Bilbo or Frodo?

[PiRaTeGiRl]

In the Hobbit we find the not very young, but not old hobbit, called Bilbo. He likes to smoke his pipe, to travel and just to live in his cozy hole.

Frodo is young, quite, with a true and noble spirit.

Who do you think is the best as the young hero of the book?

I think Bilbo is like a more realistic hobbit, that just leaves his home, without his desire and becomes a hero. Frodo he is a hobbit, but he doesn't care to leave the Shire to follow Bilbo on his journey. I like Frodo, he is a very interesting person in his spirit in his desires. I really feel his way of thinking and I can understand him.

[Emmie]

I also like Frodo's character more. Bilbo does have his "tookish moments", but he seems much more... comfort-loving, I guess. A lot of the situations in The Hobbit seemed to be thrust on him without his consent, while Frodo played a more active role in his quest and knew what he was getting into.

Not that Bilbo was a bad character or anything - they're both very good. And part of the difference might not be the characters so much as the style of the books themselves. Bilbo's adventure in The Hobbit is of a much smaller scale and the book had more of a "fairytale" feeling to it.

[jimmyboy]

Well, in Tolkien's LOTR, it's about eighteen years between the time Bilbo leaves Bag End permanently, and the time Frodo leaves. Frodo is fifty-something when he leaves the Shire for Rivendell, not twenty-ish as in the movie. And Bilbo was eleventy-one when he left, so he was fifty-ish when he went there and back again, since it was about sixty years between that and Frodo leaving for Rivendell. So I'd say they're both about the same age when their adventures happened.

Both of them, before they left on their respective journeys, were reluctant to leave. They were both content to stay in the Shire. But they both did have a more adventurous side, which Gandalf suspected, and which just had to be awakened. :cool: Although in Frodo's case, he HAD to leave. There was no real choice because he got stuck with Bilbo's ring, and the fate of the world was hanging on what happened to that infernal thing.

But as for which one do I prefer? I don't know that I can say. They're both good characters, and I remember when I started reading FOTR for the first time, after reading the Hobbit and it being my favorite book to that point, I was kinda bummed because the main character was some Frodo, not my beloved Bilbo! But now, I think I like Frodo more, overall. He's more personable and, well, for lack of a better way to say it, level-headed.

[PiRaTeGiRl]

Yeah, thats right, but still I prefer Frodo. I believe he made the choice to leave the Shire, he could give the ring be he WANTED to leave, after when Bilbo went to his journey. He couldn't stay home or just go to the same places.

[MithrilBox]

I like both characters, I dont think I could pick between them. I don't know, at the moment I'm really liking Bilbo, probably because I've been going through the book again and I'm excited about the Hobbit movies. :D

[Lanyare]

Hehe, truth be told, my favourite characters aren't any of the Hobbits... So what am I doing here, eh? :p

Not sure if I'd be able to choose between Frodo and Bilbo... As opposed to the general feeling in this thread, though, I feel Bilbo was the more adventurous of the two. It really didn't take much to convince him to leave with those Dwarves. It more or less happened in the spur of the moment, you could say.

Frodo, while always having dreamt of adventures as a consequence of listening to Bilbo's stories, only left because he felt he did not have another choice, because he felt responsable. He fairly quickly found himself not liking adventures as much as he always thought he would.

[Emmie]

Good point, Lanyare. Frodo's journey ends up seeming more epic - to me, at least - but that's more because of Tolkien's writing style than the characters themselves.

my favourite characters aren't any of the Hobbits
We should start a favorite elf thread. :) (Or dwarf/wizard/human/ent/whatever.)

[Lanyare]

Aye, Frodo's tale is definitely more epic, because it's more elaborate and written in an entirely different style. Frodo does feel very different towards his adventure, compared to Bilbo...

I don't remember very well if this is also said in the book versions, but when Bilbo leaves the Shire, he is talking to Gandalf about not asking Frodo to go with him, because he's still in love with the Shire. I saw this mentioned in another thread here, and it is exactly what I mean.

Lol... Favourite Elves/Humans or whatever thread eh? In my case, Aragorn is my favourite. Or rather, Strider, actually. He's really the type of character I always end up favouritising in any movie or novel: the slightly mysterious, rugged but noble, type of guy.

[Sowen]

I will tell you when I see the actor playing Bolbo^^;)

but after little moment of thinking, I would firstly ask not which one is better but what the other would do if he was in reversed situation (mostly what Biblo would do on Frodos place...as Bilbo adventure was anyway less serious than Frodo one) then probably would be easier jugde them...

[Lanyare]

Hmm, somehow, I think Frodo would not have actually left, had he been in Bilbo's place. That would also have meant he wouldn't have grown up on Bilbo's stories, and I think those had a great influence on the kind of Hobbit Frodo came to be. If not for having had Bilbo as his uncle, I think Frodo would have stuck to just dreaming about adventures, not going off on one.

[fcwedd]

I grew up on the Hobbit. Bilbo is way cooler IMO :)

[Jolly Cotton]

Well it's hard to compare the two. I prerfer Frodo- but that's only because Frodo's quest was much more perilous and dangerous. In compasision, Bilbo & the dwarfs quest to regain their treasure, is a a much easier affair.

In terms of personality they both are very similar- brave, loyal, strong love to food & comfort- so it's is hard to pick a favourite!

[shaunr1981]

Yeah I have to go with Frodo being my favorite.

[TheAxe]

Bilbo all the way!!

[itd]

Frodo is still my favorite, sorry :)

[mrgeorge]

nice information awsm thread

[JimWills]

I also like Frodo's character more. Bilbo does have his "tookish moments", but he seems much more... comfort-loving, I guess. A lot of the situations in The Hobbit seemed to be thrust on him without his consent, while Frodo played a more active role in his quest and knew what he was getting into.

Not that Bilbo was a bad character or anything - they're both very good. And part of the difference might not be the characters so much as the style of the books themselves. Bilbo's adventure in The Hobbit is of a much smaller scale and the book had more of a "fairytale" feeling to it.