Everybody’s wild about Harry Potter. Or so it seems. Hundreds of children, teenagers and even adults are buying up the novels written by British author J.K Rowling. With a mass marketing scheme and a willing media to promote the novel, children in Australia are now taken in with the hype that has already engulfed Britain and America. Unfortunately, right amongst the hype are Christian parents who don’t have time to read these novels and are unwittingly succumbing to the pressure from their children to keep up with the latest craze. While browsing in a bookshop recently, I overheard some parents talking near a display of Harry Potter books. One mother said “I can’t believe that children are reading books this thick” holding up a 636 page novel. That certainly seems to be the selling factor among many parents “Well anything that gets children reading again must be a good thing…”
Joanne Rowling, a single mother from Britain was riding in a train one day when the idea for the Harry Potter books just suddenly “dropped into her head.” Before the trip was over she had planned the basic outline of the first novel - “The Sorcerer’s Stone.” The book introduces Harry as a baby who is orphaned when the ‘evil’ Voldemort kills his mother and father (a witch and wizard). For some reason Voldemort looses his power when he tries to kill Harry and he survives - left only with a lightening bolt scar on his forehead (which is an occultic symbol representing your ability to have power or control over someone else - many children are emblazoning this symbol on their forehead in support of Harry).
Harry is left on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle who are ‘muggles’ - that is non-witch/wizards. His aunt and uncle are portrayed as uncouth, heartless and selfish people who spoil their own slobbish son but leave ‘poor’ Harry to sleep in a cupboard. They deliberately withhold the information to Harry that he is actually a wizard - because they don’t like ‘talking’ about such things. The impression is that if you don’t agree with or accept witches and wizards (or are not one yourself) you are ignorant, mean and boring. The novels continually highlight the differences between “magic and non-magic people.” Certainly the secret world of the witches and wizards is made out to be fun, exciting and certainly more preferable than living a mundane ‘muggle’ lifestyle. The author’s ability to capture the reader in vivid detail and emotion makes you despise these ‘non witch/wizard’ people to such an extent that when Harry is ‘rescued’ on his 11th birthday to be taken to “Hogwarts - School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” to study to become a wizard, you are relieved.
Harry is portrayed as some kind of saviour in the Wizarding world. This theme is continually built upon throughout the four books as Harry - represented as the underdog, overcomes his ‘troubled past’ to conquer ‘evil’. The reader can’t help but idolise him as he defies the odds to solve dark mysteries in each novel. Harry quickly makes friends at the school who he is able to relate to more than those awful ‘muggles’. In my opinion, this is a very dangerous message to send to the depressed teenager whose parents don’t understand him or the rebellious child who doesn’t have any friends. What better way to attract children to the world of Witchcraft by making them seem it is where they will really be understood, and find happiness and true friendship?
The author doesn’t seem to shy away from any topic. In book 3 Harry comes close to murdering a man named Sirius Black “He was going to kill Black. He had to kill Black. This was his chance…” (p 251). A girl is possessed by the evil Lord Voldermort in book 3 when she begins to write all her feelings in an old, empty diary. The ‘evil’ Lord Voldermort was able to take control of this girl as he explains on page 228
“she poured out her soul, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful… powerful enough … to start pouring a little of my soul back into her..”