In the womb and out again…and again…and again

This is hopefully spoiler free for those not familiar but I'm very, very unsure of who is who isn't familiar with the entirety of the story or it's little details.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…that means comfort"

We are introduced to Bilbo as a very plain hobbit who lives in a relaxed hole and then cue the wonder wizard that is Gandalf. Then, we sea Bilbo carried out of his hole by the sudden prospect of adventure and a life beyond what he has in Hobbiton.

"They came on a big door of stone leading to a cave…"

Right before this scene an encounter with a few unsavory trolls occurs and we see Bilbo in his first attempt at burglary and also, maybe, bravery. Then immediately after he provides a key for the unlocking of a new hole, or cave in this instance, that lends him a new weapon and possibly a measure of evolution to his character.

"We have found a dry cave…"

Well as we know, hopefully, this cave is not as safe as it is first implied. They are captured and Bilbo is sent tumbling down into another cave as he explores and tried to find a way out of the newly found goblin realm. Now, he dips down into Gollum's lair. This is almost an inception event here where there is a cave within a cave. Here Bilbo finds his "courage" and he also find the ring. This is all pivotal for the development that he goes through as a character.

I might be able to elaborate some on the forest of Mirkwood as a cave but I chose to skip right to the elves caves.

"He ordered the dwarves each to be put in separate cell and to be given food and drink…"

Here Bilbo goes through and independently, for the second time, saves the dwarves and gets them free with some mildly creative genius and a few wine drunk elves. This is another layer of development in that he begins to think more and more independently as an adventurer and is continuing to develop his own independence.

Lastly, but most importantly we have the Lonely Mountain.

Bilbo enters here and talks with a dragon, steals the Arken Stone, and escapes from the vengeful hands of a very angry King Under the Mountain. This is one of the final stages of his development and I think that in this phase he finally comes into his own and decides to go against the dwarves and do what he thinks is right.

I have rushed the outline of this development but this is just something to think about as you read through his development through the book and something weird about caves, Plato, and rebirth.