Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Book Review Example

In this second novel by J.K. Rowling, the basic plot revolves around Harry Potter and his second year of attendance at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During this fascinating second year at the school, Harry and his fellow classmates begin to see messages sprawled across the walls of the corridors that warn them of the Chamber of Secrets, a very dire place where the heir of Slytherin resides and who has decreed that he would murder every pupil that does not belong to a magical family. As a sign of his intentions, the heir attacks some of the pupils by gorgonizing them or turning them to stone. These attacks then prompt Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermoine Granger to start an investigation into the attacks.

Much like the first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets takes the reader on a dizzying search for self-meaning and self-identification, mostly through the main protagonist Harry whose self-identity is conceptualized through his personal decisions as opposed to relying upon the magical powers associated with his heritage. Of course, since this novel is intended for young readers (although adult readers also find it fascinating and alluring), Harry’s decisions reflect his moral upbringing and are tinged with knowing the right thing to do under most circumstances. This second novel in the series also involves a game of Jekyll and Hyde via some of the other main characters who attempt to conceal their actual personalities from the reader. But for Harry, the true conflict presented in this novel is his attempts to know himself which is complicated by being a half-blood prince of sorts and an orphan who does not know the true identities of his parents.

There are also a number of literary themes and motifs to be found in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. For example, Harry seems to have been brought up to respect other human beings despite their faults and non-magic backgrounds. This is especially true when he encounters individuals from the lower classes or those who are not as well off socially as those in the middle classes. Harry also respects non-human entities who for the most part are seen as irritants by others and not deserving of any considerations. This respect for others also extends to their race which in Harry’s eyes is not of much importance when attempting to decipher a person’s character and personality.

Some literary scholars have noted that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets contains indications that Rowling was attempting to warn her young readers not to take at face value information that one hears in the mass media or might read in a book or newspaper. A good example in the novel is Tom Riddle’s diary which appears to be a form of propaganda, meaning that it conveys one message but actually means something else, such as attempting to promote a specific political or social agenda or ideal. In many ways, this does make a lot of sense because J.K. Rowling was at the beginning of her writing career a school teacher whose main job is to enlighten her students, in this case, Rowling’s numerous readers who could be labeled as devotees to the many other causes that one can find in Rowling’s work.

Overall, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the mind of Harry Potter and allows the reader to explore his/her own feelings and emotions via Rowling’s often perplexing characters. Also like the first Potter novel, this second novel contains some rather controversial material that parents might find as objectionable for their young children. But this is what makes the Potter series so popular with young readers and often so controversial with critics.