After I read the seventh and final book of Harry Potter, I, like a lot of you probably, was amazed. I loved it. Often I have talked with my brother about all the deep meanings and morals experienced and learned as we went through the saga. It moved me greatly, and it was hard to have the story end.
For this reason, I was very surprised and a bit offended to see an article in the Deseret News entitled, "Harry Potter is Missing a Real Moral Struggle". This statement couldn't be farther from the truth! I started thinking of the many moral lessons I had learned from the series, and the many moral struggles Harry had endured. I remembered the line Dumbledore said, about choosing between "what is right and what is easy". How many times did this statement exemplify Harry? How many readers found the temptation to give in during Umbrage's detentions almost too much to bear? How many, like Dumbledore, found the invitation of glory given by the Hallows overwhelming to decline? These were the temptations that Harry faced in every book. And Harry is our hero, because to the end, because of love, he did choose the right over the easy. And it was because of love that he won.
In addition to the choices of Harry, there are so many other conflicts in the series that also caused us to stop and think. If I were to look into the Mirror of Erised, what would I see? If I were to encounter a boggart, what would it turn into? A dementor, what memory would come to my mind? Do I have the will power to face such situations and succeed?
These are some of the thoughts that came to my mind, as I read that Deseret News article. There are more, which I wasn't sure I'd be able to write down. Luckily, I was forwarded a link to an amazing article by Orson Scott Card which says much of what I was thinking, and it made me happy to know I wasn't the only one!
So here I give you the link. Read, and enjoy!
http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/2007/07/what-civilization-does-harry-p.html
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8 comments:
RE: HP Moral Struggle
Dear SkSchmi,
Forgive me, but as a muggle-net-ing, HP editorial writer, I lacked the willpower necessary to keep from posting a response to your blog post.
I, too, read the comments made about moral struggles in Harry Potter; and unlike you, I completely agreed with the writer. I cannot help but think you might have missed the essence of what Jenny Sawyer (the column's author) was saying.
Her argument was that the character Harry lacked a real moral struggle. And, again, I tend to agree with her.
See, even from the outset Harry was positioned to oppose Voldemort. There was never a question (in the canonized series) that Harry was going to resist Voldemort--they were polar opposites. Similarly, there was never a point in the books where Harry ever considered joining Voldemort *1. Just as it was in the prophecy, the HP series pitted Harry against Voldemort, and neither could (or would) turn from their opposition to join or support the other.
From that standpoint, Jenny was completely correct in saying there was no moral struggle in the series on the behalf of Harry.
Harry was destined to resist evil!
Consider the moral journey Harry took:
1. Harry discovered evil (existence of Voldemort who, by the vile act of killing Harry's parents, set himself as polar-evil)
2. Harry resisted evil (temptation to join Voldemort in order to gain power / bring his parents back to life)
3. Harry fought evil (See Books 2-7)
4. Harry defeated evil ("[Voldemort's] body lay there. . ." [Book 7])
Now, contrast Harry's journey with that of the character Snape *2: People were writhing in agony over the "Snape is good/bad" debates which spanned the internet, more chapters were dedicated to whether Snape was "good or bad" in the HP 7 Predictions Book than any other topic, and more chatter was dedicated to his moral allegiance in HP podcasts, news briefings, and official interviews than was generated by any other character or issue in the series . That should tell you something
Snape underwent SERIOUS moral difficulties. He was tormented by the "James" he saw in the boy Harry, but fiercely affectionate and protective of the boy he knew to be Lily's son. This inner-conflict was so tense, so powerfully there in several parts of the series, that every reader was drawn into it.
Though simply a personal opinion, what made the chapter, "The Prince's Tale," probably the most touching and powerful chapter in the whole of book 7 *3 was the completion of Snape's deeply developed redemption cycle. We finally KNEW that Snape had come full circle and had chosen to be good.
I can see a powerful, touching, incredible Vader-ness in his final decision to be good. Nobody can read the series and claim that he was "good" the whole way through. Snape was absolutely tormented by Harry, and despised the boy for every ounce of "James" in him. He killed Dumbledore (and regardless of whether or not Dumbledore told him to do it, consider what the act meant [in itself, to Harry, and to both of them]). Yet, in the end, his moral struggle was complete, and his triumph over evil was a truly, truly magnificent and moving victory.
THAT was the moral struggle missing from Harry. The boy who grew up knowing and never wavering from the quest to destroy Voldemort didn't have any such drama. *4
Forgive me for my lengthy discourse. The thing is, I'm not arguing against what you said in your post. I just wanted to make it clear that Jenny's article was dealing with other things.
Thanks,
Taylor Finch
*1 Not even when faced with the option of bringing his parents back to life did Harry consider joining Voldy
*2 (unlike my muggle-net brethren, I refuse to call him TPWFTPOWNBN)
*3 (Okay, okay. --So I'm not sure that it was my favorite, or the most powerful chapter in book 7. I really, really enjoyed the moment where Voldemort was defeated, too. Still, you can't blame me if my opinions are a bit convoluted: the book is breathlessly perfect)
*4 Yes, yes, I am truly nerdy. Anybody who unabashedly draws parallels between HP and SW is truly an awesome force in nerd-knowledge.
J. K. Rowling and Orson Scott Card had one particular thing in common that really intrigued me (in their respective books - the Harry Potter series and the Ender's Game series). Both wrote about how the greatest leaders generally aren't the ones who seek to be powerful, but the people who end up being placed in that position. I thought that Harry Potter 7 was absolutely amazing, especially from a moral standpoint. It hit me hard to read about Dumbledore's past, mainly because his mistake is one that I've been tempted to make. After reading the book, the message I get is that talent doesn't give a person the right to be selfish; as he was when he chose to fill his longing for talent and greatness while only giving a half-ditch effort to help his sister.
I have to say that I also liked the deepness of the book. I'm amazed by the way she intertwined the parts of the different books. I did put myself in the shoes of the characters, and I learned some good things from it.
That article by Orson Scott Card proves to me once again that he is a genius, or at very least a very bright and insightful person.
Responding to tausofsandus's post:
Although I disagreed with that Deseret News article, I did agree with one point: that Harry never goes through a "fall from grace/redemption" process. Snape does, yes, and so does Dumbledore to a smaller extent. However, I disagree that this automatically means he didn't have a "real moral struggle", as that article's author asserts. It seemed as though the article's author assumed that because it was generally understood by the reader that Harry would win, that therefore he didn't have a choice. That isn't true! The same argument can be used with Christ himself. Some say that since it was prophesied that Christ was going to live a perfect life that he therefore couldn't sin-- that it was impossible. That's not true. Christ COULD sin, but he CHOSE NOT TO and that's what made his overcoming of temptation and living a perfect life so powerful-- it's what made the Atonement possible. The same idea with Harry, although not quite like Christ. I'm not trying to make Harry out as a Christ character. I'm just saying, he generally made the right decision the whole time-- that in itself WAS the moral struggle. He COULD HAVE chosen NOT to defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore made this clear when he talked about how many prophecies don't get fulfilled. A prophecy doesn't take away one's agency. Harry could have chosen to give up. But he didn't.
Your comments about Snape, however, I agree with. He did overcome his fall, and came out an amazing hero in the end.
Thanks for your comments! It's fun to think deeply about these things, isn't it?
I agree with what skschmi said in the last post. I would also like to add my opinion that even though Snape chose to be BETTER, he didn't necessarily choose to be GOOD. His tormented love of Lily motivated him to fight Voldemort for her memory's sake. I don't think Snape ever internally resolved to be a good person, as we can see by how he treated Harry in the books. He still couldn't get over his grudge against James, even so many years after his death.
On the other hand, Snape made his decision to switch his allegiance to Dumbledore and the Order, and we can see throughout the series that he never betrayed them, and was given what was easily the most difficult task - masquerading as a Death Eater. The question is, did he do it because he knew it was right? Or, just as he was unable to get over his grudge of James, did he commit himself to the Dark Lord's downfall because he would never forgive him for killing Lily?
Under this heading, one could argue that even Snape never underwent a real moral struggle. There was never a question that he despised James, and after Voldemort killed Lily, there was never a question that Snape would despise him forever as well. His actions then, while supported and encouraged by Dumbledore (who I believed wished to see Snape fight Voldemort for the right reasons), were only done in Lily's behalf.
I think that Snape's actions are another example of the constant theme of the power of love. Lilly's love and respect for Snape led Snape to love her back. In fact, this relationship is what brought out the best in Snape. Love brings out the best in people. Love brings out the best in the house elf Kreacher.
I do not believe Snape is a pleasant person. If he had lived, I suspect he and Harry would have gone out of their way to avoid one another. Nevertheless, Snape displays incredible courage in the face of great evil because he is strengthened by love. I think Snape's character is another theses on the power of love.
What I found interesting in the story between Harry and Severus Snape is that, throughout the Series, Snape is viewed by Harry as a suspect. Harry assumed that his instincts were right about him when he "Saw Severus KILL Dumbledore" in the ending of Book 6. Harry wanted to evenge Dumbledore's murder, Because Harry "knew" from the moment that he saw Prof Snape in Book 1 that Snape was the one trying to instigate the retunr of Voldemort to power.
Harry Did not understand until after Snape's death, when Snape gave him his memory to put in the pensieve and view his life about the error of his thinking.
I think there is a lesson in it for all of us that we should "never judge a person by his appearance" and that we need to give a person the benefit of the doubt until we know otherwise. I found it interesting that Snape was the one who gave Harry the Sword of Griffindor by using his patronus instead of approaching him personally, because he knew that Harry would NEVER accept anything from him directly.
I also found it interesting that in the end, after Harry saw the full truth about Severus' life from the pensieve, and years after the final battle, that Harry names one of his children "Albus Severus Potter" And claims that Severus was the bravest man he ever knew.
Perhaps there is a lesson in this scenario for all of us to try and look at the person who aggitates us the most thru the eyes of compassion with the love of Christ and try to imagine walking in their shoes with what we know about the person....perhaps we can truly learn to not judge one another and begin to accept the command of Christ to "Pray for those who persecute us"
Angela
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