Why Is Harry Potter Magical in Its Core - Essay Example

Why is Harry Potter Magical in its Core? Unknown to even Joanne Rowling, her fate was about to change when she decided to pen down the magic, arising inside her mind. Her first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was a rage among children as well as adults. On the release of its movie, it made £16 million in UK and $93.5 million in USA, easily breaking records of the previous blockbusters Titanic and Jurassic Park, making J. K. Rowling the highest-paid British woman outside the Royal family in 2000. In fact, Harry Potter became the most famous character in the existing world of literature. This story is all about an orphan boy, and unbeknown to him, he is a wizard and very popular in the world of Wizards and is admitted in the well-known magic academy, Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, whose ten years of life is surrounded in a tiny cupboard under stairs with the very detestable Dursleys and their nasty son Dudley, could never imagine a life full of magic, but all that is about to change when a letter comes through an owl messenger announcing his admission in the great Hogwarts. Once he makes his way into the school, he becomes aware about the reason for his fame – Lord Voldemort, the most feared wizard who is also referred as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”. However, the first novel of the whole series mostly shows Harry getting aware of the magic and making friends, nemesis and facing Voldemort for the first time, after getting cursed by him when he was just a baby. As the story evolves one can, to some extent, grasp the few agendas that the book seems to be outlining and those are the value of humility and friendship, the dangers of desire and the periodic need of rebellion. Regardless of his surrounding and the people he is dealing with, Harry’s respect and dignity for others is never lost on anyone. Even though he is just a kid, his values and thinking is that of an adult, usually a kid of his age is very naughty, lively, whiny and childlike, but after reading the book and watching the movie one cannot blame him for having any such traits. The value of humility in him can be judged at different turns in the book, for instance, in the academy he is uncomfortable with the popularity and when his potions teacher, professor Snape dubbed him as “our new celebrity” he gets embarrassed, similarly, when the teacher humiliates him on ignorance of herbs he remains silent, showing respect for the teacher. Interestingly, children often seems to enjoy and take advantage of being famous, but again this is not the case with harry, instead he stays humble and respectful with his newfound popularity maybe because for his first 10 years of life he knows what is like be humiliated and ignored, but when he goes to Hogwarts he receives respect and admiration, which he don’t want to lose by being a snob and disrespectful. Besides, he remains unassertive maybe because he knows that his being famous was on the expense of his parents’ death and he don’t wants to flaunt it. His basis for friendship seems to be building on human interaction, initially. We see that his first friend was Dudley and despite of his bullying, he was the only kid harry knew in his initial life. However, as he moves to Hogwarts he and Ron became fast friend because their personality complimented each other and albeit of Ron’s naivety and comic personality, Harry finds him to be loyal and brave and have a loving family, which he values the most. Furthermore, interaction between the boys and Hermione initially is little reluctant, but soon they are in process of bonding strongly, for example when all three of them are caught in the washroom with the troll, Hermione takes the blame for the pair so that they don’t get expelled in return gaining their friendship. Furthermore, towards the end of the book, in the chess game Ron puts his life in danger to help Harry find the philosopher’s stone. Not only this, but the step that Neville takes to stop the trio from entering the third room floor is very appreciable because it takes gut to stand up to your friends for their own sake. Friendship of this level is rare to find because at the end, for most people, it’s about “me” or “I”. Very sad but true. The curious nature of the threesome made them taste the dangers of their desire, which could have taken their lives, if not for the fact that they had to live to complete the series! For starter, Harry going to retrieve the philosopher’s stone even though professor McGonagall repeatedly told them that it was not a task for their doing, had him almost gotten killed. But all of this could be avoided if Harry had stick to his position and not followed Snape into the forbidden forest, in way encountering Professor Quirrell who made him think that Snape was going to steal the philosopher’s stone. Though Harry is the shown as quiet, sensible type of boy, we still can see a rebellious streak in him, for example, he accepts dual from Malfoy, Harry’s enemy, even Hermione again and again ask him not to do so because he would be breaking the school’s law and could end up getting expelled. In addition to this, he also follows Snape into the forest; even at the start of the year Professor Dumbledore restrict anyone to go over there, besides this, he again go to the third floor to face the dogs protecting the stone and retrieving it. Interestingly, the know-it-all and confident member of the triad is Hermione, she is the one who does not have a rebellious side or if there is, it is not shown in the book and movie. Although, his first 10 years of life is spent in despair, but entrance to Hogwarts make him more courageous and cherish loyalty, hope and love above all. To brief my thesis and its discussion, I could say that the above qualities existing in the characters are because of one common feeling, which is hope. To them that is everything and they want to hang on it for the rest of their lives no matter what happens and to carry out their feeling or dream they are ready to be rebellious, face risks or death, uncertainty and spread love, allegiance and trust at any cost, no matter if it is their lives. Read More