Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - Essay Example

Character Analysis: Harry Potter Harry Potter is the protagonist of the series written byJ.K. Rowling as a mythical hero who possesses many heroic traits or qualities. The first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, has been subjected to theoretical debate and discussions due to its intriguing storyline involving young kids as heroes (Heilman 289). It has gone through critical analysis due to its wide coverage, thus in this regard it becomes necessary to distinguish the heroic characters that have an impact on audiences. Harry Potter provides an example of modern day hero who exhibits characters featuring moral choices, determination, friendship, loyalty and overwhelming sense of truth among both, the good and the evil. In order to understand the context, it would be essential to examine the early journeys of Harry Potter and path which has led him to become one of the influential heroic characters of the series. Harry Potter is portrayed as an ordinary kid with extraordinary powers. Though, physically he was a skinny 11-year-old kid with rough black hair and a scar on his forehead but he possesses some powers that stood out from the rest of his friends and peers. For instance, when he was born, it is unknown how he was saved from Voldemort when he cursed and killed his parents. He became an orphan, who was badly stuck with Dursleys, his aunt family. He was well-known for being able to survive from “powerful evil curse” and this made him a celebrity in the world of wizard and was he popularly called as “The Boy Who lived” (Mulholland 145). Harry was known as a superstar or the celebrity among wizards and witches because they knew he possessed some extraordinary powers, and this is the reason why once McGonagall says to Dumbledore that, "Hell be famous – a legend – I would not be surprised if today were known as Harry Potter day in the future – there will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!" (Rowling 13). In other words, this shows that his heroic traits were very much evident in his personality. However, Harry possessed an extremely modest behavior as it seemed that he was oblivious of these facts. He was unaware of his extraordinary powers and was constantly worried about being able to fit in the school. One of his heroic powers was that he realized he was able to fly on the broomstick without much difficulty or being taught from school. It meant that he was naturally talented in this wizard sport, and this athletic ability was heroic and made him different from the rest. One of the other traits is that he shows courageous and bravery in his endeavors as he does not seem distorted or confused while dealing with enemies like Professor Quirell and animosity of Professor Snape (Kern 111). He continuously shows bravery that could not be matched with his friends or anybody else. One of the significant features of mythical hero character is that he should have the ability to stay committed to saving others from evil and harm. Moreover, he should possess a sense of belongingness and be committed to achieving their goals. Harry Potter possessed the same qualities as he was continuously showing the selflessness and was extremely loyal with friends. For him, friendship matters to him and he keeps on defending his friends though he never expects any praise in return. This fact was well-recognized by his friends and teachers. Dumbledore knew that Harry Potter would use the magical powers wisely and would not do any wrong doing with them and also knew that Harry had the wish to possess magic stone but would not use it to harm anyone. This ambition of holding the stone close was merely because he wanted to be sure that the stone would not be taken away by wrong people, and nobody could get harmed in any way. Likewise, Harry has a membership with Gryffindor that helped him develop a team spirit in school. He maintains good relations with his peers and does not boast of his talent at Quiditch even though he breaks all records. It is important to state that such qualities are only evident in personalities who are willing to put themselves at risks at the expense of others and can be referred as “heroic” because a hero is always selfless and risks his lives for others. Harry did the same as he battled with a troll to save the life of Hermione and got himself punished for this act. For Harry, being loyal to friends is just as important as being able to defeat a powerful and evil person like Voldemort that he did in the end (Mulholland 117). For many scholars, a hero is someone who is able to balance his life, is noble and willing to sacrifice himself to achieve a greater good in others. Thus, it can be said that even though Harry was an ordinary boy, not a Beowulf or legendary King but he is still seen bending his self to increase the good in others especially his friends to overcome evil circumstances and forces. Many advocates argue that the mere vision of a child hero who is leading a troubled world is a new concept because most of these expectations come from leaders in the older age group and not from young kids of age groups of ten or 11. Harry Potter went through extraordinary circumstances that made a survivor and a fighter who was continuously struggling to connect to goodness within him. He was not a wizard but a human, and his weapon was his intrinsic goodness which destines him to become a hero of the fantastical world of wizardry and non-wizardly (Mulholland 114). Harry Potter’s representation as a standard classic hero is evident because even though he had a neglected childhood and was denied the basic desires of life but after he had realized that it was upon him to defeat the villain of all time, he made all efforts to achieve the same and did not back down in any way. The purpose of such mythical heroic characters like Harry Potter is that it gives the readers a sense of hope. The theme of Harry uses a blend of good and evil. Harry undergoes a feeling of self-doubt for himself (Whited 106) when torn between self-worth and evil traits within him but soon realizes his true potential to perform amazing things despite the hurdles he encountered in his journeys. It can be said that when readers indulge in such stories of heroism and triumph they reach an understanding of their internal demons to cope in the difficult times with courage and bravery, and this makes such tales significant and classic. Harry Potter is one of the magical characters who teach people to deal with annoying persons just like he dealt with Collin Creevy by ignoring him (Mulholland 88). Though he is not equipped with super powers of flying but uses a broomstick and wand to reach his destination. After analyzing the character of Harry Potter, it can be concluded that the author of the book, J. K Rowling uses ancient mythology in the series, and this is depicted in the character of Harry Potter who makes the story significant. The idealized version of a hero is prominent in Harry’s personality which makes the reader undergo learning and adjustments. Moreover, the character implicitly follows a human journey where there are some imperfections like being a mediocre in studies so readers can relate to themselves and still be able to look at him as a hero. Works Cited Heilman, Elizabeth E. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. Kern, Edmund M. The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us About Moral Choices. New York: Prometheus Books, 2003. Print. Mulholland, Neil. The Psychology of Harry Potter: An Unauthorized Examination Of The Boy Who Lived. Dallas: BenBella Books, 2013. Print. Rowling, Joanne K. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. London: A&C Black, 2013. Print. Whited, Lana A. The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon. Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2002. Print. Read More