Harry Potter Character Analysis Essay Example

Joanne Katheline Rowling is the writer of Harry Potter fantasy series, one of the best selling series all over the world. The main character being Harry – a young boy who is the main protagonist. In this paper we look at Joanne Katheline Rowling’s stand on the heroes and monsters. According to Rowling, the heroes infringe canons and have weaknesses; they go hand in hand to rescue people’s lives. On the other hand, the monsters violate rules and commit evil for their own interest.

Harry Potter: Good and Bad

Monsters have weaknesses. In Harry Potter series, there is monster, Draco Luis Malfoy, who is a Slytherin student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Lord Voldermort is a monster, too. He is the devil in the series. He greatly opposes Harry Potter. In addition, he is said to posses the might to conquer the Dark Lord. Malfoy and Voldermort is the major adversaries throughout the series. The monsters have weaknesses, too. Their worst fear is darkness – they only come out when there is light. Draco is a good example. When Draco joins Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry, his bed is near the window. He has chosen this place so as to get a glimpse of twilights. He wants to see when the sun is rising and when it is setting. Draco wants to be noticed all the time whenever he is with friends. He often seeks attention from Harry to escape rejection. Harry is renowned as the ‘chosen one’. This title creates animosity and jealousy towards Harry by Draco Malfoy. In school Harry engages in quidditch – a game in which players use broomsticks with the aim of getting the ball. It is similar to hockey. Draco’s jealousy heightens when Harry becomes the kingpin of the game despite being the youngest. Consequently, Malfoy joins the Slytherin team so as to compete with Harry’s Gryffindor team. Whenever the two teams meet there is chaos caused by Malfoy and his friends. When Decora, the new girl, arrives at Hogwarts, she encounters Malfoy who leads her to the hall. As they walk, Harry passes by and Decora shifts attention to Harry. She likes Harry’s eyes; this makes Malfoy jealous. On the other hand, Lord Voldermort tries to retaliate by killing Harry. He does so because Lily, Harry’s mother, sacrificed her life instead of Harry’s. Harry’s parents were believed to be foretelling about the killing of Voldermort.

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Harry Potter is the main protagonist in this series. He is the only child of James and Lily Potter. He is said to be partially possessing magic. When Harry was born his parents believed he would destroy Voldermort the monster. On the contrary, Voldermort kills the Potters. This happened as a result of the parents protecting their beloved son from the monster. During his early years Harry is a young orphan who is taken care of by Pertunia Dursley. Harry portrays the heroes who are out to commit evil with the aim of rescuing people’s live. At the beginning we meet Harry, a young boy, who is feeble, poor and neglected by the guardian. In the Chamber of Secrets we are introduced to Harry’s friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Hermione is a female protagonist, close to Ron and Harry. She was born with abilities of being a witch and she boasts about her status. Besides saving Ron and Harry whenever they are in trouble, she also fought for rights of the other muggle-born – like Neville Longbottom. She goes on saving those who had similar features with the monsters – like Hagrid. As for Ron, he is a young boy and classmate of Harry. In the Chamber of Secrets he is seen as timid and kind-hearted boy. He helps Harry to flee from the uncle Vernom’s house. Harry had been locked in the room so as not to go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ron comes to rescue him with a flying car and takes him home. Ron, Harry and Hermione are the leading characters in the series. They are the heroes throughout all the series. Harry is a young boy who is constantly opposed by Malfoy.

As we know, no one is born perfect. Abilities are perfected as one grows. J. K. Rowling in her works shows us Harry’s weaknesses. He is full of fury and under certain circumstances he is haughty. There was the moment when he manages to rescue Ginny Weasley who shed blood by piercing Lord Voldermort’s diary which he had found in the bathroom. In the event of unveiling the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, Harry finds a diary belonging to Tom Riddle (Rowling 15). He later finds out that Riddle is indeed Lord Voldermort who is responsible for killing of his parents. This acknowledgement makes him feel bitter because of the love he had towards his parents. The three heroes go to the forbidden forest in order to get the hidden truth. At the Chamber cave in the forest they find Ginny who has been said that he had been taken to the forest. Harry finds Ginny who has fainted and looks half dead. Voldermort appears to accuse Ginny who was the one who had opened the chamber (Rowling 25). As a result, Harry learns that Riddle is the monster. Due to his fury he pierces the diary and Ginny comes back to life. Although he is skinny he is strong and is a real fighter. With the description given about Harry we could never expect him to do so.

In Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry, the rules are to protect a student’s right. Due to differences among the students, they violate the rules with different reasons. The major similarity between heroes and monsters is that they do not obey stipulated rules. The difference is that heroes break rules so as to save lives, while monsters break rules for their personal interests. For instance, Voldermort kills Harry’s parents so as to gain the fame of witchcraft. Voldermort goes on by targeting Harry. He has greed for power. As for Draco Malfoy, while at Hogwarts, he goes to an extent of forming a gang that insults, bullies and undermines Harry. It is not allowed to bully students in Hogwarts. Malfoy does this so as to draw attention away from the friends. On the other hand, Harry is a selfless person. He has a character that is admired by all. Harry he is a go-getter. He believes in action that benefits all. When in Hogwarts, Harry flies to Malfoy so as to get Neville’s Remembrall. This happens during Madam Hooch’s flying lesson. We see that he disrespects Madam Hooch, but he does it out of the goodness of his heart to assist Neville in locating the gift that had been given to him by his grandmother (Rowling 22). The heroes believe that disobedience benefits the entire school. When Harry disobeys the uncle and comes back to Hogwarts, he helps the school remain open from the fact that he makes the school access the students to teach them. Ron also returns to school for his second year. The three heroes really believe in themselves.

Although the protagonists, Harry, Ron and Hermione break the rules, they do so to assist to rescue the muggles and pure blood. They use their magical powers, such as flying cars, to rescue people. On the other hand, the monsters have different reasons. They break rules so as to gain fame or to get attention from the rest. This difference is brought by the greed for power between the antagonists and protagonists.

What Is Harry Potter Trying to Teach Us?

This question is of particular importance in a view of the fact that a brave hero has gained popularity among a tremendous amount of people, both children and adults. A lot of people love this hero as everyone can find something similar that is close to him/her. The character of Harry Potter is truly a “storehouse” of valuable personal qualities that can be rarely seen in the modern world. Harry Potter is a bright and good personage. It is difficult to overestimate his importance for modern people, regardless of their age, sex, or national origin. In this paper, the significance of Harry Potter as a teacher of life values and principles for the modern reader will be analyzed. Moreover, attention will also be given to his psychological qualities that formed the basis of life position and ideas.

Harry Potter’s Character

In the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) the reader learns about him very important things, namely, that he is special and unlike everyone else. He lives with his aunt and her family who do not treat him well. He has lost his parents at an early age and now he is a burden on the shoulders of his aunt. However as he grows older, he realizes that he is not an ordinary boy who, for example, can speak with a snake at the zoo. At school, he reveals himself as a very brave and selfless boy who is always ready to help. He finds out who killed his parents and the reason of this act. He is not afraid to call out the name of the murderer, though, other magicians avoid this name because of their fear. Harry wants to find this wizard and destroy him. Harry makes one feat after another. With each victory, he comes closer to his main goal – to defeat the villain, who is terrible and treacherous. This battle ends with a victory not by chance, since Harry Potter’s spiritual qualities are the key to his success. Let us denote them.

Like his mother Lily, Harry Potter loves people and believes in them. Stingy in the external manifestations of emotions, the boy is very sentimental and at the same time noble, courageous, and brave. He does not allow himself to put his feelings on display. The life with his callous relatives, who did not give due care to an orphan who needed their support, played its role in the development of Harry’s character. Harry is able to see the best in people, desperately opposing himself to his relatives, who have never had “human” qualities.

Harry cannot abstract from his own emotions and rely only on the facts. He follows his intuition and often acts based on his first impressions. Consequently, he often attracts runs into trouble. Harry has a very weak point. Once he finds out about the way his parents were killed, he starts to blame himself for the fact that all his family, relatives, and friends die, giving their lives for the sake of him. Like the Himalayan heights, Harry cannot get rid of this terrible and loneliness. Harry follows his principles, but he also accepts tips from the adults whom he likes.

What Harry can Teach a Reader

As we can see, uneasy life allowed Harry to develop valuable personal qualities which not all people can boast of. While reading the entire series of Harry Potter books, it is possible to talk about the special importance of the hero for the modern reader.

First, it should be said about the notion of friendship. Harry teaches that friendship is never given easily as it must be earned. Therefore, despite the importance of grades in school, friendship is the most important (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). At the same time, one should remember that friendship is always self-perfection, so it is important to hear others and appreciate friends. A true friend will always be close, despite the fact that the whole world might turn against them.

Friendship requires loyalty and willingness to help a friend. Harry Potter is such a good friend that he values these qualities in his friends. For example, in the second part (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), all the school’s students thought that Harry was the heir of Slytherin. However, his true friends supported him and did not betray in a tough moment. Moreover, a true friend can even sacrifice his/her own live for a friend. Friendship is also associated with the ability to take responsibility. As noted by Joyce Pines (2011), “we learn that while you have to take responsibility for your own actions, you also need support and friends you can trust. Harry has great friends in Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, but they don’t always get along. There are miscommunications and hurt feelings, just like real life. But in the end, they stick together.”

The second thing, which Harry teaches his reader, is love. Though “life is fettered with darkness – death, pain, and, yes, even scars– but that love isn’t extinguished by this darkness because it is a universal truth” (“What Harry Potter Teaches Us About True Love”). People cannot live without love, as well as without friendship. At the same time, people should not shout everywhere about love. It must be confirmed by people’s own actions. A person is ready for many things for love, including death. The story of Harry Potter also reveals the concept of fame and glory, which unfortunately are not permanent. One needs to remember that friendship and love cannot be bought with money or gained with the help of fame. Moreover, Harry Potter draws the viewer’s attention to the problem of life mistakes. The emphasis is not on the idea that we should not make mistakes, but on the fact that all of us must learn to recognize own mistakes and try to correct them. The topic of forgiveness, including self-forgiveness, occupies one of the central places in the book. It is very difficult to forgive, but it is a necessary thing to do. However, one must clearly understand when to use it. One should make his or her own choice whether to forgive such actions as a betrayal, murder, and deceit.

Moreover, Harry Potter teaches us that we should not believe everything which is attractive and seems to be nice. The most important is to see the essence of a thing or event, especially when it comes to human relations. Not always people that seem to be good and noble are good and noble in reality, and vice versa. The familiarity with Harry Potter’s character also provides with an opportunity to answer the question about death, which is of primary concern to many people. Regarding the death, Harry Potter indicates that it is a natural process, which usually occurs unexpectedly. It is very scary to watch and suffer when some of the loved ones dies. Harry also suffers the death of loved ones. However, he teaches that we should continue to live, no matter what happens. Harry believes that life consists of both happy and sad moments, and nobody should forget about it. He makes us understand that one needs to take life as it is.

The story of Harry Potter is not only a story of the struggle between external good and evil, but also a story of the struggle between good and evil within oneself. Each of us has both bad and good sides, and the main task is to fight against the inside evil inside. To fight and to win. Harry Potter is an example of optimism and faith not only in himself, but also in his friends. This young man combines the goodness of heart, sensitivity, and responsiveness. At the same time, the fearlessness of his soul directs his life and actions in the fight for just a cause.

Harry Potter is not a simple wizard whose main task is to perform magic actions. I think that this hero can be called a modern Socrates. Despite his youth, Harry is able to amaze a reader with the power of his spirit, steadfastness of his faith, and devotion to his life ideals and principles. As we know, these qualities glorified an ancient philosopher Socrates. Like no one else, Harry knows how to make friends, love, and show care and attention. He is capable of compassion and understanding others.

Harry teaches the reader to show independence of personal choice, responsibility for own actions, and willingness to pay the penalty if one is guilty. This hero is an embodiment of the most precious values in life. Therefore, his importance for the modern reader can hardly be overestimated. Harry Potter is a great teacher not only for children, but also for adults. It is no wonder that people of all ages cannot but fall in love with the image of Harry Potter. Harry Potter deserves being imitated in his most positive attributes as he is a heroic and dignified person. The story of Harry Potter is not a usual fairy tale, but a guide that helps us to understand the complexity of life and at the same time it offers options for its dignified passing.