Viewers or readers of "The Hobbit" might assume the wizard Gandalf or the dwarfish leader Thorin are the adventurers' only leaders, but as the tale progresses, it's the meek, reluctant Bilbo Baggins who emerges as the true hero, Doug Guthrie writes. "Ultimately Bilbo rises to the occasion, despite the fact that his colleagues don’t always think he's up to it," Guthrie writes.