The next two books on our syllabus are very dear to me because I read both series with my husband, who is ordinarily not a fiction-reader. I think his opinion of children's literature pre-Harry Potter can be summed up by this clip from the Onion:
Adults Go Wild Over Latest In Children's Picture Book Series
When "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" came out, the Starbucks where I work stayed open until 3am to help caffeinate the Barnes and Noble employees and their eager customers. We made a special menu board of magical drinks and dressed up in costumes to celebrate the event. My dear spouse was a little taken aback by all the excitement, particularly in the adults that couldn't wait even one day to get their copy. He resolved to read the series from the beginning so that he too could enjoy the final chapter of the saga. I had only read the first three novels, so we undertook the project together, and spent hours and days in cafes and diners, reading through lunch, coffee, pie, dinner, more coffee, leaving generous tips - anything so that we could keep our comfortable little reading nook to ourselves.
There are two elements in both series that we both found thoroughly engaging: the sustaining friendships in both series (and especially in the Golden Compass, the daemonic suggestion that a person can be his or her own best friend), and the capacity for moral ambiguity in heroes and villains alike. The Deathly Hallows contains my favorite revelation about a morally ambiguous character, Severis Snape, but the Prisoner of Azkaban offers two very compelling cases in Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, the reader learns that Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, the makers of the Marauders Map, are none other than James Potter and his three best friends, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. These are the people who meant to James Potter what Ron and Hermione mean to Harry. By identifying these key figures in his father's life, Harry gets to know his father a little better, and also gains insight into the nature of his own friendships. Why does Rowling choose to shroud Professor Lupin in mystery and saddle Sirius Black with such dark suspicions? In the dark times of Voldemort's reign, somehow these friends were wedged apart from one another, at the hands of Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew, or as he is more commonly called in Harry's world, Scabbers the rat! Rowling offers a warning here against cowardice and deceit. Pettigrew is seen with disgust and repulsion, he was unworthy of his friends. Readers see that friendship must be loyal and brave, even against unspeakable evil. It is better to die, to travel life impoverished and alone, or to rot in prison, than to sell out one's friends.
But Harry's friends bear little resemblance to Wormtail. Lupin trusted his friends with the secret that he is a werewolf, and they became animagi to keep him company on lonely full moonlit nights. Similarly, Harry's friends do not judge him for his ability to speak parseltongue, the vilified language of snakes. Sirius found a new family among his friends, as Harry does among his. A hero needs a community, a connection to reality that makes his fight meaningful. He needs to feel that his life means something to someone. Like Ged needs Vetch, or Frodo needs Samwise Gamgee, Harry needs Ron and Hermione around to help him complete his quest. The nature of evil is to obscure, to confuse, to make ambiguous even those things that are essential. The hero fails when his vision is clouded and he no longer knows on what or whom he can rely. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry begins to see why his parents lost their battle, how their communal bonds were weakened and dissolved from the inside. And he makes that discovery with his best friends by his side, becoming stronger and more aware together.
Purpose for Imaginative Literature
15 years ago
Haha, what a funny video! I loved how the guy host said he was “in the middle of” Green Man Jumps!
ReplyDeleteAlso, your job sounds like it was a really fun place to be on HP night…I’m kind of sad there aren’t any more books coming out, so I can get in on some of the fun-named drinks! I think it’s really cool that you and your husband read the series together because it’s so sad when you are enjoying reading something, yet have no one to discuss it with! (On a side note, I just realized that every sentence I wrote so far ends with an exclamation point…)
It is interesting what Rowling says about the nature of friendship and loyalty, and the fact that she and characters like Sirius believe it is better to die than to betray your friends. Clearly she puts a lot of stock in the value of friendships, which makes sense since the main friendship we see in these novels will literally be the one that saves the world from Voldemort. I totally agree with your statement about how evil can make a hero question or forget who he can trust. Luckily for Harry, he knew Ron and Hermione would always be there for him, even to the death!
I agree with your opinion on the importance of friendship throughout the novels we have read so far. The example that you describe from Harry Potter about everyone remaining loyal no matter what reminds me of the lessons kids are taught about not tattling on someone or keeping secrets. These are important lessons that need to be instilled upon children because the concept of loyalty is something that remains important no matter how old you are.
ReplyDelete