Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.* (218)
This seems to reveal a lot of animosity on Harry's part towards Slytherin at an early age. Yeah, he's had some bad experiences with a couple people from Slytherin, but that's no reason to develop a prejudice against them this early on. I find it an interesting decision on J.K. Rowling's part to make one house of Hogwart's the apparent center of most evil in the school; Voldemort came from Slytherin, the Malfoy family, and just about every dark wizard that ever walked the earth did too. That should have raised a few alarm bells with the school faculty, honestly. Maybe it would have been wiser to spread out the evil between the houses a little more.
The fact that Harry was almost going to be placed there could be an indicator that he has some potential for darkness. That potential is explored later in the series as Harry is constantly forced to choose between good (defending friends and family) and evil (not killing people like Bellatrix out of revenge, choosing to fight Voldemort himself rather than hide behind the ministry). He definitely overcomes the selfish instincts that would apparently made him a good candidate for Slytherin.
Although when Harry countered the Sorting Hat's suggestion, he showed his ability to stand up for himself and make his own decisions. It's a bold action on his part that revealed a part of his personal growth as a person, a coming of age event, in other words, a lot like the other characters in the novels we've read.
*"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."
"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"* (287)
This would be a comforting lesson for a reader, that academics don't necessarily mean everything. Just because a person doesn't have the best education or a degree from a big university doesn't mean she or he is useless as a person. Harry is a good role model for children, no matter what religious fanatics may say about wizardry or sorcery.
*"You're mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign . . . to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrel, full of hatred, greed, ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."* (299)
According to this passage, the source of all good in the world is me, since I'm the Ball of Love. But seriously, I think this is a good message for families in the world. It's basically saying that, when a person is loved, inclinations of hatred and greed will be erased and replaced with the desire to serve and protect. If more families treated each other with warmth and respect, we would have much less evil in the world because children would grow up learning to love rather than hate.
No comments:
Post a Comment