Harry Potter's plotline relies heavily on good vs. evil storylines. Throughout the series, the entire Wizarding world is struggling to keep dark forces like Voldemort in check. Magic is a wonderful thing, but it can be manipulated for evil too. (Shocker!) In the decade since Harry's parents' death, Voldemort and his followers have been laying low. However, there are dark stirrings as soon as Harry steps foot into this new world.
In fact, Harry has been keeping the balance between good and evil since he was a baby. Professor McGonagall says of Voldemort, "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke – and that's why he's gone" (12). Harry doesn't know it yet, but the very reason he is alive is because his mother's strong love blocked Voldemort's attack against him. Even though his parents were killed, good triumphed over evil in that infamous night.
Harry's first trip through Diagon Alley is very surreal. Everyone knows who he is, which is very jarring. He is inherently connected to Voldemort no matter what he does. Ollivander is one of the strange characters that he meets in the wand shop, who reminisces about his interaction with a young Voldemort. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands…well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…." (81). He is very troubled, as many people are when they think about Voldemort. Harry has yet to experience how terrifying this Dark wizard can be, but many people are filling him in on what he's missed in 11 years.
It quickly becomes evident to Harry that this world is not always safe and sparkling as one might think a magical place would be. Hagrid introduces Gringotts as "the safest place in the world fear anything yeh want ter keep safe -- 'kept maybe Hogwarts" (65). One of the first hints that there are dangerous people in the Wizarding world is shown in this poem in Gringotts: "Enter, stranger, but take heed, Of what awaits the sin of greed, For those who take, but do not earn, Must pay most dearly in their turn, So if you seek beneath our floors, A treasure that was never yours, Thief, you have been warned, beware, Of finding more than treasure there" (72). Before he even steps foot into Hogwarts, Harry learns that using magic for bad purposes has consequences. It is a privilege to have this power, but it must be used wisely. This is just the first step in this series which chronicles battles between good and evil.
Lauren Jines
ReplyDeleteI think your point about the parallels between Harry’s power and Voldemort’s power is very interesting. Throughout the novel, there are many times when Harry is referred to as more powerful than or equally as powerful to Voldemort. The most notable is how the other wizards spread rumors about Harry before he is aware of his status as a wizard. The difference between the two is that Harry is inherently good and Voldemort is perceived as inherently bad. This plays very well into the overall battle between good and evil, but it kind of leaves all of the wizards who Voldemort converted somewhere in the middle. This is where Rowling adds complexity to the morality of the story, as she includes the perspectives that fall into the grey areas. Snape undoubtedly falls into this category as he seemingly hates Harry, but, as Quirrel informs Harry, has been working to help him. Quirell justifies his own actions by saying, “There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it” (291). While the parallels between Harry’s power and Voldemort’s power are made to clearly tell the story of good versus evil, Rowling complicates some of the minor characters’ morality to demonstrate the complexity of how far the impact of misusing great powers can reach.
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ReplyDeleteGoing off of what Lauren says, power seems to be an underlying theme throughout the novel, along with the “good vs. evil” storyline. Dudley does everything he can possibly do to hold power over Harry, there is clear competition among the four houses at Hogwarts to be the winner (or most powerful) each year, there is the struggle for power at the end, when Quirrell is trying to obtain the Sorcerer’s Stone in order to live forever. Through all of these examples, and many more throughout the book, it seems that power is intertwined with evilness. Hagrid, when telling Harry of his past, nearly uses the two terms interchangeably, stating “that's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh” as he explains how Harry got the scar on his forehead (55).
ReplyDeleteSo is it possible to have or seek power without being deemed “evil”? Sure. Dumbledoor seems to be inherently good, and he basically has power over the entire school, being the headmaster and all. And we also see power in love, as demonstrated by Harry’s mother when she saved him when he was a baby and now, even in death, protects him. Regarding this, Dumbledoor says to Harry, “Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves it’s own mark” (299) and he is clearly referring to a different kind of power than the kind Voldemort or Quirrell seek.
So, I supposed my point in all of this is that the good vs. evil trope, at least in this novel, is made a bit more complicated by this notion of power, and what it takes to obtain it.