Tosolt 1

Grant Tosolt
Professor Malpass
English 102
18 April 2024
The Hobbit- A Structural Masterpiece

The Hobbit and the wider Lord of the Rings series has become one of the most successful

franchises ever with over 300 million books sold (Curcic), and well over five billion dollars

generated from the two trilogies of movies (Statista). The stories that Tolkien told are both

captivating and entertaining, but a talking point that is often overlooked amongst all the pomp

and circumstance is the technical structure of the book that spawned this vast universe. The

Hobbit was Tolkien’s first book in the Middle Earth setting and was released in 1937. The Hobbit

has held a controversial position in literary canon because many people question the legitimacy

and necessity of the fantasy genre in academia. One aspect of this debate that is often overlooked

though, is that regardless of genre, The Hobbit belongs in the literary canon simply because of

the way it is structured; as it is a prime example of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth.

Joseph Campbell was an American writer and a

professor at the University of Sarah Lawrence college.

Campbell focused his studies on medieval literature and

specialized in mythology. Through his research on myths

from a variety of different cultures, he created the theory of

the monomyth, in other words, the Hero’s Journey.

Campbell noticed a pattern that spread across seemingly

Figure 1. Photograph of Joseph Campbell
disconnected stories written in different cultures and

published sometimes decades apart. Through his research, Campbell noticed that a “hero” or
 Tosolt 2

main protagonist goes through a similar growth or evolution. He took this pattern and divided it

into 17 steps that seemingly all heroes in literature go through, and published this theory in 1949

(Allison and Goethals). Over the decades, this has become a respected model in literature and is

taught to students in schools at various levels, from middle school to college. Having a book that

perfectly represents all 17 steps in the monomyth greatly benefits the literary canon. The literary

canon is supposed to represent the best of

literature and contains books that are invaluable

education resources. The Hobbit does both, it is

invaluable in the education of the hero’s journey

and started a boom in fantastical heroic journeys

like no other book in any other genre.

Modern companies like Disney have

shortened the journey to 12 steps (The Art Of Figure 2. Diagram depicting Campbell’s Monomyth

Narrative). Despite this, it is still important to know where the origins of the monomyth came

from and have a representation of the entirety of the journey. It may seem incredulous that an

author can go out of his way to meticulously include a 17-step outline and still create a cohesive

story, yet The Hobbit succeeds in this and you can see it from the beginning. Within the first 10

pages the main character, Bilbo Baggins, completes the first two steps in the monomyth, “Call to

Adventure” and “Refusal of the Call”. The first step consists of the protagonist being tasked with

an adventure by another character, which occurs when Gandalf approaches Bilbo saying “I am

looking for someone to share an adventure…it’s very difficult to find someone” (Tolkien 6-7).

The second stage is met within the same conversation when Bilbo responds, “I should think so…

we are plain quiet folk” (Tolkien 7). Tolkien establishes the pattern of the monomyth very
 Tosolt 3

quickly, which is part of the reason why this book in particular is such a prime example of the

monomyth. Occurrences in this story strongly match the pattern from the beginning through the

very end.

Tolkien continues with the trend of the Hero’s Journey through the middle of the story as

well, as Bilbo begins his journey with the dwarves and enters the sixth stage: the Road Of Trials.

This stage in the monomyth is not a single event, but rather can be a series of occurrences as the

hero goes through several obstacles. Throughout the story, Bilbo encounters and has to overcome

trolls, goblins, spiders, and Golem’s game of riddles. These obstacles help Bilbo grow as both a

person and a hero. He forges friendships with his companions, while also learning valuable skills

on how to deal with conflicts and overcome challenges.

The 17 stages are completed in the final chapter when Bilbo reaches the 16th stage,

“Master of Two Worlds” and the 17th stage, “Freedom to Live”. To attain the Master of Two

Worlds stage ,the protagonist has to return home, and when they arrive they realize that they are

not the same. They can live in their old life but still realize they have grown and gained new

skills. This occurs when Bilbo returns and realizes “ He was… held by all the hobbits.. to be

queer” (Tolkien 327). Bilbo has to face the fact that the rest of the hobbits are still a secluded

people and mistrust the new species Bilbo has made friends with, i.e. the elves, dwarves, and

men. At the same time, Bilbo does not let their thoughts influence his new relationships or his

happiness, making him a master of two worlds. The final stage of Freedom to Live consists of

the story ending with the hero successful and living a happy life. At the end of The Hobbit, Bilbo

successfully helped the dwarves reclaim their home and forged other connections with the wider

world, finally completing the monomyth.

 Tosolt 4

The Hobbit has earned its place in the literary canon because it is a prime example of

Campbell’s monomyth. Campbells monomyth is a theory in the world of literature that is very

well respected and valued in the education of students. Despite the story being fantastical and

meant for enjoyment, it can be used in an academic setting. The Hobbit’s position in the canon

will hopefully open the floodgates, allowing more books from the genre to be added as well.

Tolkien’s story proves that the fantasy genre can be critical to education while still being

outlandish and enjoyable through his use of Campbell’s monomyth.

Bibliography
Allison, S and G Goethals. "Joseph Campbell: The Man Who Wrote The Book on Heroes." 13 June
2012. Richmond. <https://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2012/06/13/joseph-campbell-the-
man-who-wrote-the-book-on-heroes/>.

Curcic, D. "Fantasy Book Sales Statistics." 2 October 2022. Wordsrated.

"Diagram Depicting Campbells Monomyth." n.d.

<https://www.yourheroicjourney.com/downloads/campbells-monomyth-the-quest-of-the-
transcendent-hero/>.

"Photograph of Jospeh Campbell." n.d. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Campbell-

American-author>.

Statista. August 2017. <https://www.statista.com/statistics/323463/lord-of-the-rings-films-

production-costs-box-office-revenue/>.

The Art Of Narrative. 5 June 2020. <https://artofnarrative.com/2020/06/05/a-complete-guide-to-

the-heros-journey-or-the-monomyth/>.