Part 4- Symbols, Motifs, and Allegory

“In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything.” -J. K. Rowling

 

Introduction

Symbols and motifs are some of the more recognizable and well understood types of literary devices.  I can certainly remember doing countless projects in high school english classes where we did research and analysis on symbols and motifs in the books we read.  A symbol is defined as a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, and a motif is defined as a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.  More unknown perhaps are allegories.  An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.  Symbols, motifs, and allegories are used throughout the Harry Potter series, but there are some particularly interesting examples in the third book (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) that we will be looking at today.

Symbol of Dementors

In this book, the reader is introduced to the terrible creatures known as dementors.  Dementors are dark, hooded figures with scabbed skin and no face.  Their very presence sucks the joy and hope out of nearby people, and they are used to guard the wizard prison Azkaban, where most of the prisoners end up insane because of the dementors.  Dementors also have the ability to suck out the very soul of a person, leaving them alive but with no sense of being.  As it may now be obvious, dementors symbolize depression, fear, and hopelessness.  J. K. Rowling has even stated that she came up with the idea of dementors while struggling through depression following the death of her mother.  It can also be argued that dementors symbolize the corruption in the Ministry, as the Ministry employs these creatures who will prey on anyone, not just criminals as we learn throughout the Prisoner of Azkaban.  Throughout this book and the rest of the series, dementors turn up during times when the characters are happy, angry, desperate, or cautious, representing how things like depression and fear can creep up on a person no matter the circumstance or their mood.

However, there is one thing that keeps the dementors at bay, a charm called the Patronus Charm, which casts a brightly lit protector made of pure hope and joy and love.  The dementors are unable to suck these things out of the protector, and therefore can not defeat it.  This also symbolizes how there is always hope for those willing to look for it, and that things like love and joy are stronger than fear.  As Dumbledore says, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Motif of the Grim

“The Grim, my dear, the Grim!  The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen – the worst omen – of death!” (cue Professor Trelawney dramatically sighing).  Throughout the book, Harry is tailed by a mysterious black dog thought to be a Grim.  Every time the dog appears, he has a near death experience.  The Grim is supposed to bring death to one who sees it, but Harry manages to survive every time, just as he survived Voldemort’s attempt to kill him at just one year old.  Of course, later we learn that the great dog is actually Sirius, Harry’s godfather, who can turn into a dog and used this to escape from prison (he was wrongly accused of murder).  Because of this, the Grim does not represent death, but prejudice and misunderstanding.  As the Grim is a famous omen of death, with entire books written about how to deal with seeing one, it never crossed the character’s minds to consider that instead of bring about death or near death experiences, the dog could be there to protect Harry.  This theme of things not always being as they appear is common throughout the series (and is again demonstrated with the thestrals in book 5, which can only be seen when you have seen someone die) and will be discussed more in part 9 of this blog.

Allegory of Divination

In this book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin studying new subjects, one being divination.  Divination is the study of predicting the future and fortune telling, however has a reputation of being extremely unreliable.  The professor for the subject is Sybil, Trelawney, who is well known for her overdramatic actions and countless false predictions.  For example, when Trelawney begins teaching about astrology (I believe in book 4) she tells Harry that he obviously was born in mid-winter, to which he replies that “no, I was born in July.”  She also is known to refuse to sit at tables with 12 people, as she believes that when 13 dine together the first to rise will die.  What’s more, Harry and Ron have to make predictions for class, which they completely make up (predicting their own deaths in many tragic ways that never happen) and Trelawney gives them full marks for the homework.  Divination class is an allegory meant to show that it is impossible to predict the future, and that it is important to live in the present.  Harry’s life is marked by a tragic past and a tense future, one that has to end in him either killing or being killed by Voldemort.  As an extension of this, divination represents how you can’t change your past, but you can change your future.

As a bit of a bonus, I would like to point out that many of the “predictions” made often came true in some respect.  While Harry was not born in mid-winter, Voldemort was (I suggest you look up horcruxes to understand the full significance of that), and there are multiple instance throughout the books where 13 characters eat a meal together and later in the series the first to leave does in fact die.  This also makes divination an allegory meaning things don’t always happen the way we predict or in a way we understand.

Conclusion

If I’m honest, studying the symbols, motifs, and allegories was one of my favorite things to do in english classes in high school.  I find hidden meanings behind details to be fascinating and an impressive thing to accomplish when writing.  Studying these three things requires a reader to not just understand the story, but also to learn to understand other people and to think more deeply about a subject.  I have found symbolism, motifs, and allegories to be one of the best ways to learn lessons from stories, even if the story is about a magical world where owls carry your mail and people travel by broomstick.  Next time you read a book, any book, I encourage you to look for the repetitions, look for these literary devices.  You may discover a whole new level of the story.

 

Image link:https://www.peacocktv.com/collections/harry-potter-movies/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban

Sources:

https://medium.com/read-watch-write-repeat/a-dozen-quotes-by-j-k-rowling-to-help-you-write-your-novel-9b3362ad91a3

https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/harry-potter-3-azkaban/analysis/symbols-imagery-allegory

https://www.gradesaver.com/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban/study-guide/symbols-allegory-motifs

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban/symbols/dementors

Quotes by and about Sybill Trelawney

Part 3 (Foreshadowing)

“You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity.” -J.K. Rowling

 

Introduction

Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of a future event, and a key element to the Harry Potter series.  There are pieces of information scattered throughout the entire series that allude to other events, whether in the same book or multiple books apart.  Today I will be analyzing how foreshadowing is used in the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as this book especially has some interesting examples.

Ginny Weasley

In this book, a terrifying, unknown monster is set on Hogwarts to rid it of any witches and wizards without magical parents (muggleborns).  Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, is found to be the one setting the monster on students, who end up petrified when the monster attacks.  However, it was found she had been doing this because she was possessed by none other than Voldemort himself (just a younger version of him).  As the story progresses, the reader may notice that every time someone is attacked, Ginny Weasley is mentioned around the same time.  When the caretaker’s cat becomes the first victim, it is mentioned not long after that Ginny is terribly distressed about the attack, which is credited to her great love of cats.  When Colin Creevey, the second victim, is attacked, it is mentioned that Ginny sits net to him in one of her classes (Charms I think…).  This pattern continues, but is easy to miss as there are many other distractions, such as Hagrid being framed for setting the monster loose.  Moreover, Ginny is found near Hagrid’s cabin early in the school year “just looking around,” to which Hagrid hints to Harry that he thinks Ginny was looking for him, as she has a huge crush on Harry.  However, Ginny was actually there to kill Hagrid’s rooster under Voldemort’s influence, as the cry of the rooster is fatal to the legendary monster.

Discovery of the Basilisk

Later in the book, Hagrid is taken away to prison as he is believed to be the one attacking students.  Before he goes, he tells Harry and Ron to go into the Forbidden Forest and find Aragog, a giant spider Hagrid raised.  When the two boys do this, they get very little information about the attacks from him, as Aragog refuses to speak of the monster.  Harry later remarks that this makes the monster sound like “a sort of monster-Voldemort” because others refuse to speak of it.  This alludes to the fact that the monster is a Basilisk, which is a giant serpent, as Voldemort is a well known Slytherin (Slytherin is one of the four houses students at Hogwarts are sorted into upon arrival) and the symbol for Slytherin is a serpent.  Moreover, the monster is said to be commanded by “Slytherin’s heir.”  Harry’s remark and the connections to Voldemort and Slytherin hint at the identity of the unknown monster, although this direct foreshadowing is not really mentioned again in the book after this statement.

“The Question is Not Who, But How?”

Just after the first attack, Harry, Ron, and Hermione (who were the first to find the victim) are in an office with a few of the professors as they examine the petrified cat (the victim) and try to decide what to do.  Professor McGonagall asks Professor Dumbledore “who could have done this?” to which Dumbledore replies, “the question is not who, but how.”  No one seems to understand this statement, and neither did I the first time I read the book.  This quote however indicates that Dumbledore knows who the attacker is, but not how they could be the one attacking people.  Now knowing this, the reader can understand that the attacker is probably not someone obvious, or someone who can easily have contact with the students at Hogwarts (making it highly unlikely Hagrid is the actual attacker).  The reader eventually learns Voldemort is behind the attacks, and the question begins to make sense.  Dumbledore knows it was Voldemort (as he explains in the sixth book) but due to the fact Voldemort was at the time powerless and in hiding there was no logical explanation as to how he could have been attacking people.  This is also explained, but the explanation is complicated so I will let you explore more about that if you wish.  In any case, this question of Dumbledore’s certainly illuminates many qualities of the then unknown villain .

Conclusion

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a prime example of how foreshadowing can add a new layer of depth to a story.  J.K. Rowling demonstrates a mastery at using just enough foreshadowing to hint at the future, but not enough to reveal the end of the plot.  I have probably read this series (or rather listened to the audiobooks) 30+ times since I first read the series in fourth grade, and each time I read it I discover a new piece of foreshadowing I had not caught before.  As the series progresses, the foreshadowing seems to become more complex.  In this book, one hint would often be enough to indicate future events if the reader catches it, but further into the series the hints start become less clear.  They rely more and more on the reader connecting with the characters and thinking about them as if they were real people.  It’s one way the reader can see the development of J.K. Rowling’s skill as an author, and how foreshadowing does not always have to be understood the first, second, or even third time it is read.  I hope this post was interesting and helped you to better understand how complex a story like Harry Potter’s can be.

 

Image: https://images.justwatch.com/backdrop/179961109/s1440/harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets

Quote Source:

Top 16 J.K. Rowling Quotes to Inspire Strength Through Adversity

Part 2 (Characterization)

“People ask me if there are going to be stories of Harry Potter as an adult. Frankly, if I wanted to, I could keep writing stories until Harry is a senior citizen, but I don’t know how many people would actually want to read about a 65 year old Harry still at Hogwarts playing bingo with Ron and Hermione.” -J.K. Rowling

 

Introduction

Characterization (the process of developing characters and the way they are viewed by the audience) plays a vital role in the development of the Harry Potter series and why it’s so popular.  Characterization is made up of five methods: physical description, attitude/behavior, inner thoughts, reactions, and speech.  All of these are used in a way that molds a character into who the author wants them to be viewed as and can effect the readers feelings toward a character.  J.K. Rowling uses some somewhat unique characterization techniques throughout the series (e.g. describing characters as animals; Professor Umbridge is described to look like a toad on more than one occasion, giving the reader a negative feeling about her before she even speaks or act), so I hope to be able to discuss some of the techniques used in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by looking at specific characters that are important throughout the entire series.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series is narrated from a third person point of view (mostly limited, sometimes omniscient) which gives the reader the opportunity to “see” rather than be told of Harry’s physical appearance, actions, and reactions.  Through this, J.K. Rowling can draw the reader in and give them a way to connect with Harry before he even acts or speaks.  The reader is able to tell very quickly Harry is neglected, but that he is also not bitter.  His very first reaction to an event in the book is not marked by anger or self-pity for his situation, but by acceptance and a sense of independence.  The reader can sense his character’s kindness and the love he becomes so famous for later.  Rowling goes on to describe his appearance, which is not one of perfection.  This combination of obvious good personality, bad circumstances, and unassuming appearance draws the reader in not only because of sympathy for Harry, but because he is now very relatable.  The reader wants to read about Harry because they can see a part of themselves in him.  What’s more, Rowling does not hide his flaws.  Harry has a bit of a temper, and can be a bit reckless.  He certainly does not get away with these flaws (he does receive a few detentions throughout the series he probably deserves), but by making them easily recognizable and looking at how his poor or reckless decisions impacted him now gives the reader another way to relate.  While many readers’ situations are probably different, they can relate to making poor decisions at times and suffering consequences, but moving on and learning too.  Harry’s character is developed in such a carefully designed way so that the reader is attracted to his story because of how close they feel to Harry and other characters.  There’s a certain level of hope a reader gets from reading about a character who is so like them and has a happy ending, no matter what the road to get there looked like, and Harry Potter’s story is definitely one full of this hope.

Albus Dumbledore

Dumbledore is one of the first wizards to appear in the series when he delivers the baby Harry to the Dursley’s just after the Potters’ deaths.  Right from the beginning, his actions and speech suggest a certain level of eccentricity but also wisdom (for example, while waiting for Hagrid to bring Harry, Dumbledore offers McGonagall candy, then proceeds to wisely explain why Harry should grow up away from fame).  This gives Dumbledore the archetype of the “sage” and sets him up well to be a significant mentor to Harry.  Later on in the book, Harry discovers a collectable card with Dumbledore on it while riding the train to school.  This is the introduction of Dumbledore as a leader though Harry’s eyes, as Harry can now put a face to the famous name and, besides Hagrid and Mrs. Weasley, this is the first adult wizard Harry is introduced to (both Hagrid and Mrs. Weasley play important roles in Harry’s life as well).  Throughout this scene and others, including the odd welcome speech he gives and the moment he tells Harry his deepest desire is to get a pair of socks for Christmas, add onto the eccentricity of Albus Dumbledore.  It’s easily understood by Harry and the audience that Dumbledore is a role model, a protector even, but what may be forgotten due to his role as the wise leader is his backstory.  It’s easy to look over the allusions to Dumbledore’s past and secrets.  For example, after the scene about the socks, Harry remarks that Dumbledore may not have been entirely truthful about his deepest desire, but that is a very personal thing.  It’s almost too easy for the reader to forget to ask, well then what is his deepest desire?  What is behind Dumbledore’s personality?  This in turn sets up Dumbledore for his own backstory and share of secrets later in the series, as well as the growth of a more personal relationship with Harry.  Harry goes from nearly disregarding Dumbledore’s desires to understanding what they are without being told, and we as the readers get to appreciate a character arc that explores the depth to the people we see as idols and a reminder that there’s always more to a person than what’s on the surface.

Severus Snape

Snape is a constant antagonist throughout the series, and up until the end the reader is never sure whether he is a “good guy” or a “bad guy”, or at least whether he is helping Dumbledore or serving Voldemort.  His character is extremely complex, and the Sorcerer’s Stone helps to set up his character for the complex role he plays.  For much of the book, Harry (and the audience) are led to believe Snape is the one attempting to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone for Voldemort.  In the end, it’s revealed by Dumbledore that Snape went to school with Harry’s father, James, and that they hated each other.  Despite this, James once saved Snape’s life.  Because of this, many of the earlier instances that made Snape suspicious now give him a certain mystery and complexity.  Snape worked hard to protect Harry to basically get even with James or to feel as if he’s no longer in debt to him.  The reader is left wondering why James had to save Snape, why the two men hated each other, and why Snape is so involved in Harry’s life despite loathing him.  Snape’s whole character is built to play with the audiences emotions and make them think.  It’s clear he has motivation to side with either Dumbledore or Voldemort, but it is also clear that at least from Harry’s view we are not supposed to like Snape.  In book one, Snape threatens Harry, appears to jinx him, and tries his best to get him expelled, and while it turns out some of his actions were indeed meant for good, his methods and obvious hatred still sour the good deeds a bit.  However there is always mystery surrounding his motivation.  Certainly from the first book it’s obvious we do not know Snape’s deepest motivation.  The constant mystery, deeply developed dislike, and unknown motivations begun in book one all effect the impact on the reader when Snape’s whole story is finally revealed, and lead to his redemption.  Harry and the reader’s get to see just how all the pieces, seemingly inconsistent, really fit together to build up such a realistic and deep character.  Snape goes from being an antagonist to a suddenly relatable, understandable, and incredibly respectable character.  While his character arc only just begins in book one, J.K. Rowling is able to write Snape’s behavior and actions in such a way to set up a stunning finale, and a provoking comment on the deepest nature of love.

Conclusion

Rowling has a way of designing and shaping characters so that the reader gets to know them slowly, like in real life.  She is able to convey feelings about and toward characters that don’t always line up with who they truly are, and because of this she is able to drive home the point that people always have a story, they aren’t just what appears on the surface.  The balance of strengths and flaws mixed with the themes of choices and motivations help the series connect to the reader and apply what they read to real life.  Good characterization is just one of many ways Rowling created such a successful series.

 

 

Image: https://cdn.onebauer.media/one/empire-images/features/560ec04850e6c513721c379e/potter.jpg?quality=50&width=1800&ratio=16-9&resizeStyle=aspectfill&format=jpg

Sources:

https://medium.com/read-watch-write-repeat/a-dozen-quotes-by-j-k-rowling-to-help-you-write-your-novel-9b3362ad91a3

Severus Snape Analysis: The Reveal That Marked a Generation

 

Part 1- Names

“I love inventing names, but I also collect unusual names, so that I can look through my notebook and choose one that suits a new character.” -J.K. Rowling

Introduction

The Harry Potter series is often marked by made up or unusual names, but there is often a much deeper meaning behind the names than many people would at first realize.  J.K. Rowling has often talked about how important names were for not just her characters, but the various places and spells in the story.  She has made up names, such as “Quidditch” and “Malfoy”, dug into historical meanings for names, drew on myths and constellations (Sirius, Hermione), and reused names to stress the importance of loved ones to various characters (for example, Harry names his eldest son after his father, James).  There are probably very few names chosen at random, and if you’re willing to dig through the names a bit you can uncover a whole new layer of complexity in the series.

Invented Names

Perhaps the most famous name invented by Rowling is “Voldemort.”  The character himself is called by many names throughout his life, but Voldemort becomes the famous name everyone fears.  The name Voldemort can be broken down by syllable into “vol”, “de”, and “mort.”  Digging into the meanings of each syllable, they are all of French origin.  “Vol” means “flight” or “theft”, “de” means “of” or “from”, and “mort” means “death”.  Put this together, and “Voldemort” means something along the lines of “flight from death,”  which as we discover in the seventh book is Voldemort’s whole goal in life- to evade death itself.

Names as Connections Between Characters

Names of often used to connect the characters, and the most obvious examples are often within families.  For instance, almost every member of the Black family shares a name with a constellation.  Sirius is the name of the dog constellation, which references Sirius’s ability to turn into a dog.  There is also Narcissa, a reference to the constellation Narcissus, a man who drowned after he fell in love with his own reflection (Narcissa is known to act mostly for her own interests), and then there is Draco, which is the name of the dragon constellation (a reference to Draco’s Hogwarts house Slytherin (which has a serpent as its mascot).  Then you have the Weasly family.  It is perhaps easy to guess the meaning of their last name, which is simply “Weasel.”  However, as explained on the Wizarding World website, “weasels traditionally tend to be pretty sly and deceitful, but we’d wager this wasn’t supposed to suggest the Weasley family are in any way devious, but rather that the weasel’s bad reputation is undeserved. It’s also no coincidence, of course, that weasels live in a burrow… as do the Weasleys.”  The Weasley’s are often given a bad reputation by other characters like the Malfoys, who disapprove of their willingness to befriend those who are not “pure-blood,” or those who are not ancestrally 100% wizard.

Names of Spells

Perhaps this is obvious, but many of the spell names come from Latin words.  “Lumos” the light giving spell, comes from the Latin words “lumen” (light) and “os” (to have), meaning “to have light.”  Its opposite, “nox” is Latin for “night.”  “Expecto Patronum,” the patronus conjuring spell (a patronus guards the caster from the terrible soul sucking creatures known as Dementors) roughly translates to “I await a guardian.”  Avada Kedavra, although not Latin, is an Aramaic term meaning “let the thing be destroyed” (and is also the origin of abracadabra, incidentally).  This fits as Avada Kedavra is the unforgivable killing curse, and literally destroys life itself.

Names as Foreshadowing

More than just being important through sound or meaning, these names can often offer insight into a character or foreshadowing about them.  For example, the reader is introduced to Rita Skeeter in the fourth book, a journalist who loves to spin nasty stories and start rumors about the subjects of her articles.  Throughout the book, Rita Skeeter releases a number of terrible articles about Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid, but many of the details are ones spoken during private conversations.  In other words, she should have no feasible way of collecting the information.  However, if you’ve made the connection, her last name, Skeeter, is a slang term for a mosquito, which is significant.  As the reader finds out at the end of the book, Skeeter can turn into an insect, which allows her to collect information secretly as she can simply sit on or near another character without being noticed.  Additionally, “skeet” can mean “gossip” or “news”, referencing her career as a journalist but also her love of spreading gossip.

Digging Deeper

If you are interested, there are endless quotes from J.K. Rowling discussing the names of her characters.  But fans themselves have dug deeper and uncovered possible origins and meanings the author herself has not mentioned.  My favorite example is that of the Weasley twin’s, Fred and George.  Prince Frederick and King George III were two men from the British Royal line.  Prince Frederick died young from an odd accident, which could allude to Fred Weasley’s untimely death.  Furthermore, George III had many health issues, including possible deafness, which may foreshadow George Weasley loosing an ear early in the seventh book.  What’s more, Fred Weasley was always a bit more dominant than George, but his death left George solely in charge of their joke shop, which is similar to how Prince Frederick’s death left George III as heir to the throne.  All this said, this is simply a theory and has not been confirmed by Rowling herself.

Conclusion

I know this was a long post, but I hope it was informative and maybe opened the door to the magic it took to piece together a story like this.  I hope that if you plan to read or reread the series (or have simply read them already), this has helped you gain some insight to the more intricate details hidden in plain sight throughout the series.  I personally find the etymology of names to be fascinating, but when the etymology is used to explain characters or to foreshadow, I find it an incredibly successful tool to add an extra layer to any story.

 

Image source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurengarafano/harry-potter-idenitify-characters-quiz

Information sources:

https://www.azquotes.com/author/12713-J_K_Rowling/tag/character

https://harry-potter-compendium.fandom.com/wiki/Rita_Skeeter#cite_note-17

https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/revealing-etymology-of-the-weasley-family-tree

https://www.bustle.com/articles/125284-did-jk-rowling-hint-at-fred-and-george-weasleys-fates-with-their-names

https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/the-different-meanings-behind-lord-voldemorts-many-names

http://www.accio-quote.org/themes/names.htm

https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/the-etymology-of-harry-potter-spells

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Killing_Curse#Etymology