I just finished the third installment in the Harry Potter series. Of the three that I have read, this is my favorite. But let's remember that we're rating Harry against Harry, not Harry against literature in general.
Even though I'm one of the last remaining people on the planet still attempting to push through them for the first time, I figure I'll give you a short synopsis. Once again, we find Harry back at home with the Dursleys. Once again, Harry makes his way to Hogwarts and finds himself at the center of attention. The Dementors are chasing Sirius Black who is chasing Harry. More Quittich. More house cup, yada yada... You get the point.
(A quick disclaimer. I've been listening to these on CD. I've never seen some of these names and words in print so forgive me if they're all spelled wrong.)
So...in spite of how formulaic these books seem at times, it was amusing to see how all the pieces fell into place at the end of the book.
Perhaps the most interesting part for me was Harry's explanation for how he was able to perform the Petronus charm. "I knew I could do it because I'd already seen myself perform the charm." Hm... There are some serious contradictions of logic flying around here, but it's still an interesting concept. I suppose you could adapt this idea to a spiritual context. You might see this situation as similar to a patriarchal blessing which gives you a picture of things to come. Knowing the blessing encourages you to work toward the fulfillment of the prophecy. In the end, was it the prophecy or the work that allowed you to accomplish the goal? It was both.
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6 comments:
Deep and insightful as always. But you missed talking about the most important character...Voldemort. He's the real star. Harry, a real pawn in V's sick games, is just lucky. Every book it comes down to V sturring up trouble and Harry's luck saving him. Think of it more from V's point of view as you listen to the next reading in line from J.K. Remember the true driving force behind every book is my advice.
oh, wow, you have done it now. Don't tell me you actually took something from a Howdy Powder book and attempted to derive a gospel principle from it. I am disgusted Jake, dis-gusted. Excuse me while I hurl. Next thing I know there will be a class at BYU that goes through the symbolism of the Howdy Powder books and people will be praising J.K. Rowlings spiritual insight (despite her admission that Dumblebum is a flamer). Just like they claim that the Chronicles of Narnia are Christian allegory, despite the fact that Lewis decried that particular assertion.
On 15 February 1978, the First Presidency, consisting of President Spencer W. Kimball and his counselors, President Marion G. Romney and President N. Eldon Tanner, issued an official statement regarding the Church’s position toward other religions. It reads:
“The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, J. K. Rowling and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals..."
The thing that came to mind as I read these comments was how one-sided our views tend to be on these books. Admittedly I am a big fan, the biggest reason being is that it is a good read. J.K. Rowling knows how to bring you into a story, even though sometimes more editing would be beneficial. (Buckle up for Book 5, Jake)
While it is fun to look for the deeper meaning behind books, you don't always have to do it. I think there are, shall we say, "subliminal messages" in Rowling's books, but they are simple. One of my favorite lessons she gives is from "The Goblet of Fire" (I think) where she writes something like a good way to see the true image of a man is to see how he treats his enemies.
These are the good things that we can take from these books and leave the rest for what it is, entertainment.
"I knew I could because I'd seen myself do it." This is actually quite common in SciFi/Fantasy. My favorite version is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7boeBf5pbQ&feature=related
While it can be annoying at times, the inconsistency and the paradoxes, sometimes, it's just fun. Although, other times when I watch Somewhere in Time, it bugs the crap out of me, and I end up yelling: WHERE DID THE WATCH COME FROM?
So, I understand the angst that comes with paradoxes.
Okay, so my link didn't get the whole thing on: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=X7boeBf5pbQ&feature=related
Try that.
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