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REYNOLDS |
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Five Things to Learn from Harry Potter
by John Mark Reynolds [author,
academic] 7/31/07
Bottom Line: Harry Potter may be fictional, but there are important truths in his life . . . at least through book six!
I will let you know if I change my mind at the end of book seven . . . but so far there are five important themes in He Who Must Wear
Round Glasses life . . . beyond the fact that inventing such a
character and marketing him well will get you a castle of your own!
Contributor
John Mark Reynolds
John
Mark Reynolds is the founder and director of
the Torrey Honors Institute and Associate Professor
of Philosophy at Biola University. His
personal website can be found at www.johnmarkreynolds.com and
his blog can be found at http://scriptoriumdaily.com.
[go to Reynolds index] |
First, magic cannot solve real problems. For most moderns technology
is magical . . . . allowing them to manipulate physical reality to do
stupendous things. Magic in Potter is astounding, and technology in
reality is amazing, but it men are still men. Deep human problems,
hatred and pride, cannot be solved by waving a wand anymore than
loneliness vanishes when you turn up an Ipod.
Second, like Harry many people get off to a bad start in life
(losing parents is only the start for poor Harry), but a bad start does
not have to control a person’s destiny. Finding good mentors really
matters. Harry is blessed by having concerned friends of his parents
who intervene into his dreadful circumstances . . . many real human
beings can look about and find their own Hagrid or Dumbledore in school
and church.
Third, some people choose to be wicked, enjoy being wicked, and
cannot be helped in the end. Of course, (thank goodness!) many of us do
bad things (as Harry does at times) and then are sorry. We turn from
evil ways and are deeply sorry for them. Some people not only don’t do
that, but are happy to be bad. They reject the ethical laws of nature
and of Nature’s God and must be opposed with force.
We can pity He Who Must Not Be Blogged About and understand why he
became what he is, but he still has to be stopped. The delusion that
everyone bad is “sorry” or “misunderstood” is more a fantasy than the
magic in Potter.
Fourth, Harry learns not to look to government for solutions to
problems and that politicians sometimes like to deny rising evil to put
off difficult tasks. It can after be popular (for a time) to shout,
“Peace! Peace!” when there is no peace.
It is not just the Ministry of Magic that wants to deny that there
is an evil out there that must be opposed . . . or spends more time
inventing elaborate regulations on almost everything than winning a
war.
Finally, Harry grows up. He does not try to stay a boy forever like some wizard Peter Pan.
He faces the growing responsibilities that come with adult pleasures
and pains. Potter knows that you cannot play Quidditch forever. Harry
doesn’t sit and watch television hoping to avoid his issues nor does he
cut himself off from adult contact. He has strong peer relationships,
but he also has good adult relationships as well. Harry knows snogging
is fun, but true love is better. All enjoyable things in his life come
with the need for restraint. ExileStreet
copyright
2007 John Mark Reynolds
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