This is hardly a unique objection and I happily apply it to other series such as The Lord of the Rings, which many Christians praise (which I think might be more dangerous because it is so often blindly accepted and supported by Christians that very few of them read it with any level of criticism). It’s a fairly simple story arc, but the intricate web of plots and subplots grips the reader’s attention. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Script (2004) 4. Reading the final book of the Harry Potter series was one of my holiday activities this summer. It is not practiced by any of the main characters, but it is referred to several times as a means of determining the future. Was he doomed to be evil from birth, or could he have become a better person had he believed there was someone who actually cared about him? He registers Snape's desperation in saying that he would give, A more minor point concerns Dumbledore's treatment of Gryffindor (at least while Harry was there) and whether it counted as favouritism. Did Snape actually like, Do the movies change anything? Careful readers may note that I’ve frequently referred to the seventh volume of the series in exploring these issues; however, these ideas are developed throughout the series as a whole. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Draco has abundant opportunities to injure Harry but he can’t bring himself to really injure Harry. There is honestly no moral difference between the magic in “Harry Potter” and the powers possessed by Superman or Spider-Man. dismiss everyone else's problems as unimportant. Did she really understand Harry, or was she, On a somewhat Meta level, some readers have argued Ginny gets too much, The Weasley twins: Are they good-natured pranksters who target people who deserve what's coming to them? After the rift, the others seemed to only express anger at him for leaving, but never sadness or regret; from all this, some fans suggest that Percy had every right to leave, given that he was clearly. On a less complex level, love also repeatedly motivates acts of self-sacrifice on the parts of the main characters. When Harry is only fifteen months old, Lord Voldemort murders his parents. This dark desire leads him down the path of villainy, transforming him from a disturbed orphan boy into the living incarnation of evil. It's nominally the house of courage and chivalry, but some fans see it more as a house full of, Ravenclaw is the house for smart people, but how smart are Ravenclaws really? Valid concerns have also been raised regarding the darkness and violence of the series, especially the later books. OVERALL VERDICT: 9.5/10 Weigh in on the scripts yourself with a collection of Harry Potter’s previous movie scripts: 1. he mostly took advantage of Voldemort's inability to, Although anyone with experience with goalkeeping in a real sport will tell you that what Harry did is the most plausible explanation yet discovered for why keepers suddenly just have games like that. This past summer, I took the time to revisit the series from a more critical standpoint. Death in Potter. Is there something that she's missing, or is the Wizarding World — which has. Some paint them as rather boring, academic, and exclusionary. I know numerous people that will read the entire series (all 7 books) multiple times a year. A young-adult series for the ages. Each of these deserves thorough evaluation. However, considering that the franchise has almost run its course, and sentiments have cooled somewhat, I feel it’s time to take an in-depth look at some of the themes and worldview elements in this oft-disputed series. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Sadly, most Christians who criticize the books focus on the larger instrumental magic and ignore the real parts. In 1995, Harry and Ron had to keep a dream diary for a month as a part of their Divination homework because neither of them could remember or want to discuss their dreams. In the closing pages of Book 6, Snape appears to be allied with Voldemort, lending credence to Harry’s longtime suspicions. As a Christian, I choose to recognize that the “Harry Potter” series may be a modern “altar to an unknown God” – a means by which we can share our faith with the world. Neither of them took this serious enough, and wrote down made up dreams, most of which are tragic events of themselves, due to Trelawney's liking of predicting Harry's death. This subplot is one of the most moving elements of the entire series. Dumbledore sharply critiques this empty attitude towards life: “As much money and life as you could want! Five years ago, I began reading the series suspiciously, expecting to encounter a barrage of subversive, anti-Christian propaganda. Of house-elves and children’s tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. He chooses to lay down his own life to end the evil caused by another. This may have contributed to his clashes with his fellow Gryffindors. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. The second time around, I was specifically looking for themes – and more specifically, I intended to write this commentary. But for Harry, death isn’t the end. I do agree with you that the majority of the magic in the series is not like real magic. Thanks JK Rowling. Snape, a longtime admirer of Lily (Harry’s mother), was forced to watch as she married a man Snape deemed reckless and immature. Many Death Eaters don't exactly share in Voldemort's fervour to, Draco Malfoy's most popular interpretation, Did she truly support the Death Eaters when they took over, or did she just go along with them to save her own bacon? To complete the Christ metaphor, Harry is resurrected from the dead, defeats Voldemort once and for all, and saves the magical world. One alternative interpretation is that since the guy she, In general, Harry practically idolizes him and sees him as, Dumbledore is gay which was heavily implied in the last book but only ever confirmed via, Rita Skeeter was known for scathing and notoriously false reporting, but she may have inadvertently hit upon a nugget of truth in her postmortem reporting on Dumbledore's formative years and how much influence they held on who Dumbledore eventually became. She was found out because Hermione secretly cast a spell that would give away any snitches - by effectively disfiguring their face. To offer some background, Professor Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School, and fulfills the role of a father to Harry. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/Nervous_Witch_20.png, Harry Potter and the Literary Analysis « The Oak Dialogues. As Dumbledore puts it: “It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.”. She’s also described as looking like she constantly has dung under her nose, but that might just be Harry’s, um, unique interpretation.