Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The Jungian Hobbit: Bilbo’s Individuation Process in the Archetypal Hero Story The Hobbit

Brandt, Pontus LU (2018) ENGK01 20181
English Studies
Abstract
Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, is best known for his theories of the archetypes, which are universal and archaic images that are nestled deep inside the part of the psyche that Jung coined the ‘collective unconscious.’ These can be found in art, such as literature, and be extracted and analyzed. The hero’s journey, which is a story that has been told since the birth of literature, revolves around a hero who undergoes transformation during an adventure. This essay examines Bilbo, the protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, who, develops through trials and tribulations and comes out at the other end of his adventure as a different man. This essay investigates how Bilbo’s maturation can be understood in terms of Jung’s individuation... (More)
Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, is best known for his theories of the archetypes, which are universal and archaic images that are nestled deep inside the part of the psyche that Jung coined the ‘collective unconscious.’ These can be found in art, such as literature, and be extracted and analyzed. The hero’s journey, which is a story that has been told since the birth of literature, revolves around a hero who undergoes transformation during an adventure. This essay examines Bilbo, the protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, who, develops through trials and tribulations and comes out at the other end of his adventure as a different man. This essay investigates how Bilbo’s maturation can be understood in terms of Jung’s individuation process, concluding that for Bilbo to become the hero he is meant to be, he needs to be courageous, take responsibility and be able to sacrifice himself for the greater good. By integrating his own shadow and by confronting the dragon, he eventually reaches psychological integration and wholeness, as he releases his ‘Tookish’ side – his anima – from captivity and thereby gains the “the treasure hard to attain” – representing the archetype of the self. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Brandt, Pontus LU
supervisor
organization
course
ENGK01 20181
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Archetypes, Carl Jung, The Hobbit.
language
English
id
8948668
date added to LUP
2018-06-13 09:26:36
date last changed
2018-06-13 09:26:36
@misc{8948668,
  abstract     = {{Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, is best known for his theories of the archetypes, which are universal and archaic images that are nestled deep inside the part of the psyche that Jung coined the ‘collective unconscious.’ These can be found in art, such as literature, and be extracted and analyzed. The hero’s journey, which is a story that has been told since the birth of literature, revolves around a hero who undergoes transformation during an adventure. This essay examines Bilbo, the protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, who, develops through trials and tribulations and comes out at the other end of his adventure as a different man. This essay investigates how Bilbo’s maturation can be understood in terms of Jung’s individuation process, concluding that for Bilbo to become the hero he is meant to be, he needs to be courageous, take responsibility and be able to sacrifice himself for the greater good. By integrating his own shadow and by confronting the dragon, he eventually reaches psychological integration and wholeness, as he releases his ‘Tookish’ side – his anima – from captivity and thereby gains the “the treasure hard to attain” – representing the archetype of the self.}},
  author       = {{Brandt, Pontus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Jungian Hobbit: Bilbo’s Individuation Process in the Archetypal Hero Story The Hobbit}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}