I read the famous Harry Potter series just like everyone else and I enjoyed them, but there was always something about the series that kept me from truly loving the books the way so many others did. I have recently discovered one cause of this. In the series the character Lord Voldemort is described as being evil from his childhood. It never describes an instance that has turned him this way; he just was evil from the beginning. This is probably the shallowest take on the matter of good and evil I have ever heard. Even many religions believe that the devil was a child of God before he became the devil.
And on the other end there’s Harry. Born with the love and pureness of his parents who were killed before be could talk. He is inherently pure and the only one who can stop the ultimate evil. Yet throughout the series he shows no particular goodness other than the basic decency of most humans nor does he show much talent as a wizard. Altogether a pretty naive point of view for a world famous book.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The problem with Harry Potter
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9 comments:
Well, the books aren't meant to be a literary masterpiece, but rather a commercial masterpiece. You are right for the most part though, although I did find the stories of Voldemort's childhood fascinating. Also, on the "devil was a child of god" point, I think you are a little blinded by your Mormon upbringing (and that applies whether your family is Mormon or not). That doctrine, I am quite sure (I might be wrong though), is somewhat exclusive to the LDS faith. Now, I'm going to avoid a Huckabee, and not delve any more into it at the current time.
Excuse me, Adam, but I don't think it's possible to be "blinded by a Mormon upbringing."
I agree and disagree, Shea. It's odd that Voldemort was never good, but we see Harry's struggles with a bit of an evil side, starting with the Sorting Hat's wish to put him in Slytherin. Hardly a symbol of absolute purity.
Sarah: you misunderstood me! I didn't mean "blinded" as in that the LDS church was teaching and spreading false doctrines. I wasn't slandering the LDS church at all. All I meant was that he may have a misconception that most Christians believe that Jesus and Satan were brothers and that Satan was a child of God. Misconceptions such as these are due to the homogeneous LDS culture here, which often causes kids to not have a clear picture of other world and Christian religions. I was raised by a LDS father and an evangelical mother, and I know that evangelicals (majority of Christians) do not believe in that primarily-LDS doctrine.
Also, Sarah: good point on Harry's struggles with a bit of an evil side!
Okay guys, Harry does NOT struggle with the evil side. Part of Voldemort was inserted into him when the Avara Kadavra curse was used on him (see book #7). Harry was turned into a horcrux for Voldemort, so, Harry did not struggle with the evil side, mearly he was forced to deal with the evil which Voldemort had inserted into him.
I agree somewhat--but even if Harry hadn't been a horcrux, I believe he did have a thirst to prove himself, and to strike back at the forces that killed his parents. Remember when he wanted to kill Sirius? Harry's not this perfect, pure, angelic hero. Horcrux or not, he'd still have those issues to work out and rise above. Which is why Harry Potter rocks :)
I agree, no one can be completely good or completely evil... every person has both tendencies in them, including harry potter. Even though he is fiction
I agree with Shea, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Voldemort to be evil from the beginning. No sense at all.
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