Study Guide

In The Hobbit, the crossing of the first threshold happens in the second part of the novel. Bilbo arises in the morning and discovers a note that lets him know that he must meet the dwarves at the Baywater Inn at 11 a.m. As of right now in the novel, Bilbo forsakes his home, his companions, and everything that he knows basically in light of the fact that Gandalf persuaded him to leave. As soon as he gets to the inn, the dwarves and Bilbo all embark on their adventure with no dithering. According to Joseph Campbell, "This is the point where the individual really crosses into the field of experience, leaving the known furthest reaches of his or her reality and wandering into an obscure and risky domain where the principles and breaking points are not known." Bilbo genuinely leaves his home and traveling across the first threshold just by being willing to meet the dwarves at the inn. This occasion is a vital venture in Bilbo's story on the grounds that he could have decided to stay at his home and experience his life like whatever other typical hobbit yet he picked the more unsafe way. Crossing the first threshold is an essential part of any hero’s journey.