The Heroes of Great Literature

Have the heroes of literature gone far beyond the everyman’s reach? In a world which is filled with anti-heroes, Tolkien introduces the simple hobbit, who brings Romantic literature down to earth in a radically simple way. Exemplified by the figure of Samwise Gamgee, the hobbits are heroes who embody Mary’s Magnificat. Tolkien creates a new kind of hero: possessing all the old virtues without enjoying any of the advantages of the old order. The hobbit is therefore a more radically Christian hero than the medieval knight.