The plot of this book contains three distinct phases: departure, initiation, and return. The departure phase often contains the call to adventure, the refusal, a supernatural aid, and crossing the first threshold. The call to adventure in this novel occurs when one day, Gandalf appears and asks Bilbo to go on an adventure with him in the following manner: "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure that I'm arranging" [p.6]. There is also a refusal of the call, "We are plain quiet folk, and have no use for adventures" [p.6]. The supernatural aid is Gandalf, the wise old wizard, and when the dwarves and Bilbo encounter the trolls, [p.34-41] Gandalf comes and helps them and saves them all, and the first threshold is crossed. Bilbo and the dwarves can now move on. After the departure, Bilbo and the dwarves undertake an initiation, and are captured many times and almost killed if it were not for Bilbo. In the road of trials, Bilbo and the dwarves face many dangers and Bilbo has to save his friends many times after they are captured, and through this, he gains a great deal of wisdom and is raised to a higher status when he saves them from the wood-elves' prison [p.166-175]. Ultimately, when it is time to go back, Bilbo is hesitant to return because he has made so many new friends and is quite fond of them, but soon, he leaves with the elves, Beorn, and Gandalf with two trunks full of gold and silver as the boon and continues to lead a simple life. He is now the master of two worlds, and he can go back anytime he wants without any fear. Thus, the plot of The Hobbit fits the monomyth.
The characters in The Hobbit fit the archetypal characters of the monomyth pattern. For example, there is a hero (Bilbo); the wise, old man (Gandalf); and the evil villains (the goblins, the Wargs, the wood-elves, the trolls, Gollum, Smaug, and Bolg). In a typical quest, readers expect to find evil characters that must be outwitted or defeated by the hero. In this case, it is the goblins, the Wargs etc. Bilbo is expected to defeat, who will not stop at anything to get their hands on the treasure, even if it means killing millions. Bilbo defeats Gollum in the riddle contest and when Gollum decided to kill Bilbo, Bilbo uses the magic ring to become invisible and follows Gollum out of the caves [p.70-84]. Next, the goblins capture the adventurers and after the escape of Bilbo and his friends, the goblins join armies with the Wargs and are ready to cremate them when the Eagles come and save the dwarves, the wizard and Bilbo [p.99-100]. The trolls that catch the dwarves in sacks, are ready to roast them and ear them when Gandalf appears uses his brain and saves them all [p.37-42]. When the travellers are captured by the goblins, Gandalf disappears from his spot and later appears in the tunnel, kills the Great Goblin, and helps the dwarves and Bilbo escape [p.57-63]. Smaug, the dragon and the guardian of the treasure, is killed by Bard before the war with the help of a thrush [p.231-232]. However, Bolg (son of the Great Goblin) is defeated by Beorn, the man who can turn into a bear [p.266-267]. The one villain who dies without being killed is the Master of the Town. He runs away with the treasure that is to be used to repair the town damaged by Smaug, and is later found dead with the treasure. Consequently, the characters in The Hobbit reflect the conventional characters what would be found within any monomyth.
The setting for The Hobbit is the Hill, Hobbiton, Rivendell, Misty Mountains, The Island of Gollum, Mirkwood, the prison of the Wood-Elves, The Lonely Mountain, Long Lake, and Esgaroth. The novel begins on the Hill, near Hobbiton and quickly moves to a magical place called Rivendell where the dwarves and Bilbo stay for a while to get fresh supplies. Soon, they leave Rivendell and enter the dangerous Misty Mountains where they are captured by the goblins [p.57-63]. After they have all escaped into the tunnels, Bilbo falls on the way, finds Gollum on his Island, and scarcely escapes from him and the goblin army [p.65-84]. Next, the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf go to the house of Beorn, who lives near the forest of Mirkwood [p.108-111]. Later, they enter the forest of Mirkwood [p.128-132], and have many more adventures. Then they see the light coming from the bushes and go off path (as they were told not to do) and are captured by giant spiders. After being released, they realise that Thorin, their leader, has been captured by the wood-elves and to save him, they go after him and are prisoners of the wood-elves [p.156-158]. To escape, they have to journey through Long Lake in barrels [p.170-180] and everything is done by Bilbo because he was not caught since he was invisible. Esgaroth is the last town before the Lonely Mountains and their second last stop as well [182-187]. The last stop for the dwarves is their destination, The Lonely Mountain, for which they have come all the way. The are much wiser than when they started out, and they are very delighted to be at their destination, but they have one last barrier, the dragon, to conquer before they can claim the riches. The setting insists that the reader use their imagination, illuminating images of what unmarked worlds might be like when man has dominated his most despised rival. Therefore, the setting of The Hobbit is suitably impressive in degree and fits the form of an ambitious and heroic quest across the universe.
The Hobbit is a very good example of a monomyth because the elements required to having the perfect quest are contained within The Hobbit. The plot of this glorious fantasy fits the `quest' pattern from the start, all the way to the conclusion. The characters enclosed with the words of this novel fit the model characters in every way. Additionally, the settings of this particular journey have something miraculous and charming about them. Along the way, Bilbo encountered new friends, wild beasts, heaps of danger, and temptation and gained wisdom from his experiences. Bilbo started out to seek the long lost treasure, and found out what the real treasures were: friendship, honesty, and trust. The Hobbit is a thrilling fantasy about a hobbit that goes on the most dangerous voyage of his life.
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