Responding to quotes -- The Hobbit

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”  That thought is Christopher Reeve's interpretation of what a hero is.  And I believe that what he states is true, although, not always applicable.  Especially in the case of Bilbo Baggins from “The Hobbit”.  You could however, view him as a normal “hero-type” person, and this holds true for a lot of the book.   But, Bilbo has a dark side, he often resorted to stealing, and these events where not far and few apart.  For example, when stealing the ring of power from Gollum : “Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!”  Or, when he goes about, stealing from the elves in the forest : “He was hungry too outside, for he was no hunter; but inside the caves he could pick a living of some sort by stealing food from the store or table when no one was around.”  But a lot of these incidences where necessary for his survival, and for the continued progression of the book.  So in a way, you could consider his habit of stealing as finding the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.  But Bilbo is, in my opinion, a mixed bag in the sense that he can resemble the typical hero; but his dark side also makes him look like an anti-hero, or at least someone you wouldn't expect to be a hero.