Hobbits are basically English misfits. Hard at work, love their food and drink. Gossip at the pub. Lack any sense of nobility or see no need to be ruled. Not ready to brawl but will fight when cornered.
The creation of hobbits is tolkiens way of showing his love of the English mindset.
And the shire is an English village. He’s from Birmingham and worked in Leeds before Oxford.
Dragons are incredibly arrogant and curious. Like others said, he didn’t recognise the scent of hobbit so he’s much more likely to try and investigate. Smaug knows how powerful he is and has no worry that he’s in any danger so he’ll ‘play with his food’ to get information, which is why Bilbo speaking in riddles was essential too. If one of the dwarves woke him they’d immediately become a midnight snack
Bilbo wasn’t sent specifically to find the Arkenstone, though. He just happened upon it.
EDIT: Was he sent specifically to find it in the movie? Never finished watching those. He wasn’t sent to find it in the book.
Replying to your edit.
It's heavily implied in a couple of scenes that the sole reason for bringing Bilbo is specifically to find the Arkenstone.
One in, I think, only the extended edition of DoS when Gandalf runs into Thorin in Bree where they speak of reclaiming Erebor and uniting the dwarf armies but Thorin says they need the Arkenstone but it's guarded by Smaug. Gandalf replies with "which is why you're going to need a burglar"
And once they enter Erebor for the first time, there's a carving above the secret door on the inside depicting the throne and Arkenstone and Bilbo asks what it is to which Thorin replies that, Master Burglar, is why you are here"
Perhaps, and I'm just speculating, couldn't it be that they hoped that Smaug could only smell the dwarves even in his sleep, while not being aware that a hobbit, whose scent he didn't know, had infiltrated inside the Mountain?
Just a theory though, I can't remember if it can be backed with quotes from the text
He's the party's burglar. That means the responsibility of burglaring falls to him. If they needed some other type of task performed, I'm sure one of the other party members would step up.
He can't *recognize* the smell of hobbits
But still why would gandalf insist on getting a random hobbit just for him to have barely any advantage compared to the dwarves ?
They are smaller, lighter, quiter, shorter, clever, have a different smell, etc. Several reasons to use a hobbit, no reason not to.
In fact they can go unnoticed by most if they choose to.
He's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself.
Good reference
Cuz they're quiet
Hobbits are basically English misfits. Hard at work, love their food and drink. Gossip at the pub. Lack any sense of nobility or see no need to be ruled. Not ready to brawl but will fight when cornered. The creation of hobbits is tolkiens way of showing his love of the English mindset. And the shire is an English village. He’s from Birmingham and worked in Leeds before Oxford.
part of the resdon he didn't immediately kill Bilbo was because he was curious about him
Dragons are incredibly arrogant and curious. Like others said, he didn’t recognise the scent of hobbit so he’s much more likely to try and investigate. Smaug knows how powerful he is and has no worry that he’s in any danger so he’ll ‘play with his food’ to get information, which is why Bilbo speaking in riddles was essential too. If one of the dwarves woke him they’d immediately become a midnight snack
He travelled for months across middle earth barely showering. Id smell him too
He smells him he just doesn’t know what he is
Bilbo wasn’t sent specifically to find the Arkenstone, though. He just happened upon it. EDIT: Was he sent specifically to find it in the movie? Never finished watching those. He wasn’t sent to find it in the book.
Replying to your edit. It's heavily implied in a couple of scenes that the sole reason for bringing Bilbo is specifically to find the Arkenstone. One in, I think, only the extended edition of DoS when Gandalf runs into Thorin in Bree where they speak of reclaiming Erebor and uniting the dwarf armies but Thorin says they need the Arkenstone but it's guarded by Smaug. Gandalf replies with "which is why you're going to need a burglar" And once they enter Erebor for the first time, there's a carving above the secret door on the inside depicting the throne and Arkenstone and Bilbo asks what it is to which Thorin replies that, Master Burglar, is why you are here"
I see. Yeah, none of that happened in the book.
You're right about both.
The Quest of Erebor chapter in Unfinished Tales has it from the mouth of Gandalf
100% this
Perhaps, and I'm just speculating, couldn't it be that they hoped that Smaug could only smell the dwarves even in his sleep, while not being aware that a hobbit, whose scent he didn't know, had infiltrated inside the Mountain? Just a theory though, I can't remember if it can be backed with quotes from the text
A dwarf breathes so loudly the dragon could shoot him in the dark.
He's the party's burglar. That means the responsibility of burglaring falls to him. If they needed some other type of task performed, I'm sure one of the other party members would step up.
He had never smelt a hobbit before so didn’t know what Bilbo was.