The Harry Potter series is a popular series of young adult fantasy novels authored by J.K. Rowling and a subsequent series of big screen film adaptations. The series follows the titular character, Harry Potter, an orphaned teenager who discovers he is a wizard and enrolls at a school for witchcraft and wizardry known as Hogwarts. As he progresses through his school years, he learns of his true past and prepare for his battle against Lord Voldemort, an evil wizard who had murdered Harry’s parents. Both the book and film series have garnered immense popularity, fan following and have become important aspects of modern pop culture. However, there is more to this saga than just fantastical settings, characters and battles. Rowling narrates the story through seven installments which contain multiple hidden meanings, themes and metaphors, Here are some of them.
- Societal segregation – It is quickly established in the first book and film of the series, Philosopher’s Stone, that wizards are feared by people who do not possess magical abilities, known as Muggles. Therefore, the wizarding world takes extreme precautions to ensure their existence is not revealed to the Muggles. The segregation between the Muggles and the wizards & witches can be seen as a reference to the racial oppression and segregation of many ethnic races over the world and over the centuries. Harry Potter himself acts as a metaphor for this very societal segregation at the hands of his uncle, aunt and cousin, who adopt him as an orphan. Harry’s adoptive family does not treat him in a fair manner and try to cage his magical abilities and his existence from the rest of their residence neighborhood.
- Class struggles – Class struggles play an important role in the series. Rowling highlights the psyche of various wizards and witches who represent the ideology of superiority of upper classes in the society. In Philosopher’s Stone, we are introduced to Draco Malfoy, a wizard belonging to a wealthy wizarding family who looks down upon Ron Weasley, one of Harry’s best friends who hails from a comparatively poorer wizarding family. Draco inherits this ideology from his father Lucius, who is introduced in the second novel, Chamber of Secrets. Draco additionally insults Hermione Granger, another one of Harry’s best friends by calling her a ‘mudblood’, a derogatory word for a wizard who is born to Muggle parents. Readers also learn of Salazar Slytherin, a founding wizard of Hogwarts who believed that pure blood wizards should solely be granted admission to Hogwarts. Lord Voldemort, a descendant and follower of Slytherin, carries this ideology forward as he wants pure blood wizards to take over both the wizarding and non-magical worlds.
- Leadership – Throughout the series, we witness many instances, where various characters assume a role of leadership in various contexts. Harry Potter often assumes the role of the leader of his group of friends – Ron and Hermione. However, his role as a leader is greatly explored in Order of the Phoenix, the fifth installment, where he leads an entire batch of students in learning defensive spells. In such a moment, he becomes an inspiring mentor and leader to his peers. The headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, represents the symbol of leadership, as he leads the school with his knowledge, skills and experience, and often preparing Harry for his final confrontation with Voldemort. Additionally, he leads the Order of the Phoenix, a group of forces opposing Voldemort’s forces. In Philosopher’s Stone, we see Ron taking up leadership in the final act of the story, where he instructs Harry and Hermione on how to go about their moves in the giant chessboard which acts as an obstacle in the way of the Philosopher’s Stone. Minerva McGonagall, one of Harry’s professors, additionally takes the lead in setting up defenses against Voldemort’s attack on Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows, the final book and film of the series.
- Terrorism – Lord Voldemort is considered to be one of the most dangerous characters in the Harry Potter universe. One of the most powerful dark wizards to ever live, Voldemort had a vast following, who have committed atrocious crimes in his name. We learn in Philosopher’s Stone that as Voldemort gained power and prominence, he went on a spree that resulted in the killing and kidnappings of many wizards and witches, until his disappearance when he tried to kill Harry Potter as a child unsuccessfully. With the wizarding world at large aware of his return at the climax of Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort’s and his followers’ activities of murders and kidnappings spiral upward, often extending to the Muggle world, particularly in Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the series, as well as Deathly Hallows. Voldemort’s large-scale crimes cause fear in the wizarding world. In such a manner, Voldemort’s activities can be likened to a modern-day terrorist. In Half-Blood Prince, we get to know Voldemort, whose birth name was Tom Riddle, was manipulative as a child. Philosopher’s Stone sees a weak form of Voldemort inhabiting a body of a professor, instructing him to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone. Ron’s sister, Ginny is manipulated in Chamber of Secrets by Voldemort in the form of a teenage Tom Riddle to release a creature who attacks the students, causing them to end up in a catatonic state. His manipulative abilities are a factor in his large following and aid him in his crimes.
- Female empowerment – Hermione Granger is one of the strongest female characters present in the series, Hermione’s knowledge of magic lead to readers and viewers pointing out that she is extremely studious, but her skills often help Harry and Ron and herself beat tricky situations, such as when the three defeat a cave troll in Philosopher’s Stone, courtesy of Hermione knowing of the requisite spell to defeat it. Hermione’s knowledge of brewing potions comes in handy in Chamber of Secrets, where she brews the Polyjuice Potion, a concoction which results in shapeshifting. Hermione’s possession of artifacts such as a Time-Turner, proves to be useful in the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry and Hermione travel back in time to save Harry’s godfather, Sirius from being executed for a crime he did not commit. These are a few of the instances where Hermione emerges as a strong symbol of female empowerment, possessing powerful magical abilities despite being born to Muggle parents. In addition to Hermione, Professor Minerva McGonagall acts as a mentor for her students and is at times a subtle mother figure for Harry, particularly in Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. In addition to being one of the leaders in the battle in the final book, McGonagall assumes the role of Headmistress of Hogwarts in the aftermath of the battle, thus being another strong female character present in the series.
- Attempts at power – Although Lord Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards in the series. However, amongst his goal of the world being taken over by pure blood wizards, Voldemort also aspires to be the single most powerful wizarding entity in the world. As a result, he attempts to achieve this through a variety of means. In the first installment of the series, we get to know that Voldemort succeeds at killing Harry’s parents, but fails as he proceeds to kill Harry when he was a year old, resulting in his body being destroyed. In Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix, we get to know that Voldemort attempted the murder due to a prophecy prediction of a boy born at the end of July would bring about the fall of Voldemort, that boy being Harry. At Harry’s first year at Hogwarts, it is revealed that Voldemort is still alive but has inhabited a body. He is seeking the Elixir of Life, obtained from the Philosopher’s Stone, to return to a bodily form. With Voldemort having returned in the fourth novel, Goblet of Fire, Voldemort returns to restore his former glory and return to a position of power. Wizard killings and disappearances occur almost everyday in the event of his highly publicized return in Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. His followers additionally take over the wizarding government in the final book, further cementing his power. It is learnt in Half-Blood Prince that Voldemort split his soul in pieces and stored them in objects, known as Horcruxes, ensuring his immortality, should his body be destroyed. In Deathly Hallows, Voldemort seeks the Elder Wand, a historical magical artifact and one of the three parts of the titular Deathly Hallows. Considered to be the most powerful wand in history, Voldemort hunts the Wand to gain an advantage over Harry. In such instances, Voldemort attempts to gain power.
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