A young kid growing up in an oppressive family situation suddenly learns that he is one of a special class of children with special abilities, who are to be educated in a remote training facility where student life is dominated by an intense game played by teams flying in midair, at which this kid turns out to be exceptionally talented and a natural leader. He trains other kids in unauthorized extra sessions, which enrages his enemies, who attack him with the intention of killing him; but he is protected by his loyal, brilliant friends and gains strength from the love of some of his family members. He is given special guidance by an older man of legendary accomplishments who previously kept the enemy at bay. He goes on to become the crucial figure in a struggle against an unseen enemy who threatens the whole world.
This is Orson Scott Card, describing either the Harry Potter series, or his own novel Ender's Game, which was published fifteen years earlier. Structurally, it's impossible to say which one he is referring to, because structurally they are the same story.
I open with this because this is the level at which I want to briefly analyze Harry Potter: the structural level.
I am convinced that at a structural level, what is going on in Harry Potter isn't witchcraft or magical at all. The "magic" of Harry Potter is purely technological. Two elements of the books and films make this extremely clear.
First, there are the tools used. Wands and broomsticks are traditionally associated with magic users, largely because tree branches and brooms are extremely common materials that anyone can access. But in the Harry Potter world, they're made potent by their uncommon-ness, just like high-level technology in, say, Star Wars. Broomsticks are marketed and mass produced, and you can tell the best ones by their fancy names: The Nimbus 2000, for instance.
Second, there is the way the "magic" is wielded. To watch a magical duel is just like watching Star Wars. They're literally shooting laser beams at each other. And it's just like an old Western. The bad guys shoot when the good guys have their backs turned, and shoot to kill; the good guys just shoot the guns out of the bad guys hands, unless they have no other choice.
What is missing is any magical element. The characters do not draw chalk circles or pentagrams, do not make bargains with Satan, do not commune with the dead or entrap powerful spirits to do their bidding. They're just utilizing the natural world: they're using technology.
And the one exception is, in fact, exceptional. Because there is magic in Harry Potter, the same sort of deep magic we find in Narnia or Middle-Earth. When Harry's parents sacrifice themselves to save his life, a deep magic (wholly unlike what is taught at their silly "wizarding school") takes root in Harry's life. There is power in their love and self-sacrifice, and Voldemort's killing curse rebounds on him. This true magic undergirds the whole storyline of the Harry Potter series, and it is completely in line with the Christian literary tradition.
Do you see parallels in the stories of Harry Potter and Ender's Game? Why do you think the magic of Harry Potter is often viewed as less acceptable than the magic of Narnia?
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Comments (20)
I've never quite understood the difference between HP and any other good works of literature that involve magic, such as Narnia or even LotR. They are all fiction. Most kids know the difference between pretend and real life. As you said, HP magic is nothing like the witchcraft that real witches use. When it comes down to it Harry Potter are fantastic novels that teach very good lessons to children growing up. I grew up with Harry and it did not cause me to turn to witchcraft whatsoever. If anything I wanted to emulate Harry's courage and determination.
@SexyGamerGirl@xanga - I am impressed at how consistently you comment on all these Harry Potter posts. I was just thinking, "Oy, there are so many posts on Revelife about Harry Potter, who would ever want to read more than one?"
I agree with you, of course.
@SirNickDon@xanga - Well they tend catch my attention because I'm a huge Potter fan, and fantasy fan for that matter. But HP was what I grew up on, so they are very near and dear to my heart.
I also find most of your entries very interesting in general, even though we don't always agree. I feel like your one of the few people that I can respectfully disagree with because you are able back up what you writing with very well written arguments.
Of course in this case I'm right behind you in every way, shape and form. :)
@SexyGamerGirl@xanga - I agree with you..
From what I read of Ender's Game, it's different from Harry Potter in various ways. I don't even think they are really much in the same vein. Though of course there will always be something similar to each other.
lol I think that this is sort of like saying that humans are just apes. Structurally speaking, we are the same; we have a skeleton, and almost 99% same genetic code. But we're a "completely different animal" altogether.
Structurally there are similarities between HP's magic and technology, but it is the details that make the difference.
The second part of the question is a very fair and astute question, I think. Now, I'm not at all familiar with Narnia, but assuming that it has magic, then I still consider it the same as HP and LOTR. So I see now difference.
The "witches" are still evil in Narnia and LOTR...I think HP just gets a bad rap because both the good guys and the bad guys have access to the same "unforgivable" spells, and also possibly because the magic in HP is depicted as secret from the majority of the population, whereas the other two fictional worlds have most of the characters being familiar with some magic...although even the less adventurous hobbits thought there was something kind of shady or frightening about magic and the elves and all of that. And in Narnia, there is actually very little magic (that I recall) which doesn't either come directly from Aslan, or from the primary enemies in the stories, like the witches or Tash...although there are pagan gods, like Pan or Dionysus that are depicted in the Narnia books as being on Aslan's side, which did strike me as very strange when I read the books, since they weren't very Christian-like characters in most mythology.
Idk...I think that lots of books have the basic storyline of good vs. evil, but the way Christians treat HP as something that's so bad we can't even let our kids THINK about reading it seems really pointless.
@ReeserTheShadow@xanga - You actually have a really good point about both sides having access to the "unforgivable" curses in HP. But I'd have to add that most of the good characters try very hard to not use those spells. In fact many of the good characters tend to stun and not kill. In any case, good point.
I think Harry Potter is probably less acceptable partly because the author doesn't claim to be Christian. It is kind of similar to Christian music. An artist who uses the Christian label is accepted easily, regardless of the amount of "god-talk" present in their music. An artist who doesn't use a Christian label is going to be automatically be dismissed by a majority of Christians as "wordly." It all comes down to the fact that we can't rely on labels - just like being a good parent means watching the movie with/before your kids, instead of relying on the G or PG label. Everyone needs to view the material for themselves before they take a stance.
@ReeserTheShadow@xanga - @SexyGamerGirl@xanga - It seems that Harry Potter is very similar to being a Christian in some ways. We ALL have very easy access to both good and bad things. I mean more general than witchcraft - things that enable us to commit adultery, have addictions, view pornography, and kill people. It is all about how we use knowledge and technology, for good or for bad.
@LupusInvictus@xanga - Actually, J. K. Rowling is very vocal about being a Christian. She grew up in the Church of England and currently attends the Church of Scotland. She has acknowledged struggling with doubts about her faith, but she still affirms her belief in God and the afterlife.
@Crono09@xanga - Well there you go - another case for one of my above comments about labels being less important than content. I guess I was speaking more in terms of highly apparent displays of Christianity - like CS Lewis writing fiction books and books that are explicitly related to religion. Or books which are available in the "Christian" section of bookstores.
I think part of what makes the story so powerful is that fact that the good guys have access to the same power as the bad guys but they *choose* the better path.
Harry's wand, for example, is the 'brother wand' of Voldemort's... Olivander tells him that he is destined for 'great things'. Harry could have seen that in the same way as Tom Riddle (Voldemort) did and gone on to seek power for himself, but he doesn't.
When Harry is being sorted, the sorting hat, again, tells him he is capable of greatness and that Slytherin House, traditionally known for their 'ends justifies the means' attitude would help him on the path to his personal success. Harry repeatedly thinks 'not slytherin, not slytherin,' because he doesn't follow this attitude.
Dumbledore explains later to Harry that it is not our backgrounds and situations, or even talents, that shape us, but the choices that we make. It isn't the power that we have, but the way that we choose to use it.
Harry certainly has the abilities and the right background (his parents were murdered, those he loves are frequently taken from him - this could fuel a consuming hatred and desire for revenge) to become the powerful and evil man that Voldemort is, but he chooses not to. He chooses the right path.
I think that whatever way you look at it, this can only be a strong tale of morality and love to pass on to our younger generations.
in the last part of the last book in the sealer harry he chear to selfsacrifice him safe and die aND TO COME BACK TO LIVE HE TRY TO GET VOLDEMORT TO REPEMT OF HIS EVIL WAY HE REVER TO SOLD VOLDEMORT DESAT TO FITE TO THE DEAT WITH HARRY WITH GOOD CONGER EVIL
Reading this post and comments has given me a new view of Harry Potter.
My daughter consistantly argues with me that there is nothing bad about
Harry Potter.
I allways dissmissed it as bad because christianity said so, which is odd
coming from me as I have spent the better part of the last 15 years trying
to distance myself from christianity.
Any way I would never allow iot to be watched in my house.
My Bad, My familys Loss.
Now I know what to get my daughter for christmas.
I am going to get her all the Harry Potter Movies and I am going to watch
them with her.
Thank you.
@LupusInvictus@xanga - Yeah, I understood the point you were getting at. There a lot of people who think that she isn't a Christian--and even some rumors that she's a practicing witch!--so I wanted to clear it up for anyone who might be reading through the comments.
@ltdpaden - you should get her the books! they're so much better!
@bekkabrutality@xanga -
I did not know there even were books on this.
That is a great Idea though as my daughter
also loves reading.
I will check into that.
Thank you.
I didn't realize the parallels between the Harry Potter series and Ender's Game before, very interesting.
"What is missing is any magical element. The characters do not draw
chalk circles or pentagrams, do not make bargains with Satan, do not
commune with the dead or entrap powerful spirits to do their bidding.
They're just utilizing the natural world: they're using technology."
I think this post is very interesting, and I agree with it for the most part, but there are two things in that paragraph that even real witches do not do: make bargains with Satan, and commune with the dead/entrap spirits to do their bidding. For the most part, witches don't believe in Satan. Satan is a purely Christian concept, his image based on the Pagan god of Pan (or gods similar to him), which was sometimes used to scare the heathens into converting.
On the second part, though you could argue that some people use Ouija boards or do seances, but no serious witch would do something so foolish. The spirits that have left should be left alone and respected, and it is usually silly teenagers who indulge in "calling up the dead." Also, you cannot "entrap" a spirit, neither from a dead person or alive, or at least I don't believe so. It's just something used to scare people. I think each spirit is equal in strength, and you can't just grab someone's soul and put it in a jar, make it work for you. And if this was true, again, no self-respecting witch would do such a thing. Free will is the most important part of all life.
@ltdpaden - The books are much better and should certainly be read before seeing the films. The powerful messages of morality, selflessness, and friendship are not nearly as powerful in the movies. Sadly, the movies are more interested in being "fun" and "action-packed." They are not bad movies by any means, but I would recommend starting with the books.