbo. He constantly looks down on the Hobbit, almost belittling him at times.

But this is where the Mentor appears. Bilbo's Mentor in the Wilderness is Balin, the company's elder sage. Balin has walked the Path. He knows his true identity and gives Bilbo insights from his story to help him on his adventure. One instance occurs after a negative encounter with Thorin; Balin tells the tragic story of Thorin's life and gives Bilbo the insight he needs to treat Thorin with compassion DESPITE the dwarf's treatment of him. This is also where Bilbo learns of the Adversary in their story, Azog the Defiler.

Still, the Difficulty of the Wilderness chips away at Bilbo's commitment to change. Bilbo remains with the company, but after a near-death encounter with rock monsters and Thorin's rebuke of his presence there, Bilbo decides he's had enough.

That night, as the dwarves sleep, Bilbo decides to sneak away. He will abandon the adventure and wander in the Wilderness. Bofur, the dwarf, catches him on the way out and tries to convince Bilbo that he has a place amongst them, but Bilbo reverts to his "Baggins of Bag End" and rebukes Bofur, claiming the dwarves have no place- no home. They don't belong anywhere, so they could never understand his struggle. Hurt, Bofur takes on that imposter answer. As an Imposter, Bilbo begets the imposter on to others.

Bilbo begins to recognize his misstep, but before he can say anything, they face more opposition without. Bilbo separates from the group, and we see what he is made of as he encounters Gollum. Bilbo uses his Hobbit cunning to outwit the creature and intends to kill the brute before returning to the company. Something stays his hand- a reminder from his Guide, Gandalf, who gave him a sword and the wisdom to use it. Pitying Gollum, Bilbo stays his blade. Gandalf's wisdom as the Guide helps Bilbo see the bigger picture, and if you know the Lord of the Rings, Gollum is an integral (yet flawed) character in that story. Gollum's choices lead to the ultimate victory over a powerful opposition without.

After his encounter with Gollum, Bilbo means to rejoin the company. Invisible because of a magic ring, he can hear the company's conversation about him. Gandalf is worried about Bilbo's safety, but the others bicker about whose responsibility he was. Thorin interjects and claims that Bilbo took the chance to turn back and abandon them. He could leave at this point, and the company would never know. Instead, Bilbo chooses to battle through and remain committed to the adventure. He stays, not to prove Thorin wrong, but because as a Hobbit, he has a home. As a Baggins, he loves his home, comforts, books, and armchair; as a Took, he will do everything he can to help the dwarves get back their home from Smaug. His focus shifts away from self-preservation as an imposter to selflessness as both Baggins AND Took- HIS TRUE IDENTITY.

Their reunion is short-lived as the Adversary of the Hobbit appears. Azog the Defiler, the ruin of Thorin's grandfather and father, who was thought to be dead, attacks the company, pushing them to a vulnerable position on a cliffside. Seeing the face of his most hated foe, Thorin charges in alone to fight the white orc but is quickly incapacitated. The dwarves scramble to help their king but can't get to him. Only Bilbo can help. Armed with a sword from his Guide and the knowledge of who this opposition without is from his Mentor, Bilbo chooses to engage in the fight. Remarkably, he saves Thorin and delays the Adversary's attack long enough for the rest of the company to join the battle. They beat back the Adversary, while Gandalf finds a way for them to escape.

Ultimately, it takes the whole company, Bilbo, the Dwarves, the Mentor, and the Guide, to overcome the opposition without. At this juncture in the Wilderness, we see Bilbo's shift as he lives no longer as just Baggins or Took but as ALL BILBO. He is fully living from his true identity on behalf of those around him. His commitment to the adventure changed him as Gandalf had said it would.

We are the same in our adventures. In the Wilderness, we can either believe the voice of our Mentor and Guide or fall prey to the opposition and difficulty of change and wander. If we trust the Mentor and Guide and let them lead us down the Path of Sonship, we will become the sons and men our Creator intends us to be. We will live life to the full as Jesus describes. But we must Battle Through the Wilderness by receiving the help of our Mentor and Guide.

Further Discussion:

After reading this, what other parallels do you see between your story and Bilbo's? Do you see some of the different ideas from the "Truth of the Month" video in the movie? Discuss them together.
Bonus: Bilbo is not the only one who wrestles with an Imposter in this movie. Thorin does, too. How do you see Thorin wrestle with the Imposter Life? Does he change? What ultimately changes his perspective and belief?

Exploring EVEN Further...

If you are interested, Jared recorded an entire teaching about the Heroic Journey, where he takes a DEEP dive into the parallels between The Hobbit and our adventures with God. He poured his heart into this teaching and loved teaching it. You can watch that teaching below: