The Magic of a Good Book
A view of the Harry Potter series (no plot spoilers!)
Andy Fehler, 1st August 2007
The last of seven books has now been released into the world and for a while Potter madness reigns. The books are still flying off the shelves, the films are being watched by cinemas filled with people and somewhere in the dark the computer games are being played. But as the dust settles following the publication of the last book, what are we to make of JK Rowling's creations? Will these books disappear in a few years, forgotten as a passing fashion, or will the books endure as the writings of Tolkien have, seemingly as fresh, gripping and magical today as the day they were written?
My personal view is that they will endure, I think they will prove to be this generation's The Lord of the Rings. Furthermore, I believe there will probably never be a publishing phenomenon to match the Rowling juggernaut. It's hard to imagine a repetition of the excitement as the release date approached, the night-time vigils and the quiet weekends enjoyed by parents as their children gorged themselves on the latest novel.
Whilst many critics would say there are superior writers for young adults out there - citing the Pullman His Dark Materials trilogy as better written, more original, with a wider scope and more of a philosophical bite - the Potter chronicles have amassed world-wide adoration, even to the point of obsession in some cases. So why are they so popular?
Why are the books so popular?
Part of Rowling's genius is that her books are written from a child's point of view. We are introduced into the magical world through the eyes of Harry himself, a child who has grown up among "muggles" (non-magical people). We stand along side him as he is awed by the scale of Hogwarts castle, we laugh with him at the Weasley twins' pranks and we bristle at Malfoy and his cronies' thuggish behaviour. There is enough that is familiar to any child (and anyone who has been a child!) for there to be instant empathy (who hasn't been nervous at their first day at school or experienced school bullying) but there is also enough of the new to make the books interesting.
The cross-genre element within the novels is another part of their appeal: there is boarding school high-jinx, straightforward adventure, an orphan boy growing up to realise his special place in a wider story, a quest (certainly in the last few books) and tragedy, so it will appeal in different ways to different people.
The first few books captured many people's imagination through the original ideas and the wit. The writing had a light and humorous touch (who can forget Dumbledore scar in the shape of a map of the London Underground), and whilst this is less apparent in the later books as the books take on a graver feel, there are still moments that raise a smile. Dark and complex as the novels are they are still very easy to read.
Rowling also has a gift for naming people, places and objects or spells. Sometimes the name means something (Umbridge), sometimes it is a play on words (Grimmauld Place, Diagon Ally) or sometimes the name just suits the character (Dumbledore).
As the years roll by, the characters grow and develop. We see Harry going through adolescence with the discomfort caused by his body changing, the awkward first kiss, dreadful dates and hormonal fuelled strops. We see Harry at the rather unpleasant mid-teens stage before coming out the other side as a more grown up and likeable young man who is more the leader we want him to be. Likewise, Hermione's development from bossy, bookworm swot to gutsy, intelligent head-turner and (my favourite) Neville from hopeless, bullied nobody to brave and daring rebel leader - showing himself to be a true Gryffindor. Ron doesn't really get past pulling shocked faces and saying "mental!"
The stories are mainly gripping, witty and filled with memorable characters. Rowling has clearly planned the 7 books so we are drip-fed characters throughout and we are never quite certain whether the good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad even up to the last book. Indeed the last book introduces a whole range of grey areas to previously black & white characters. She inserts new devices seamlessly in the plot which will be needed for the rest of the book, for example in Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban the Time-turner is introduced through Hermione's extra lessons, enabling the gadget to be used to great effect at the book's climax. There are some cracking set-pieces that will look great on film; in the later books one almost feels that she is writing with one eye on the film adaptation. Her chapters frequently end on a cliff-hanger urging the reader onwards & you do inevitably reach the "point of no return" in each book - a point where you just have to keep reading.
All is not fair and just in the wizarding world as we see the oppression of the house elves and goblins and discrimination against centaurs, werewolves, giants and finally "mudbloods" (those wizards or witches born to non magical families), invariably we consider our own dealings with others and the mind turns to those who our society disregards.
I am grateful that Rowling questions the media. Can we really trust everything we read? We see the Ministry of Magic "covering-up" events and we see untruth being presented in The Daily Prophet ("for the greater good" of course). We see journalist Rita Skeeter misrepresenting the facts and altering people's words to put across her agenda. Opening her readers' young eyes to bias and misinformation is a superb thing to do in a novel. We see this in the different takes on Dumbledore's life by a loyal follower willing to overlook any failings and a heartless hack keen to ruin his reputation.
Each book seems to pick up on a different person type or issue and paint it partly for amusement, but also to make comments on the world we inhabit. We meet the self-obsessed celebrity (Lockhart), the merciless tabloid hack (Skeeter), the sadistic & self-important jobsworth (Umbridge), the well connected old-boy (Slughorn). We consider issues like charity work (SPEW), sporting fixtures (Quidditch) and OFSTED-type inspections (Umbridge again).
It goes without saying that the books have done much for the literacy of children in this and many other countries which can only be a good thing - hitting the mark where no government initiative has!
What frustrates about Harry Potter
There are failings; certainly the books are not above criticism. The 5th book could have been called Harry Potter and the missing editor, whilst the first 3 books were well edited and excitingly paced (weighing in at fewer than 300 pages) the last 4 books were twice as long and have chapters that drag. Whilst Rowling would no doubt say the numerous back-stories that slow the pace are necessary to add to the fullness of the world she has created there is still the nagging feeling that whole chapters could have been excised without losing anything substantial. At times it is as though she is making some of the references to events in earlier books explicit, rather than crediting her readers with the intelligence to work them out themselves.
I have also discovered a strange literary device in Rowling's writing which seems to encourage empathy but is exasperating with it! Imagine you are a writer who wants to show that your hero is bored, how can this be done? Well you could explain the events that have led to the boredom, painting the scene and the passing of time in a few paragraphs, or you could bore the reader by having the same things happen for several tedious chapters. Yes we are feeling Harry's boredom - but we are bored with the book! The same happens when Harry is angry and shouts a lot, we find ourselves angry too with his unreasonableness (and HIS SHOUTING!). Maybe I have missed something, but surely she could have conveyed his emotions in a less frustrating way?
Finally, as one of those people who likes to discover a band or author before anyone else, Potter is, well just too popular!
Problems with Potter
But enough of the writing, other people have much more serious concerns about Potter, reasons why we should not read them at all and should ban them from our children's libraries:
Won't they encourage our young people into witchcraft?
The question we need to ask is if modern witchcraft is anything like the witchcraft in Harry Potter. I would hesitantly say no. Whilst it would be ludicrous to suggest that there is none of the occult within the books, I think it is naïve to think that just because young people are reading a book with magic they will turn to Wicca or start trying to learn spells. Most children are able to separate the reality from the fantasy. In fact, I would suggest that if Rowling really was trying to encourage children towards magic she has shot herself in the foot, by writing about it in such a light hearted way (Ron and Hermione using spells to grow legs out of teacups so they can race).
Rowling is quoted as saying:
'I don't believe in the kind of magic that appears in my books but I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.'
USA Weekend Online (14 November 1999)
Clearly, she is not on a recruitment drive, unless perhaps it is encouraging people to read. Whilst there is much that is evil in the books, witchcraft is after all used to kill and torture, we are encouraged throughout to support the good side and to be horrified by the dark arts. Our hero Harry is never tempted to turn to the dark side of magic although he unknowingly uses some dark spells and is forced to use unforgivable curses toward the end of the series.
But here we move onto a much more serious criticism - Rowling may not be encouraging young people to get involved in the occult, but is she not encouraging an awareness of it which may lead to people dabbling? Any use of magic is wrong from a Christian perspective. This is a concern, in Rowling's world magic is neutral that is it can be used for both good and evil. Whilst this becomes a useful discussion about other forms of power, politician being capable of doing much good or much evil, the Christians would want to clarify that this isn't the Bible's view of magic. Any Christian parent would want to discuss with the child their understanding of witchcraft and make it clear that the magic in the novels is not real, but that there are types of magic which would lead people from God and put them in danger. Magic is dangerous as it is a means of controlling spiritual forces without reference to God. Magic may lead people to stop listening to God and obeying Him - which is at the root of our sin. It is clear, though that failing to listen and obey God is a much wider problem that witchcraft, we find these attitudes everywhere and the Christian parent would be keen to point this out to their child.
Don't they encourage disrespect and vengeance?
When the first few books came out it was pointed out that Harry is disrespectful and regularly disobeys authority figures - surely this is one of the reasons he appeals to many young people. It was then proposed that he is a bad role model for our young people. Well, I don't think we can ban Potter because he breaks rules, presumably this would lead to the banning of most popular children's literature! On the contrary, there are normally consequences for him when he loses his temper or breaks a rule; Hogwarts is generally a very moral place. This is totally different to the morality of Pullman where Lyra (his heroine) uses lies to get what she wants, something which is celebrated as one of her strengths; she is even named "Lyra Silvertongue" in honour of her deceits. Pullman blurs good and evil, but in the Potter world things are largely shaped by the Judeo-Christian morality of the Ten Commandments.
Others would point to Harry's desire to get vengeance on those who have caused him pain, among them Voldemort, Snape, Malfoy & the Dursleys. But except for Voldemort (who is the personification of evil in the books) we see a level of reconciliation between Harry and all of these characters as the series draws to a close - which teaches that as we mature we should be more willing to forgive and feel sympathy for those previously seen as enemies.
Why I think we should read them
They are a cracking read; as I have already at length explained and there is nothing wrong with sitting down to enjoy good writing.
There is much to endorse in the books. At their core, the Potter books are an old fashioned battle between good and evil, where it is not who you are that matters but your actions. The battle lines are drawn and we stand, with Harry on the side of good. There is a clear morality and an encouragement to act virtuously - to treat everyone equally, to stand against injustice, to forgive, to be brave, to stand against evil, to stand up for what you believe, to have compassion, to be loyal, courageous and ultimately to do the right thing. It even talks clearly of the Christian call to self-sacrifice.
The themes of friends and family run throughout the books and they are always painted in a positive way. Whilst Harry might struggle to live with the Dursleys (his only living family), Harry envies Ron because of his large and caring family. Harry's friends enable him to accomplish that which would be impossible on his own. Friends and family matter and should be cared for. After all it was his mother's love that protected Harry from Voldemort in the beginning.
The final reason for reading these books is that it is important we carefully analyse and discuss that which influences young people today.
From considering the books and their phenomenal success we can learn much about our culture. It seems that people still love a good story - we are still willing to give up several hours of our lives to read, on our own, using our own imaginations to colour in the picture Rowling draws. The fact that kids will spend hours in one sitting reading these books suggests that all this talk of the MTV generation having short attention spans must be wrong - the focus should not be on the children but the material their attention is focussed on. If the subject matter is right kids will concentrate - if not their minds will wander. I think the books also suggest that there is more to life than that which can be seen and touched. Most people do want to believe that there is something more to this life. The question is: what?
Christians know that there is more to life - God is out there. Through his Word, a whole new world opens before us, hidden from the eyes of most, a world richer and more lavish even than the beautiful world of Rowling's creation.