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Lacking in DepthMay 09 '00 (Updated May 19 '00) Write an essay on this topic.First off, a confession: I have only read the first volume, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. Perhaps my concerns with this series would evaporate upon reading the other volumes, but with all that I have read about them, I don't think so. Secondly, another confession: my children are much too young for Harry Potter... I bought the book for myself! I am a kid-lit junkie. At the top of my list are C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, and Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series. Not to forget Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time series, either, but I better stop now or I won't get to my point about Harry Potter. (E. Nesbitt! E. Nesbitt! There, now I'll stop.) Like all the aforementioned series, Harry Potter brings us an appealing cast of characters, with clearly delineated "good guys" and "bad guys". Well, there are some ambiguous characters in all the stories, but for the most part, we always know who we're routing for, and who against. The classic misfit-makes-good story is always a favorite, because no matter how popular a child is, he always has his "out" moments. Harry gives us that, too. Of course it's always terrific fun when children can do something that grown-ups can't -- and when it's something that's terribly important to the grown-ups, so much the better! Again, Harry delivers splendidly, all that, and magic, too. So it would seem on all accounts that Harry is winner, right? Well, no. As I said in my title, I find Harry lacking in the depth that all the other "classic" series I listed above have in abundance. Before I go any further, though, let me state clearly that I enjoyed the book, and I think it's wonderful that so many children are discovering the joy of reading through this series. That said, I have my doubts that Harry Potter will ever be classified in the same league as Narnia. What I find most troubling about Harry is that there is no explanation for the world being the way it is. I'm not just a disgruntled Muggle, either. I can accept the fact that I can't do magic, because I have faith in God. I believe there is a spiritual and mystical dimension to our lives. So, in Harry's world, I want to know why the Muggles can't do magic and the magical folks can. It's not like the magical folks are the ones who believe in magic, and so can practice it. Obviously some Muggles know about it, but they still can't do it. Why? Is magical ability a genetic trait? Then how come some magical folk are born, out of nowhere it would seem, into Muggle families? (For example, Harry's mother.) It remains a mystery, but it's easy to let this one slide. More importantly, I want to know where do those who practice the Dark Arts get their power, and how does everyone else defend against them? These are questions that never get answered, either. What underlying philosophy or world view sustains those who practice what I suppose we should call the "Light Arts?" (It's never so-named in the book). What is it that makes the Dark Arts evil? How is this evil to be recognized and defeated? As a previous reviewer already stated, children are already familiar with dragons; books like this introduce them to the concept of St. George. St. George, however, had God on his side, a power for good to use in defense against the evil of the dragon. The magicals don't seem to have any such supernatural ally to call on. They won't even speak Voldemort's name, they live in such fear of him. Evil obviously has a lot more sway than Good in Harry's world, which is not surprising given the complete lack of spirituality, or faith in anything, that is depicted. This primacy of Evil, with no counter-balancing force for Good, is pretty disturbing. Perhaps J.K. Rowling is squeamish about the whole religious aspect of morality, the force for Good, but I find that omitting any mention of spirituality whatsoever -- both among the Muggles and the magicals -- leaves a huge whole in the fabric of the world she created. Ostensibly, this is our world. Children love that conceit, that everything is normal, usual, until one day... poof! Something happens, and there you are in a magical realm. The Muggle world that Rowling gives us is one so devoid of faith in anything at all that it is sickening. Yes, I realize that it is meant to be a caricature, but it is quite disheartening nonetheless. Of course Harry's step-family has to be the worst possible sort of Muggles, and yes, there are Muggles who do believe in magic and even support sending their children off to Hogwarts to be properly educated in it. But no one is ever depicted as having faith (or the lack thereof) in anything else, and that is quite disturbing to me. It's magic, or it's nothing. There are "Dark Arts" to be on guard against, and great Evil to be defeated... but no greater Good to draw upon. Recent surveys indicate that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God or some concept of a "universal spirit." I would assume a similar statistic would hold for the U.K. as well. Why would such an important and wide-spread concept be totally omitted from Harry's world? I'm still quite irritated by the fact, in this completely secular world, that everyone, Muggles and magicals alike, celebrates Christmas. The Christmas scenes in The Sorcerer's Stone set my teeth on edge. Rowling sucked all the religious significance out of Christmas and left behind only the trimmings and presents. I would've at least expected the magicals to celebrate "Winter Solstice," but no, it was Christmas at Hogwarts, too. Why? Charitably (or perhaps not so charitably), I assume Rowling has underestimated her intended audience and simply decided to avoid the issue altogether. In less charitable moments, I ascribe a certain laziness or political correctness, an unwillingness to offend anyone's beliefs by backing a particular moral code or philosophy. Whatever her reasons, Rowling's work is flawed by her unwillingness to balance the great Evil she depicts with a Good that is greater than the sum of a few individuals. The classic children's series all prominently feature heroes who must defeat unearthly Evil. But the concept of God (and often, Christianity specifically) is an integral part of Narnia and the other series I mentioned. These concepts are not above children's comprehension. Indeed, incorporating these ideas helps children to understand how their faith in something larger, better than humanity can be more fully integrated into their lives. Stories in which the heroes draw on their faith in something larger enrich children's lives by demonstrating how powerful such faith can be. But Harry never has to reach beyond his own inborn abilities and steadfast friends. In the final analysis, I'm left wondering, why was everyone else so terribly afraid of Voldemort? Harry is depicted somewhat as a Messiah, but we don't know why, or how he came to be that way. He just is, and the lack of further explanation on that point weakens the characterization. Good versus Evil is a story line with built-in "draw". But Harry Potter just skims the surface of what could be compelling stories. We get magical action-adventure, plots that move along quickly, and appealing characters, but because there is no larger context to fit them in, the Harry Potter series will never transcend the level of Saturday morning cartoon entertainment.  |
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