Part 6-Subplot

“Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.”  -J.K. Rowling

 

Introduction

A subplot is a side story that is connected to and runs parallel with the main plot of a story.  They are often used to explain parts of a story that may not fit into the main plot, or to add details that may widen a reader’s knowledge and view of the world in which the story takes place.  Subplots may also do things such as add character development, emphasize themes, or fill gaps in the main story plot.  The fourth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has some excellent examples of subplots and what they do for a story.  In fact, many of these subplots had to be cut from the movie version as the movie would just have been too long.  While it may have been sad to see those scenes get cut from the movie, it illustrates the purpose of a subplot.  The main plot was not severely effected by the loss of these subplots, the viewer just simply did not know as much as when they read the book.  In other words, the story could continue without the subplots, but when they were present in the book the reader was able to develop a deeper understanding of various characters, events, and world as a whole.

House Elves

We are introduced to house elves in book two by Dobby.  A house elf is an elf that is bound by magic to serve a family as a servant (or slave as Hermione argues).  They truly love doing work and are deeply loyal to their family to the point they often overlook faults.  In the fourth book, we are introduced to Winky, who is fired after “disobeying” her master’s (Mr. Crouch’s) orders.  She is friends with Dobby, who returns in this book and convinces Winky to work in the Hogwarts kitchens with him.  Throughout the whole book, there is a subplot involving Winky and Dobby and their interactions with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  Winky’s loyalty to her former master does not waver even after she is fired, and this deep devotion proves itself to be helpful in developing the plot of this book, as one of the villains in this book is her master’s son.  The mystery around Winky’s devotion helps to explain how and why Barty Crouch Jr. came to be a villain.  Furthermore, the mistreatment of house elves spurs some character development for Hermione, who becomes deeply passionate about securing rights for house elves.  This passion is something that continues for the rest of the series, and may even have effected Hermione’s career choice after Hogwarts.

Ludo Bagman

Ludo Bagman was head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and in opposition to Mr. Crouch had a very buoyant, care-free personality.  Because of his position in the ministry, Bagman helps judge the tasks during the Triwizard Tournament in which Harry is competing.  His character could have stopped at this and had little effect on the story, however the reader is brought into a subplot revealing not all is as it seems with Bagman.  He is constantly offering Harry help with completing the tasks, and multiple times throughout the book appears not his usual self in front of Harry.  We later learn he was in deep debt with the goblins who run the wizarding bank, and was trying to pay off his debts by betting Harry would win the tournament.  In most stories we of course get the heroes and villains, but it really adds a depth and familiarity to the story to see people like Bagman, who do not fit a typical archetype.  Bagman was simply a flawed person, neither good nor bad.

Additionally this subplot gives way to some character development for Ron’s twin brothers Fred and George.  The twins are well known for their endless jokes and pranks, so it’s hard to picture them doing anything but planning pranks at Hogwarts for the rest of their lives.  However, we begin to see some character development for them through their ambitions.  We learn Fred and George are intent on starting a career in business, specifically running a joke shop.  While we know this is a serious ambition due to the fact that the twins fight with their mother over the career choice and are constantly inventing new joke products, the thing that makes it feel the most serious has to do with their bet with Ludo Bagman.  After winning a bet against him, Ludo Bagman pays the twins in leprechaun gold, which vanishes eventually.  This leaves the twins unpaid and unable to move forward with their joke shop plans.  As a result, they spend much of the school year secretly writing to Bagman demanding their money and trying to meet with him when he was on school grounds for the tournament.  While they do eventually give up, this serious, business side of Fred and George is not one the readers has seen before or expected, and as a result helped the reader more deeply understand the twins.

Barty Crouch Jr.

Barty Crouch Jr. is the villain hidden in plain sight.  He spends the year magically disguised as one of the teachers and helps Harry, often indirectly, to be successful in the tournament.  As a result he successfully completes his mission of making sure Harry wins the tournament so that when he touches the trophy at the end he is transported to Voldemort.  We see glimpses of his life through memories and through information Sirius gives us about him.  This subplot about Crouch’s past, like the subplot with the house elves, helps to explain how and why the conflict of the story came about.  Additionally, like the Ludo Bagman subplot, this helps to develop the Wizarding World as the story is not reduced to a battle between Harry and Voldemort.  By expanding into other villains and their stories, the reader can see not only how Voldemort became so powerful and dangerous but also more worldly issues, like what happens when people are neglected.

Additionally, this subplot helps to keep characters like Sirius more important and familiar to the reader.  On the whole, Sirius does not play as large of a role in the fourth book as he does in the third and fifth, so by giving him the task of adding information to this subplot the reader does not have a chance to disconnect from or forget about his character until he is more prominent in the story again.

Conclusion

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire holds some excellent examples of subplots and how they assist with things such as characterization, plot explanation, and filling in gaps within the main plot.  A good subplot adds depth to a story and serves multiple purposes within the plot.  I hope this post gave some good insight into the purpose of a subplot and how it can effect a story.  Thank you for reading!

 

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Sources:

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

https://nybookeditors.com/2017/11/the-importance-of-subplots/#:~:text=The%20subplot%20is%20a%20side,story%20line%20in%20some%20way.