In what seemed the blink of an eye, it was the summer of 2007, and one dark night I gave my tall, lanky sixteen-year old Blake a ride over to Barnes and Noble to attend a midnight celebration and buy the seventh and last volume in the Harry Potter series. As a confirmed bibliophile, it made my heart leap with joy to see a couple of hundred kids standing in line in the middle of the night to buy a book! J.K. Rowling has helped bring reading back to the video game generation, and for this mothers and fathers everywhere will be forever grateful. Children, like Blake, whose entire reading lives have been ‘bookended’ by these novels, felt a great sense of sadness as they reached the last volume. “I can hardly stand to begin,” Blake explained when I asked about the first chapter, “because this is the last Potter book I will ever look forward to reading.”
Synopsis
The seven novels of the Harry Potter series were conceived as one story, and follow the seven years between Harry’s eleventh and eighteenth birthdays. Harry, the orphaned son of James and Lily Potter, knows he is not like other children but doesn’t know why. The despicable Dursley’s, Harry’s only living relatives who are raising him, understand the secret that makes him unique. As a result, they distrust and dislike him, and force him to live in a cupboard under the stairs. In a series of remarkable events Harry learns that he is descended from witches, and has the right to attend Hogwarts, the legendary boarding school for those with magical powers. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, becomes mentor and second father to Harry. On his first day he meets Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and this threesome becomes the center of the narrative, as they brave one adventure after another. Harry is a boy of promise, the miraculous survivor of an attack by the evil Voldemort. The seven volumes follow Harry’s development from frightened, bitter child to a hero of strength and courage. The novels end with the defeat of Voldemort and the marriage of Ron and Hermione, with Harry finding love and peace at last with Ginny, Ron’s sister.
What Makes it Great?
There are some good reasons why Harry Potter has bewitched a generation of readers and their parents. First and foremost is the writing, for J.K. Rowling has a wonderful talent for telling a tale. She is funny without being silly and never maudlin. Her characters, from the disgusting Dursleys to the loveable giant Hagrid to the sage Dumbledore, come to life as distinct individuals. Rowling has the Dickensian knack of marking characters with identifying patterns of speech and mannerisms that keep them separate and memorable, even with a long wait between volumes. Harry Potter himself is as endearing a character as I have ever encountered in literature, and he has the complexity of personality to carry the series without exhausting our interest. Like David Copperfield or Huck Finn, we want to spend time with Harry, to watch him grow and learn, and even to watch him make mistakes. A creation like that is rare in literature, and always an event to be celebrated.
Beyond good writing, Rowling has tapped into a powerful medium in Harry Potter, one that was also understood by George Lucas when he created the Star Wars series; the mythological element in the stories has a magnetic effect on children. The first chapter of the first volume is titled, “The Boy Who Lived.” That remarkable title alone illustrates the subtle genius at work in these books. Without reading a word of the chapter we know we will meet a boy of destiny, someone whose life has been threatened and who, for some special reason, has survived. This story of a chosen, orphaned child raised in the home of his comically stupid and stubborn relatives combines humor and pathos in a way that completely engages the emotions of both parents and children right from the start. Then, when Harry goes to Hogwarts’ school for wizards, the intellect and the imagination become involved as well, for the place is full of mysteries and riddles, literary allusions and magical illusions. It is no wonder that millions are entranced by Harry’s world. It is so much more interesting than our own!
Though every volume of the Potter series cannot qualify as a “great book,” the first and last volumes are, in my opinion, two of the greatest examples of children’s literature in print. The last volume does a remarkable job of tying up hundreds of loose ends left dangling throughout the series. Rowling has described her saga as one great novel in seven parts, a story that she envisioned as a whole and which has always been moving in a definite direction. This story did not evolve randomly; it is a complete creation of a gifted author, and this is obvious in the final segment. Though she lacks the artistry of a Dickens or the subtlety of Twain, Rowling possesses something special as an author; she instinctively understands the need of a child in this media-saturated age to wonder, to imagine, and to believe in an unseen world. She speaks to that need with compassion and style.
But, though endlessly fascinating, Harry’s world is, after all, a world of witchcraft. Many people are understandably wary of the occult, and others are nervous about scaring young children unnecessarily. Should we be reading to our children about werewolves and wizards? Will years of obsession with Harry Potter corrupt children in some way, or give them a skewed take on reality? Some thoughts about the function of fairy tales and fantastic fables may be helpful as we reflect on the effect of this series on the lives of our children.
Did you Know?
Several publishers rejected the first Harry Potter manuscript saying it was too long and literary, but Bloomsbury Publisher finally accepted it in 1996. The book’s publisher suggested Rowling use the name “J. K.” rather than her real name “Joanne Rowling” to appeal to male readers. As of 2008, Harry Potter books have sold over 400 million copies and have been translated into 67 languages. Rowling is the first person to become a billionaire by writing books.
Once Upon a Time
Many years ago, as I was beginning to raise our five children, I began for the first time to pay attention to the rather alarming nature of fairy tales. Like many parents I was concerned about which types of books and programs to share with small children, and, convinced that peace in the world must begin in the home, I vowed that there would be no toy guns in the house and no violent programs on our television. (This was, of course, before I learned that children could make weapons out of anything, from paper clips to celery sticks.) As I began to read stories to my children, the violent content of nearly every traditional fairy tale and legend alarmed me, and I wondered why parents everywhere were telling and reading stories about wicked witches, villainous step-parents, ghouls, goblins, etc. It seemed bizarre!
I found some insight into this question in the landmark work titled The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, by the child psychologist, Bruno Bettelheim. He asserts that violent, frightening tales that include magic and mystery are not harmful to children, but instead allow them to experience, in a manageable form, the terrors and confusion of real life, while enjoying a triumphant resolution to conflict through the actions of the hero of the tale. Even critics of Rowling’s series would admit that her books fit his description of the ideal children’s story:
“For a story truly to hold the child’s attention, it must entertain him and arouse his curiosity. But to enrich his life, it must stimulate his imagination; help him to develop his intellect and to clarify his emotions; be attuned to his anxieties and aspirations; give full recognition to his difficulties, while at the same time relate to all aspects of his personality—and this without ever belittling but, on the contrary, giving full credence to the seriousness of the child’s predicaments, while simultaneously promoting confidence in himself and in his future.” (The Uses of Enchantment, p. 5)
Harry Potter—weak, orphaned, and rather nerdy—is a hero to whom every child can relate. By placing Harry in a parallel universe with different rules, Rowling is free to explore the challenge of behaving morally in a foreign environment. This is, of course, the challenge faced by every child, since the adult world is a foreign place where the child must learn to survive and hopefully to thrive. Like Travers’s Mary Poppins and Dahl’s Willy Wonka, the saintly wizard Dumbledore teaches child
ren to behave better than the adults around them through a magical perspective on life. Without the element of magic the fairy tale becomes just another story. It is the magical element that brings the tale into a deeper realm of the imagination. In a magical world there may be evil, but there is also power available to overcome that evil. This is the reason why, though they are frightening, little children beg to hear these stories. It is because they are frightening that they are also empowering.
C.S. Lewis understood this principle and used it to create his wonderful series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis was writing a Christian allegory for children, and for this reason it would seem that people of faith would approve of the Chronicles, but this is not the case. Because the books are full of witches and magical creatures, orthodox Christians who fear any mention of such matters reject them, along with The Wizard of Oz, T.H. White’s The Once and Future King (on which Disney’s movie The Sword in the Stone is based) and all of Tolkien’s Hobbit series. I consider this a tragic mistake. Even a cursory perusal of children’s classics shows that magic is an important element in children’s literature. If we reject literature because it is magical, we may reject that very element within it that engages the whole child. I suspect that the interest all children have in the magical is connected to their spiritual development. Rather than fear and avoid the magical, we can use it to help the child develop a believing heart. Certainly in the minds of young children there is little difference between God, Santa Claus and Merlin the Magician. As adults we can use the mythical to move toward the truly spiritual, helping our children mature spiritually by understanding the qualities in mythical figures that point us toward the source of all good, whatever we perceive that source to be.
The Child as Hero
The most important use of magical stories, in my opinion, is the empowerment of the child. Fables are destructive, not when they portray violence, but when they are used to discredit faith and destroy hope in the future. Tolkien wrote that four elements were necessary in any good tale: fantasy, recovery, escape, and consolation. Without a detailed explanation of these elements it is enough to say that the great tales of fantasy include magical elements, terrifying losses and obstacles, recovery and escapes, and a satisfying resolution through moral action. All of the great fantasy books I have listed include these elements, including Harry Potter. Crucial to such tales is the happy ending, what Tolkien called, the “sudden, joyous turn,” that leaves the reader hopeful about the world and his or her place in it. In each volume, Harry and his friends face seemingly insurmountable obstacles and emerge victorious. Though Voldemort may rise again, Harry and his friends will be ready for him, and so will we. It is this resolution that justifies the presence of evil elements in the tale. As Blake (after two solid days of reading) reached the end of the seventh volume and handed it to me he said, “Get ready to be happy.” I was delighted to know that Rowling was true to the calling of a great children’s author. She had brought her heroes, and her readers, safely home.
There are so many good messages in these books. Rowling is no saint, no prophet; she is merely an author of children’s books. Like any author, she has a worldview that may not always coincide with our own. Through the years, however, these books have offered a starting point for great conversations, and I recommend that parents use the remarkable interest in these books to their advantage. Talk with your child about the why of the story: Why does Harry need to act in certain ways? What allegiance, if any, does he owe his relatives? Which of the characters we encounter will turn out to be the “bad guy,” and what qualities contribute to his or her downfall? As long as we are talking as we go, imparting our worldview and our chosen perspective, a trip to Hogwarts can be a wonderful experience to share with a child.
A Happy Family
The Weasley family is a fine example of a large, happy family with strong moral values, (rare in modern literature) and Rowling’s message is clear here: good parents will guide us the right way. Cloaking it in such humorous magical garb makes the message easier to swallow. Certain characters emerge as villains through their pride, vanity or a lust for power. Others emerge as heroes through humility, curiosity, courage and integrity. Rowling’s vision is of a world where goodness will triumph and evil will be overcome, often by the weak and simple. That is a hopeful vision in any age.
One of the many insights to be gained from these books is how each of us may, unwittingly, advance the cause of evil through our pride or our ignorance. In the second volume, Ron’s innocent little sister is drawn into Voldemort’s nefarious scheme to rule the world. Ginny Weasley finds a fascinating diary that writes back to her when she writes in it. The diary serves as a conduit for the evil Lord Voldemort to emerge anew, and Ginny is horrified to learn at last that she has been his agent. As the story reaches its dramatic climax Rowling softens the lesson with her characteristic humor. Ginny confesses that she has been writing in a diary that writes back to her and is reprimanded by her father:
“Ginny!” said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. “Haven’t I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain?” (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, p. 329)
The Harry Potter books started off scary, and got scarier as Harry got older. The same may be said of the world around us. Every parent wishes to shield the child from the terrifying and horrible realities of life, yet children are aware of these realities from an early age. Many things frighten them and nearly everything is confusing. What they need is confidence that their fears can be overcome and adults will help them find the right way. In Bettelheim’s words: “fairy tales are loved by the child because—despite all the angry anxious thoughts in his mind to which the fairy tale gives body and specific content—these stories always result in a happy outcome, which the child cannot imagine on his own.” (Enchantment, p. 123) J.K. Rowling has given us, through the Harry Potter series, another vehicle to help children come to grips with a frightening world and to visualize their ability to overcome the evil and embrace the good. For this reason, as well as for hundreds of happy hours shared with my son, I am an enthusiastic fan.
Quotations taken from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury Press, London. 1998.
Talk About It
Most fantasy novels are concerned with the battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Do you believe that “the forces of evil” actually exist, or is life a more random collection of events that spring from the confusion and weaknesses of mortals, neither all good nor all bad?
About the Author: J.K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling was born in 1965 in Gloucestershire, England. She grew up with one sister and enjoyed reading her the fantasy stories Rowling wrote. She attended the University of Exeter to earn a degree in French and Classics. She studied a year in Paris and then moved to London to work as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International. In 1990, while she was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry “came fully formed” into her mind. “I really don’t know where the idea came from,” she told The Boston Globe. At home, she began to write; for the next five years she outlined all seven books and began Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. She moved to Portugal to teach English, and there, met and married a journalist. She gave birth to a girl and soon after, her marriage ended. Moving to Scotland to be near her sister, Rowling continued writing the Harry Potter series in cafés while her baby slept. From 1997 to 2007, she published all seven books in the series; the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history. Rowling progressed from living on welfare to multi-millionaire status within five years.
In 2000, Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which spends its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. The fund also donates to organizations that assist children, one-parent famili
es, and MS research. Married to an anesthesiologist, she is the mother of three children.
Sources:
www.jkrowling.com
Wikipedia
Down the Rabbit Hole:
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Watership Down was the Harry Potter of the seventies, a publishing phenomenon that entranced a generation of readers. It’s author, Richard Adams, was an English civil servant who created the tale to entertain his two daughters on a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon one summer. The girls urged him to write it down, and the task took him about two years, working in his spare time. After several rejections it was finally published in 1972, with a run of only 2,500 copies, and was immediately hailed by critics and readers as a children’s classic. By 1985 it was second on Penguin’s list of all-time bestsellers with over five million copies in print, and continues to be one of the most popular books ever written for children or adults.
Irritated by the sentimental stories published for children and discouraged by the permissive society of the 1960’s, Adams set out to create a fictional world that combined everyday reality and mythical ideals. Watership Down is more than just the story of a bunch of bunnies that get crowded out of a field by a housing development and have to find a new place to live. It is a story of love and courage and struggle. It is also a classic retelling of the archetypal myth of the hero, and the most realistic depiction of animals in a children’s book you will ever find.
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