Hobbits

Was reading about how Guillermo del Toro was looking at Tolkien’s World War I experiences because he thought they would give insight into “The Hobbit.” It seems clear to me that, just as “The Lord of the Rings” is a full-on Crisis story, “The Hobbit” is very much a Third Turning story. Bilbo Baggins may be a reluctant adventurer, but an adventure is what he has - one in pursuit of treasure, no less. His only companions are the dwarves who have hired him, not as a hero but as a “burglar.” (One could say that is the primary skill of Indiana Jones, as well.) He returns to Bag End with his weapon Sting, a suit of mithril-mail, and settles down with his well-earned riches into the habits of a modest gentleman. 

By comparison, Frodo is immediately aware of the significant danger of his quest, making him even less interested in heroics for their own sake. His departure is with friends Merry, Pippin and Sam, a group that eventually joins the Fellowship that adds five other traveling companions. Before the quest is complete, war has enveloped the entire land. (Compare this with the “Battle” that ends the Hobbit: while intense, it affects a comparatively tiny region of Middle-Earth.)  Fighting ends only when the destruction of the Ring ensures that victory is complete and absolute - and incidentally changes the world irrevocably. Even the Shire has to play its part, being ravaged by Sharkey before it is Scoured and rebuilt. Unlike Bilbo’s relaxed retirement, Frodo is unable to leave behind the travails he endured, at least not until he sails completely away from the land where they occurred.