When you look at different literary genres, the one common theme they all have is the sense of a journey or quest. The protagonist goes through a mental and emotional journey where he rediscovers himself, or an epic quest filled with adventure and fast-paced action. Often we see both attributes used by the author. The quest is very important throughout the story because it creates a change in the main character. While reading 'The Hobbit' by JRR Tolkien and 'The Last Unicorn' by Peter S Beagle, I discovered that although the two had very different plots, the journey that the Unicorn and Bilbo shared was very similar in many ways . The Unicorn's journey was fueled by wanting to feel a sense of friendship and nostalgia. Bilbo's journey was quite different, as it involved a lot more action and was fueled by the Dwarves' vengeance and thirst to get their gold back. Despite this, they both go through an emotional journey in which they see themselves change immensely, they both have to go through many physical trials to complete their quest, and they both changed after their respective quests and struggled to move on. adapt for life. As David Mitchell once said, “There is no journey that doesn’t change you.” Throughout both stories, the two protagonists go through an emotional journey. For Bilbo, his idea of ​​a utopia at the beginning of the story was that home is the best place and there is no reason to leave it unless you have to. As his experiences with the dwarves put him in dangerous situations, he discovers his Tookish side and discovers his hidden love for adventure. In the first two pages of the book, Bilbo asks Gandalf if he is sure he will come... middle of paper...... onment which is his house. As for the Unicorn, she knows nothing other than the comfort of her forest at the beginning of the novel. She lives an innocent creature, without even knowing how long she has actually lived. Her worldview eventually changes when she becomes human and, unfortunately for her, she incorporates the feelings of love and regret she developed as a human into her life as a Unicorn. Ultimately, not only do the two characters become complete opposites of who they started out as, but the stories can also capture different senses of fantasy (The Last Unicorn being much more of a fairy tale in its approach), but the progression of both stories shows that ultimately, as Rainer Maria Wilke rightly said, “The only journey is the one within.” Works Cited The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien http://benpeek.livejournal.com/864376.html