THE BOY WHO LIVED, THE CHOSEN ONE,
THE BOY WHO DOESN'T REALLY EXIST
HARRY JAMES POTTER
The characters are familiar and although they are fictional, I cannot help but care about them. I know that sounds crazy, but good ol' J.K. is a fantastic writer. Though magic isn't real (or so we've been led to believe), the world that she created is so believable. At least, I have always thought so. The Wizarding World has its own government, customs and sports. Though she incorporates many creatures/myths etc... that were brought to life by other authors and throughout time, Rowling also created a good deal of her own things. (For example, Horocruxs. I'm pretty sure that no one else came up with something quite like that. Freakin' genius, if you ask me). Along with the cool places and things, her characters are real and relatable. They have their share of problems and they range from petty things such as love all the way to uber important fight scenes, and etc... Although Harry seems to have unnaturally good luck when it comes to fighting the Dark Lord and escaping him, he is not a perfect character. If he was perfect, killing Lord Voldemort would have been cake.
Now, much like my fellow Potter fans, I really dislike it when Harry Potter is put down by someone who obviously has no taste. I can understand if you don't like reading, or if it wasn't your favorite story, but how could you possibly hate the Boy Who Lived? Yeah, I get that at times, Harry can be extremely annoying... especially during the Order of the Phoenix when teenage angst hits. Yet, he tries his best to be the loveable chosen one. If you dislike Harry as a character, that's fine by me, but if you go farther than that and start to bash Jo's whole plot and creativity and whatnot, there are no promises that I will stay calm. What about the other beloved characters? Neville? Nymphadora Tonks? Luna Lovegood? Seriously, that blonde haired girl is the most interesting character ever (AND freakin' insightful!), and if you don't find her adorable and weird and awesome, you should just go far, far away.
Yes, I'm passionate about this... And yes I should probably take that passion and put it into something that will help me get somewhere in life. But I don't think that's possible. Harry Potter has been a big part of my life through all the important times in life. During those awkward elementary school years, the awkward middle school years, the ultimate awkwardness that is high school and then continuing onto my life of young adulthood smothered with an extra coating of even more awkwardness, a dash of responsibility and a cup of stress.
But you know what really gets on my nerves? It's when people are downright insulting this marvelous series. When they say that the story, everything about it and even J.K. Rowling is evil. Like the real, torturing animals, murderous, men-who-want-to-watch-the-world-burn type of evil. Some people that I know, *cough* Uncle Christopher *cough*, constantly tell me that because it involves witchcraft, the book and its author are in cahoots with the Devil. I don't understand this argument. Yes, I understand what the Bible says about witchcraft and mediums, etc... however, this is a fiction book. This is not the first book that involves a magical world where wizards and witches are protagonists and it certainly won't be the last. It would be different if she was writing this book from Lord Voldemort's point of view. For those of you who don't already know, he's the bad guy who sought world domination and plotted to kill anyone who did not have a "pure" magical bloodline. (Even though he was a freakin' hypocrite and a half-blood himself).
Harry Potter wants nothing more than to save his peers and those who are important to him. He constantly is in danger, and fighting for the lives of those around him. This book does not teach us how to be witches and wizards, (though magic would make a lot of things easier). It does not try to convince us to worship witchcraft, though some fans take it too far and think that they can become magical as well. (With every awesome novel, film or television show, there are those who taint the goodness and make things weird). J.K. Rowling created very clear characters, whom we know are good or evil. (Well... except Snape. Everyone went back and forth with him... but ultimately, he was pretty darn good. He fought for love!) The characters that were evil and follwers of He Who Must Not Be Named were written in such a way that made readers despise them from the get-go. J.K. never sympathized with those characters, and from the very beginning, there was a clear distinction as to who she wanted her readers to root for.
There a numerous amounts of wonderful things that this series teaches those who love it. First off, it teaches us that no matter how bleak the situation is, you can rise above bad times. Good can ultimately prevail over evil.
From the get go, Harry is alone. As an orphan, he is forced to live with family members who dislike his parents, therefore disliking him. They treat him terribly. He is deemed an outcast and abnormal because of his background. Of course, he knows nothing about being a wizard at this time, but once he does find out, things only prove to get more difficult from there. He has no friends in the non-magical world. You wonder how a kid could go through all of that abuse and still be normal. Aside from the whole magical bloodline, of course.
Anyway, throughout the course of the seven books, Harry is constantly put into terrible situations. In the first book, he is attacked by the Dark Lord (via Quirrel) and although that's a really terrible situation, he got through it. He never gave up. He showed us that with perseverance and a little bit of luck, even a group of eleven year old's could fight a grown wizard, and the weird guy on the back of his head, and win. Oh, not to mention they fought a troll during that year, which in my opinion is a lot scarier than a guy with a bad attitude in a turban.
The next year, Harry is thought to be the heir of Slytherin. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw kids are scared of him for it, while Slytherin hates him for it. Harry just can't win. They all ostracize this poor second year, however, Ron and Hermione stick with him through the difficult times.Then all hell breaks loose when the chamber of secrets is open. People start getting petrified left and right, and it's up to Harry to save the day. Big shocker! He fights a freakin' huge snake (called a Basilisk) with the sword of Gryffindor. You're not hardcore, unless you live hardcore... and the legend of Harry Potter is real hardcore.
Things just get worse from there... but I'm not going to go in detail, since this post is already longer than most. Anywho, all you need to know is that when Harry is in a bad situation, he keeps on keeping on and gets through the bad times. Ultimately, a lot of people die and get hurt because of the Dark Lord, however, in the end, there is a happy conclusion. Some would say that it's not realistic, but I beg to differ. If you are in a bleak situation and you stop trying to make things better for yourself because you don't think it'll make a difference, then you'll never be able to get to a better place. You will always be stuck in the hard times because you'll settle for it. Harry never settled.
Another great thing that the series taught me, is that friendships are the number one important thing in a person's life. Without friendships, you will get no where. Well, unless you are Peter Petigrew or anyone who thought they were "friends" with Lord Voldemort. No, you just become a slave then. Anyway.... the dynamic between Harry, Ron and Hermione is so touching. Especially when you know how and when the idea of friendship first came into their minds. Sharing a near death experience can really bring people together. :)
Throughout the series, they are always there for one another. Yes, Ron and Hermione fight and really make things difficult, however that is because they were in love and never wanted to admit it. That is a whole different lesson to go through and I'd rather not touch on that subject... But whenever Harry needed help with Ickle Voldykins, they were there to back him up. Well, Hermione was there to back them up and show them spells and save their booties. Good job, Hermy!!
Harry's life turns around when he is accepted into Hogwarts because he finally makes some friends. These people understand his quirks because hey! They're weird too. They accept him and love him, and not just because he's the chosen one. That's just an added bonus, I suppose. Anyhow... friendship is a key theme in these series, and if you have read them, you know that Harry would have been nothing without the friendships he gained during his time at Hogwarts. And not only with the students at Hogwarts, but the adults of the book as well. They were friends with Harry's parents, and as we can see, they did their best to look after James and Lily's child, long after they had passed away. True friendship isn't something that is conditional. It is not something that has a time limit. It does not stop when one person is no longer living. We, as humans, may die, but friendship can never die! It leaves a legacy that is more wonderful than fame. Who needs fame when you have the best friends in the world?
Anyhow... I know I got really into this and it's already WAYYY too long. You probably haven't even stuck to the end. However, if you did, I know that you are awesome. Unless you dislike Harry Potter still after that whole speech. I think you may need a few chocolate frogs, and some butterbeer off the trolly, dear. That'll make you appreciate the wonderful world of Harry Potter, I'm sure. ;)
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