Harry Potter

[azalea]

Okay, I finished it, and I'm so upset -- all of the copies of Chamber of Secrets at my library were OUT! So I have to wait until one comes in to read it! I'm going tomorrow, and I'm hoping for a happy surprise.

Here are some general thoughts I had while reading the book, in no particular order.

First, the controversy: I can see why a lot of people thought this book "promotes witchcraft," but my take on it is that the book is obviously a fantasy story, using traditional storybook traits of witches and wizards as its premise. Things like carrying around toads and riding on broomsticks are just her way of painting the picture of her fantasy world with familiar fairy tale notions, and give an avenue for her character development.

I trust that children know the difference between reality and fantasy enough by the time they are at this reading level that they would no more try to perform spells than sit in a wardrobe waiting to be transported to Narnia after reading LWW. The tricky area is imaginary play. The child might play as if he has these powers, but I think that is probably as harmless as his pretending to be a superhero. As long as parents are involved and are actively teaching the difference between fantasy and reality, there shouldn't be a problem. From a moral standpoint, the parent has an opportunity to highlight the family's spiritual beliefs in contrast to what is presented in the book. I think it provides a teachable moment for the family of faith. Plus, there is the very prominent line drawn in the story between the "good" and "bad" sides -- it's just a twist on the classic good versus evil theme.

The danger lies in the child who is having a difficult time socially, or has a very weak family structure in place and becomes obsessed with the idea of having these powers. However, I submit that the problem in this case doesn't lie with the book itself, but rather with the child and his support system.

I think what highlights the negative as far as the use of witchcraft is that Muggles are generally looked down upon, and the witches and wizards present themselves as superior. To me, their having that attitude is actually more harmful for the impressionable reader (from a morality perspective) than their use of magic, etc. Snobbery by the powerful "good" characters toward the regular folks sends a message that just doesn't sit well with me.

The other thing that I think is a sticking point, one which is my main issue with the book in terms of morality, is that Harry continually breaks the rules, and is continually rewarded (in various ways) for doing so! This continues from the time he enters Hogwarts to the very climax of the book, and we discover that the most venerable character in the book has kind of set it up this way. I think this message is infinitely more harmful (than the "unreal" lesson of "witchcraft is good") to children reading the book in terms of a takeaway moral lesson --it says it is necessary and desirable to break rules to accomplish your goals, or accomplishing your personal goals is more important than following the rules set down by a trustworthy authority. There is hardly ever ultimately a negative consequence for him when he breaks the rules, it always turns out to his benefit in some way.

I really didn't like his attitude toward some of the other children, either. His compassion towards Ron is sharply contrasted with his immediate rudeness toward Hermione (at first) and even his malice toward Malfoy. Granted, Malfoy is a snob and bully, but Harry seems to encourage the animosity between them rather than try to avoid it. The worst, though, was the part where he pairs up with someone in a class or something, and is glad because "Neville had been trying to catch his eye."

Now, I know that it was mostly because of Neville's clumsiness that Harry didn't want to do whatever spell it was with him (I can't quite remember), but I think Rowling needed to make that more clear, because at first glance, and perhaps to a lot of kids, it sounds like it's only because Neville is the class outcast. That is such a sensitive thing, because I think labeling a character as such, then having the beloved lead character purposely avoid him because of it is a missed opportunity -- in the end we can see how the three main characters' interactions have had a positive influence by their interactions with Neville throughout the book, but she could have made Harry a little less like this towards him and more like this . Anyway, it was just a minor thing that really stood out to me.
Then again, I suppose it makes his character more natural.

There were only a few other minor glitches in the story that really don't matter in a children's book, but that are kind of noticable to the adult reader (I can't think of what they were right now, though). It might be her use of certain classic devices, or the fact that Harry is so "special" AND a "hero" (I'm thinking of Quiddich here, among other things). It's just more fun when a kid like Neville or Ron does something heroic. You can see why (if the spoilers I've read here are any indication) Snape didn't like Harry's dad! Popular, skilled at sports and wizardry, and good-looking... and then saves his life (IOW, he ended up needing James). I think we all get a little irritated at people who seem to be too "perfect," and seem to flaunt it in our faces!

Anyway, the bottom line is that I think it was an excellent story, and a well-written book. Rowling certainly has a good imagination and is clever in terms of creating a good mystery and a tied-together storyline (not to mention characters who really come to life on the pages). I'm really glad I finally got to read it!