One of the most amazing aspects to
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is that she is able to accurately, and realistically,
capture the physical and emotional development of the characters that she has
created. These novels are particularly close to my heart because of the fact
that I am able to say not only did I grow up reading Harry Potter, I grew up
with him.
In Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, we as an audience are
introduced to an abused child with no knowledge or understanding of the epic
journey his life would become. As Harry is thrown into the wizarding world, he
meets new friends, enemies and dangers, and is remarkably able to handle them
in stride. As Harry earns the truth of his parent’s death, and becomes aware of
their murderer’s resurgence, we know that his already difficult life is going
to become that much harder in the upcoming years.
The following year, in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets,
Harry is faced with defeating the Heir of Slytherin. Little does he know that
this person is in fact Voldemort. Once again Harry champions over evil, but not
without placing himself and his friend in grave danger.
Harry
Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
demonstrates how quickly Harry has had to grow up over the last few years of
his life. The greatest evidence of this is his decision to spare Peter
Pettigrew’s life. By allowing the person who caused Voldemort to find his
parents to live shows that Harry understands that killing him would not bring
his parents back, and would only cause Sirius and Lupin to live with the murder
of Peter. This novel also shows Harry having to deal with devastating disappointment.
One minute he thinks that his life
outside of Hogwarts would be Dursley free, and the next his godfather has to
escape to go into hiding, and with him his chances of escaping the torment he
suffers of the summers.
In the fourth installment of the Harry
Potter series, Harry must compete against older more experienced students in
the tri-wizard tournament. Instead of being able to celebrate the victory over
these individuals he is faced with the witnessing the death of a fellow competitor
and school-mate, Cedric Diggory. Not to mention that he sees for himself the “rebirth”
or Lord Voldemort.
In Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, Harry is forced to live
his life on the run from Voldemort and even has to see his godfather, one of
the only remaining ties that Harry has to his parents, be murdered right before
his eyes. In this book he also has to
deal with both verbal and physical harassment from the Ministry of Magic.
Trauma and Death are large themes
in the Harry Potter series. As more and more people around Harry are lost to
the evils in the wizarding world he is left to, somehow, pick up the pieces.
The readers of Harry Potter see how Harry must quickly adapt to the dangers and
horrors that are presented to him. We are also able to see the how these events
transform Harry from boy to man in the span of just a few short years.
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