Harry Potter: Evolution in Symbolism and Allusions, Essay Example

Abstract

As J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books have enjoyed remarkable success, so too have there been criticisms claiming that the stories, centering on the supernatural and reflecting to an extent Biblical content, are anti-religious.  In the following, this is addressed by examining the symbols and allusions dominating the first and last novels of the saga.  The introduction essentially clarifies this intent, noting the common association between the hero and Christ, and asserting that any direct connection between the books and the Bible is questionable.  There is then a brief overview of the series itself, to provide a foundation for the discussion.  Following this, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is investigated in terms of multiple symbols, allusions, and initial presentations of characters.  The final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is then discussed, with an emphasis on how both symbolism and character interact to indicate evolving processes.  Lastly, the conclusion briefly restates the main issue and reaffirms the thesis, in that Rowling’s work owes more to core narratives of good versus evil, rather than to any adaptation of Biblical content.

Evolution in Symbolism and Allusions from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Introduction

It may be that J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series represents an unprecedented achievement in the literary world.  These books, written primarily for children and younger readers, captured adults as well, and worldwide.  The phenomenon then translated to the screen, and something like a cultural event became an international fixation as each novel was released.  At the same time, many feel the emphasis on magic defies norms of spirituality and offers a potentially dangerous appeal of the arcane to children.  Certainly, Rowling’s novels are rife with symbolism and allusions to various elements of Christian faith and folklore.  Symbols are essentially literal metaphors referencing specific and well-known ideas, things, events, or people, while allusions are more oblique references to the same.  In these works, Rowling freely employs an immense variety of both, and this technique has both generated inestimable readership and the criticism mentioned.  In plain terms, many believe that the Harry Potter series, in so blatantly drawing upon Christian traditions and Biblical components, is at best irreverent and at worst sacrilegious.

In the following, what will be seen is that Rowling undeniably and frequently turns to Christian referencing, and that this device alone may be seen as anti-religious or disrespectful.  For example, the parallels between Harry and Jesus Christ are strong, so it is understandable that some would perceive the works as violations of Christianity.  In a broader sense, however, this is not the case.  These are works which reinforce Christianity through reinterpretation, and through relating the ideologies in elements of fable.  J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, as evidenced by comparing symbols, allusions, and characters within the first and last, offer only a parable of Christian belief, and in no way defame or compromise the religion.

Basic Storyline and Primary Characters

The Harry Potter saga is an extensive work, and it may be said that no extraneous or minor characters – or symbols – are present in it, so carefully crafted is the design.  Nonetheless, there is at the heart of it a basic narrative.  Harry Potter is a young orphan boy living with his Aunt Petunia, her husband Vernon, and their son, Dudley, in a British suburb.  He was quite literally left on their doorstep after James and Lily, his parents, had been slain by the evil Lord Voldemort.  From the start, then, the novels present a consistent duality of worlds; there is the ordinary reality of life as it is lived, and there is the realm of magic and magical beings coexisting with it, and usually in a covert manner. Witches and warlocks are fully aware of the “muggle” world of non-magical people and creatures, but the converse is not generally true.

As Harry begins to perceive that there are unusual qualities to him, he is brought into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  A series of increasingly dangerous adventures await Harry, as his connection to the evil Voldemort, nearly destroyed by his own attempt to kill the infant Harry, becomes more intense.  This culminates into a final battle between good, represented by Harry and his comrades, and the dark forces of Voldemort and his allies.  Ultimately, Voldemort is finally destroyed, if not without immense sacrifices and losses along the way.

The First Book: Symbols and Allusions

It is interesting to note that the most striking allusion of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, certainly in terms of the story’s commencement, refers to fable rather than Christianity.  The young Harry is very much a despised orphan reminiscent of other such victims in fable: “Like Cinderella, Harry is mistreated by his family, given ill-fitting clothes to wear, and is unable to go anywhere” (Anatol  90).  There is Dudley, the pampered, “real” child, and the unwelcome burden of Harry, who is essentially treated like a lowly servant by uncle, cousin, and aunt: “’Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don’t you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy’s birthday’”  (Rowling 1999 2).  From the start, then, Rowling conjures a world, not referring Christianity directly, but that of traditional Western folklore.

While elements and symbols of fable consistently are presented in the first novel, so too are there references going more directly to Christianity.  Among the more striking of these is Harry’s first awareness of his parselmouth ability, or the power to speak with snakes.  During a visit to the zoo, Harry is astonished to realize he is conversing with a boa constrictor: “As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, “Brazil, here I come. . . . Thanksss, amigo”  (Rowling 1999  28).  This early manifestation of Harry’s powers is typically seen as emphasizing both the wonder and the novelty of them.  Harry does not, for instance, try to free the snake; rather, the glass disappears because Harry’s talents are simply beginning to assert themselves.  There can be no understating, however, of this snake early in the story.  It is ostensibly “good,” or at least not malevolent.  This is reminiscent of the Biblical serpent first tempting Eve, in that it appears harmless, and the parallel may be made because snakes are to figure far more ominously later in the series.

Regarding a wide variety of other symbols in this first novel, there is a quality often rendering all inherently linked to Christianity, in that this is a world based on arts perceived by Christians as dark.  More exactly, in Christianity there is no “good” magic, as such is typically viewed as Satanic.  At the same time, it may be reasonably asserted that events in the Bible reflect supernatural forces not necessarily reflective of evil.  The rising of Christ from the dead, certainly, is evidence of this.  Such Christian events are, of course, divine in origin, but the reality remains that, in both Harry Potter and the Bible, good and evil take forms defying natural laws, and this then supports the novels as conforming, rather than violating, Christian principles.  For instance, Quirinus Quirrell, the Professor of Defense against the Dark Arts in the first book, appears to be  decidedly a creature of darkness.  He is in essence an allusion to all corrupted and fallen characters in fable, as he embraces being used as Voldemort as a physical conduit.  Quirrell informs Harry that he himself once believed in good but that Voldemort taught him better: “’There is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it’” (Rowling 1999  291).  Quirrell also brings to mind faithlessness in Christianity, and in a literal way; his “double-face,” with Voldemort’s visage on the back of his head, is powerfully symbolic of a Judas-like two-facedness, in which the agreeable face is actually the false.  At the same time, the Christian emphasis on good is reinforced because Quirrell’s argument only illustrates more clearly that good transcends power, and that the real weakness lies in the blind pursuit of it (Dickerson, O’Hara  246).

Rowling is essentially unconcerned with what sources or ideologies from which she chooses to draw.  The author has in fact been completely candid regarding inspirations, as when asked about the legion of other-worldly creatures in the tale: “Some of the monsters are from folklore, so I didn’t invent them” (Scholastic).  One of her most striking borrowings is from mythology; Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the Philosopher’s Stone, is blatantly a variation of Cerberus, the dog in Greek myth posted to secure the entrance to the underworld (Godfrey  72).  Rowling also goes beyond allusion or symbol in recreating centaurs, the half-man, half-horse creatures of Greek mythology.

This freedom in employing various components of storytelling is also supported by the nature of Harry’s school.  Not only is Hogwarts essentially a grandiose castle, the structure and organization of it alludes strongly to Medieval concepts of heraldry.  New students are “sorted” into one of four houses, a ceremony reminiscent of ancient court proceedings.  Ability and inclination are determined by the Sorting Hat, that the houses of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin be filled by the appropriate types.  The names alone reflect heraldic traditions, just as each house is represented by a crest, and symbolism is virtually rampant here.  The houses founded by males, Gryffindor and Slytherin, dominate, just as the lion emblem of the former is the antithesis of the serpent emblem of the latter.  Then, Rowling carries the symbolism further, as the houses are themselves embodied by the students sorted into them, and in ways reflecting various qualities.  Gryffindor House is courageous, Ravenclaw is sedate and wise, Hufflepuff is genial, and Slytherin is avaricious.  Adding to the Medieval allusion is that the Slytherin students are physically exaggerated; Draco’s cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, are loud and brutish, and Harry suspects that Marcus Flint, Slytherin Quidditch captain, is part troll (Anatol  36).  From the first novel, this crucial setting of Hogwarts consistently alludes to ancient traditions of self as defined through allegiances, and the inevitable conflicts between opposing ideologies.

Other symbols in the first novel are open to multiple interpretations, as with the Mirror of Erised.  Harry’s innermost longings, reflected in the mirror’s ability to reproduce such desires, reinforce his sense of isolation, vulnerability, and orphanhood.  At the same time, mirrors with mystical properties are not unknown in fable, and the nearest parallel to Erised may be the mirror of the evil queen in “Sleeping Beauty.” Such mirrors reveal, but do so in ways not necessarily revealing truth; rather, they draw out the seeker’s being by involving them in the process of literal reflection (Silverblatt, Ferry, & Finan 201).   Then, the goblin bank, Gringotts, may be seen as Biblical, in that the money-holding establishment is an object of fear to many.  At the same time, it symbolizes classic components of fable; there is the fascination with gold and silver safeguarded within it, as well as the element of the wealth protected by a homely specious, the goblins.  It represents all the allure of the power of money, and even the young Harry is stunned by the piles of gold in trust for him there (Anatol  91).  More strictly classic is the Forbidden Forest, just as it is more distanced from any Christian allusions.  The Quidditch matches introduced in the first book serve to add the tournament aspect to Harry’s evolution, as these are games clearly referencing jousting or any other competition in which young people prove and develop their skills.  With the Forest, there is more of a random testing-ground quality; filled with terrifying creatures such as giant spiders, it is a field on which Harry must take on challenges of a darker nature (Frankel  165).  This is also a direct allusion to virtually every fable of lore, in which going into the woods is a dangerous and uncertain act.

Other components in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone act as symbols both unique and reflecting a common quality, that of the individual as discovering the self through the interaction with them.  Diagon Alley is both a welcoming and frightening marketplace; a wizard may find here what he requires, but there is as well the potential of entering into the sinister version of it, Knockturn Alley.  The places are thus symbolic of choices made, which reveal character as much as they create challenges to test character.  The same symbolic relationship exists between the individual and the wand, a relationship strongly emphasized by Rowling.  When Harry selects his wand at Ollivander’s shop, the experience is transformational: “He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework” (Rowling 1999  85).   This is an instrument in which Harry’s being, as with all other wizards, is channeled.  The same is true of his invisibility cloak, in that the garment is only as good or bad as the uses to which Harry puts it.  On the other end of the symbolic spectrum here is the Philosopher’s Stone itself, which may be said to allude to the Holy Grail, or virtually any object in religion or fable believed to be possessed of uncanny power.  This is also a symbol within a symbol, so to speak; it reflects the same unknown and frightening power of the Resurrection Stone of the final book.  Moreover, the thing itself is an allusion to darkness of a kind, common in fable.  From “The Two Sisters” fairy tale to The Chronicles of Narnia, witches turn innocent adversaries into stone (Dickerson, O’Hara  140).  Stone is inherently an intimidating essence, and Rowling is true to this allusive aspect.

Lastly,  it is important to note the early symbolic essences of the primary characters.  With Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, it may be said that innocence and vulnerability mark all, as well as potentials to be realized throughout the narrative.  Neville is a classic type in the beginning, a good-natured boy who is both victim of a tragedy and a genial simpleton.  Such simpletons in classic myth are often possessed of hidden courage, as Neville has been linked with Samwise in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings (Dickerson, O’Hara  139).  Hermione is invariably seen as representing a modern and feminist ideal, even in her early appearances.  If the boys are brave and reckless, she is rational and highly intelligent.  Moreover, her humanist zeal has been cited as symbolic of an attack on “Thatcherism,” or the British political emphasis on materialism (Anatol 97).  Ron’s presence alludes to all such faithful friends of heroes, and Headmaster Dumbledore is a quintessential mentor; wise, extremely powerful, and implacably good, he symbolizes all great and caring father figures.  With Harry Potter himself, however, there lies the symbolism usually creating the sense that the books are anti-religious, or disrespectful, for Harry is often viewed as a Jesus figure.  As will be seen, there is validity to this. Nonetheless, Harry initially is hardly a young Christ.  His scar, in fact, is symbolic of the mark of Cain, identifying him as “chosen” (Whited  127).

Last Book: Evolution of Symbols and Characters

The symbolism in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows vastly expands that of the first novel, adding great meaning.  An example of this is King’s Cross Station. In the first book, it is world between the mortal and magical worlds, bringing Harry into the latter, yet still connected to the former  (Eccleshare  65).  After Voldemort “kills” Harry, he is placed in a dreamlike King’s Cross, and there is the indication from Dumbledore that it exists as a gateway to other worlds as well: “’I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to…let’s say…board a train’” (Rowling 2007  722).  It is a magical place, yet this is also a strong allusion to Purgatory: Harry is dead and not dead and, as in Purgatory, he may still determine his own final fate.  Similarly, the Forbidden Forest takes on another symbolic dimension. The younger Harry is understandably fearful of its dangers; the older understands that entering into it, as when he must confront Voldemort, is necessary.  Harry’s choice symbolizes the courage needed to face such powerful challenges.  It is not then that the Forest itself alters, but that its meaning expands as Harry’s awareness expands.  The same sort of transformational quality is evident in how Gringotts alters for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  Like the Forest, it was an intimidating arena, to be entered only when necessary.  Like the Forest, it still is this in the final book, but with the difference that the heroes are strong enough to choose to enter, and for a greater purpose.  This motive goes to their success in breaking into the bank, as Harry’s declaration of intent sways Griphook, the goblin: “’I’m not trying to take anything for personal gain. Can you believe that?’” (Rowling 2007  488).  It may be said, then, that these three locations symbolize change through how the characters perceive them.

A primary symbol in both first and last books is the sword of Gryffindor, and the parallels to Arthurian legend are overt (Ephron  153).  This is the weapon meant for the virtuous, if not to, as in Arthur, designate a true king.  The broader interpretation then allows Neville to use it in a time of crisis, as his true nature is worthy of it.  With the “Tale of the Three Brothers” in the final book, allusions are rife in terms of any cautionary tale of myth, as in King Midas’s blind desire for wealth.  The desired objects of the tale destroy those possessing them, with the important exception of the invisibility cloak.  As that brother was not avaricious, Death was unable to claim him, and here is also an allusion to Lord of the Rings and, of course, the ring itself.  Gollum’s lust for it consumes and ultimately kills him, while Frodo’s more noble aspirations allow him to conquer the ring and, consequently, evil.  Harry’s use of the Resurrection Stone echoes this; it is employed only with a knowledge of the truth, in that whom he summons cannot be revived and do not belong in the world of the living.

As for the horcruxes, it may be argued that the symbolism here is particularly complex.  These things which encompass part of a soul are reminiscent of the Shroud of Turin, the relic of Christ perceived as an essence of Him.  With the Shroud, it is miracle, not magic, that imprints the soul of Christ in the cloth (Wilson 177); Voldemort perverts the process to secure a profane  immortality.  There is also the important fact that certain horcruxes allude to possessions in fables, in that they are prized by the world and thus have meaning to the seeker of them.  Ravenclaw’s diadem, Marvolo’s ring, the Hufflepuff cup, and the Slytherin medallion are treasures like the gold harp stolen by Jack or the festival Cinderella longs to attend.  They are of value in themselves and excite greed, and the worth of them alone is all that concerns the Dark Lord: “That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend” (Rowling  2007  709).  Tom Riddle’s diary is more personal, in that the value attached derives from Voldemort’s sense of his own greatness, and the same is true of Nagini.  In placing part of himself in the snake, Voldemort “elevates” the snake to being a version of himself, and consequently precious.  This relates to the snake from the first novel, in that its harmlessness is reversed in Nagini.  The symbolism here is classic and also Christian, in that this is the truly malevolent snake representing Satan.  That Voldemort’s own face becomes reptilian reinforces the connection; he and Nagini are essentially the same evil (Anatol  169).  As to Harry as the final horcrux, and while his own evolution is discussed below, it is important to note here that Voldemort’s killing of the part of his soul within Harry alludes to the death of Christ.  More exactly, Christ dies to expiate the sin of mankind, and at the hand of mankind.  In both cases then, the parties responsible for the evil are the only ones able to destroy it because they are the creators, and sin/evil at these levels can be ended only when such “ownership” is taken.

Not unexpectedly, the most significant evolutions occur within the characters.  To begin,  Biblical allusion is present in the character of Peter Pettigrew.  Initially a friend of his parents, Harry learns that he was a Judas, betraying the faith of the Potters to serve Voldemort.  Conversely, other characters evolve in terms of salvation.  Draco Malfoy moves from being moderately malicious to a state of dread when he is assigned the vile task of murdering Dumbledore; it taxes his nature beyond the malevolence in it, just as the immersion of his parents more deeply in Voldermort’s service finds both lacking in the necessary evil will.  Draco is at first a mirror of Harry, or a “competing prince” (Whited  173).  Obliquely, Harry’s development forces the circumstances allowing all the Malfoys no choice but to commit to evil fully or withdraw, and withdraw they do.  With Draco, then, there is the symbolic falling apart of his rival status, revealing the weakness of evil.

With Severus Snape, there is not so much reclamation or salvation as there is revelation.  In the first book, he is consistently hard on Harry and devoted to Slytherin ways.  Rowling’s subtle unveiling of his true nature may be called, in fact, the cornerstone of the series, for he is heroic on an epic scale.  Initially, he is of a pattern with the other players: “Dumbledore is wise and good. Snape is vindictive and cruel” (Anatol 23).  This consistent portrayal of him then underscores the truth, in that his entire life is devoted to honoring Lily Potter, which translates to protecting her son, fathered by a man Snape despises.  In all of this is an allusion to heraldry, or even chivalry, in that Snape lives to serve an idealized love.  Hermione and Ron evolve more conventionally, in that each discovers resources of strength and courage as each adventure requires them.  Neville’s growth is more dramatic; he comes into his own as a hero, shedding his buffoon character and entering into true manhood, which alludes to virtually all coming-of-age tales.  Rowling speaks of allowing this character to mature in ways surprising to herself, as she had no plan of having Neville and Luna become romantically involved (Beyond Hogwarts).

Ultimately, however, it is in Harry that the symbolism most strongly reveals basic character.  As noted earlier, there are comparisons between Harry and Christ, plainly based on Harry’s choice to die at Voldemort’s hand.  As Christ died for humanity, Harry understands that only his death will spare those he knows and loves, so the sacrifices are profoundly similar.  Also supporting ideas that Harry represents a Christ-like or divine character is his relation to the Deathly Hallows.  As Dumbledore notes, Harry’s innate goodness allows him the power to use the cloak, the wand, and the stone as Dumbldore himself could not: “’The stone I would have used in an attempt to bring back those who are at peace, rather than to enable my self-sacrifice, as you did’” (Rowling 2007  720).  While the parallel is then explicable, it must be observed as well that pure goodness is not confined to Christianity.  Fables and myth abound with heroes who are defined by a core of integrity, from Orpheus and Perseus to the woodcutter in “Little Red Riding Hood.”  It may be that this essential goodness enabled Rowling to so confidently write the character, as she speaks of knowing his nature from the start: “He arrived very fully formed.  It was as though I was meeting him for the first time” (Scholastic).  Consequently, if Rowling creates a Harry that is evocative of Christ, it is because she is centering her saga on an individual whose inherent goodness sets him apart from others, and which also marks him as the antithesis of evil.

Conclusion

The sheer scope of the Harry Potter novels defies classification, as even only the first and last volumes contain a vast array of symbols and allusions.  Some of these reflect Christian concepts, while others go more to classic fable.  All, however, exist to serve a dynamic narrative in which good is pitted against evil.  Objects and creatures take on symbolic import, yet so too do the characters themselves, as their evolutions reflect well-known transitions of individual natures when, as in fables, dire forces are met.  This must then invite comparison with Biblical scenes, but the similarities are by no means conclusive simply because of the basic quality of the conflicts.  Harry “dies” like Christ, but it is equally true that he sacrifices himself as any truly good man would.  Consequently,  J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, as seen by comparing symbols, allusions, and characters within the first and last novels, offers only a parable of Christian belief, and in no way defames or compromises the religion.

Works Cited

Anatol, G. L. Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print.

Beyond Hogwarts. J. K. Rowling Goes Beyond the Epilogue. 2013.Web.<http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/articles/jk-rowling-goes-beyond-the-epilogue.html>

Dickerson, M., & O’Hara, D.  From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006. Print.

Eccleshare, J. A Guide to the Harry Potter Novels. New York: Continuum Publishing, 2002. Print.

Ephron, H.  The Bibliophile’s Devotional: 365 Days of Literary Classics.  Avon: Adams Media, 2009. Print.

Frankel, V. E.  Teaching with Harry Potter: Essays on Classroom Wizardry from Elementary      School to College.  Jefferson: McFarland, 2013. Print.

Godfrey, J. S. Mythical Creatures. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1999. Print.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2007. Print.

Scholastic.com. Interview with J. K. Rowling. 2000. Web. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/interview-j-k-rowling>

Silverblatt, A., Ferry, J., & Finan, B.  Approaches to Media Literacy: A Handbook. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 2009.  Print.

Whited, L. A. The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon.        Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2004. Print.

Wilson, E. The Shroud. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.