What is a hero? Who can live up to be “a hero”? We hear about it in books, in myths, and in real life, maybe we even look up to a hero. But have you ever thought about what it meant to be a hero? What redeeming qualities does a hero have? Heroes never accomplish the same things, and sometimes their situations and ages are very different. One such example would be Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games”, compared to Bilbo Baggins from “The Hobbit”. Both these characters are heroes, but in what sense? That is my question; “What are the similarities and differences between these two heroes, and what general conclusion can we draw from it?” Throughout this essay, I will be observing the similarities, the differences, and the character development…show more content… Obviously, their situation, their age, and their gender were different. Katniss was spontaneous, and willing to offer her help to her sister. She would go through a lot to protect those who were important to her. Katniss was very different from Bilbo, as when she agreed to go on her “quest”, she had accepted that she would most likely die (a sign of courage and bravery). Katniss is bright and stubborn, as well as having an attitude to those she disagreed with. “I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do that there is a part of every tribute they can’t own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I.” She was well known to her community as a rebel. Bilbo, on the other hand, is very calm and accustomed to a peaceful life without much hassle. He did not want to leave his house for any reason other than to do his daily activities. His quest had a high risk as well, but he had allies he could trust, unlike Katniss, who was surrounded by her enemies, and enemies only. Bilbo is a follower, not a leader because he can be cowardly and shy. Though he acquires and establishes strong leadership skills, he started out reluctant and uneasy. At the start of the novel, Bilbo had a solid reputation with his community as a Baggins, but by the time he returned to his…show more content… Bilbo’s character development changed him into a completely new person (the “Tookish side”). Through each ordeal, he became stronger than he was before, and gained more heroic qualities. After each adversity/test, he became more intelligent, sharper witted, and a better leader. Though the first few challenges were very tough on him, and only helped him become more independent, he soon started gaining important skills, such as leadership, courage, and smarts. When he encountered the Gollum, he learned how to stall for time and how to talk to threats. He used word play on the Gollum to confuse it, for example when he realized that “What have I got in my pocket?” confused the Gollum. He became very independent on the outside after the goblins and the spiders, and his reputation amongst the dwarves grew. He now regarded himself as useful and brave, whereas before all he wanted was to go home. Katniss’ character development changed her into a conscious, cold person, as well as being more insightful on the struggles of others. She saw that it was not only her district that suffered from the Capitol, and she saw the pain of losing people she loved. She became aware of how the Capitol stripped resources from the agricultural and mining districts, and pampered the luxury districts. In turn, this fuelled