Posted in Reading

... in Harry Potter? 

[Warning - Out of sensitivity to my friends who disapprove of the Harry Potter books, this entry will be discussing what I feel are the positive aspects of the characters and themes found therein based upon the book Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger.  No spoilers for the series' conclusion, either.]

I've always been a fan of the Harry Potter books.  Mostly because I enjoy a thoroughly crafted story, full of details, that is capable of transporting me to another place with a different world. 

If that very aspect of reading isn't a form of magic, then magic doesn't exist. 

I started reading the books before I had a child old enough to listen to them.  And I've listened in, at times, to the debate about the Harry Potter books, their influence, and their relationship to the Bible's injunction about "suffering witches" and tolerating magic.  I've considered the intent of these words and their relationship to literature.

Yet, I undeniably found the books to be full of positive, indeed Christian, role models. 

Harry, and his friends, while occasionally making a bad decision, ultimately choose good over evil (clearly presented); choose to do the "right" thing over the easy thing; stand against cultural, social, and even authoritarial pressure in order to either obey or support those to whom they give their allegience. 

Pretty heady stuff, actually.  The books also provide a "short hand" way of exploring these topics.  Now that my daughter has had the series read to her, we sometimes use the characters and situtations from the books to discuss issues we see in day-to-day life. 

So, being acutely aware of these things, and seeing some symbolism and other bits in the books that reassured me I was on the right track, I then stumbled across the book by John Granger titled Looking for God in Harry Potter.   Of course, I had to read this and see if I my thinking was on the right track and, hopefully, why this was so.

I was not disappointed.

The book is doubly interesting because Granger shares with his readers that he used to belong to the "banned Harry Potter from his house" world.  However, after some trusted friends encouraged him to read the first book, he instantly saw the inherent positive aspects of the books and recommended them to his daughters.

The biggest credit to give Granger regarding his analysis of the HP series is that he brings to the work a pretty thorough understanding of classical literature and how Rowling uses this to craft the HP stories.  This is crucial because, without this understanding of the classics, it's all too easy to dismiss the series as another foray into fantasy literature.

The mythical creatures that populate the HP books are predominantly chosen because of their Christian symbolism.  The griffin, the phoenix, the centaur, the hippogriff, the red lion - all are ancient symbols representing either Christ or the Christian journey, or both. 

Unlike the Narnia books, these creatures are not just part of the common populace of Potter's world, but typically are symbols or beings that encourage, rescue, or restore primary characters in the books.  Thus, they are Christ-like in both symbolism and action within the story.

The most fascinating parallel Rowling creates, and Granger elucidates, is the dichotomy between the Muggle world (the non-magic world) and the Wizarding world.  One of the arguments against accepting the Harry Potter story is this very division.  

Most of the Muggles encountered in the stories refuse to believe in what they can not see or explain, so they are, literally, unable to see members of the wizarding world.  And, if they do see wizards, they invent ways to explain-away what they have seen. 

Out of a need to keep the wizarding world safe from persecution, if some sort of "obvious" magical incident occurs in the Muggle world, wizards modify the memories of Muggle witnesses. 

It's this "hidden" nature of the wizarding world that bothers some people regarding the HP series.  They argue that in works like Lord of the Rings or Narnia the witchcraft isn't "hidden."  Everyone in the magical world *knows* that the characters practice magic.  The concealment of witchcraft in HP bothers folks. 

This tension between the worlds is readily apparent in Harry's own Muggle relations (as an orphan, he lives with his aunt and uncle).  At every opportunity, they try to deny Harry's wizard-ness, calling him a "freak" and refusing to even say the word "magic."  Harry, being a minor, has no choice but to live in this world for part of each year. 

Granger, however, makes the excellent parallel between the Muggle/Wizarding world and The World/Christian life.  As Christians, we are exhorted to live "in" the world, not "of the world" (John 17:13-16).  The Muggles are "of the world" - living in denial of anything that cannot be seen, touched, or proven.  Most Muggles are presented as heartless, nearly soulless, individuals, interested mostly in personal advancement and gain.  You learn to dislike them intensely.  

The wizarding world, while not perfect and definitely hosting some truly evil characters, is inhabited by people believing in and seeking something beyond themselves.  There are flawed characters even among the "good guys" - but all have sinned and fall short (both in Potterdome and our world.)  Overall, however, the wizarding world is a place where bravery, honesty, intelligence, and loyalty trump every time.  

And, in the final novel, the "final battle" is played out on the cosmic scale.  True to the reality of our world when the End Days approach, the Muggle world, in denial as much as possible, becomes inextricably (and inexplicably for them) involved in what is a symbol of the grand battle of good vs. evil. 

There is much, much more to Granger's book, and the Harry Potter series, than I would care to write about here.  But let me close with a final thought about highly prominant cultural entertainment and it's place in our psyche.

A great story is like a language all of its own.  It gives us images, words, and situations that explain, parallel, or mirror our lives.  Life is less threatening to talk about if we can do so in the context of characters whose stories we have shared.  Complex ideas are easier to understand, if we can give them life and make them more concrete through an anecdote or story.

We have a name for these works, though the name has taken a beating over the past many years.  We used to call these "classics." 

However, in order to "save" the term classic, we've taken to relegating it to old tomes that most folks have never read, either out of lack of exposure or simple fear of their difficulty. 

But, a classic work is a work that speaks to us across time, variations in society, and possibly even culture.  A classic presents ideas and themes that most of humanity can relate to on some level.  Oddyseus' need to get home after the Trojan War or Macbeth's avarice and self-seeking agressiveness are ideas that we understand and share, even if our experience of them is different.

And so it is with works like Harry Potter or the Star Wars series.  In them we find important parallels to human history, human thought, and individual experience.  In Star Wars, we can keenly identify with Anakin's fear of loss within the parallel context of the rise of the Empire (which seems modeled on the rise of Roman influence).  Harry Potter teaches us how to value friendship, even when self-preservation seems a more pressing matter. 

Children, given the chance, will gravitate to stories that "speak" to them.  We need to provide them with complex, strong stories with characters who face life's problems and choose the right way over the easy way.  

In this way, we equip them, and ourselves, with the language to discuss the difficult choices in life.  It is through such discussions that we then prepare them to face their own unique challenges.