WEEK 7: THE NOVEL OF SPIRITUAL EDUCATION

This week I read the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Having grown up watching all the movies, Harry Potter is already a part of my childhood and definitely something I enjoyed for a long time. Reading the book was very surprising and different for me which was quite interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the way J.K Rowling wrote about her magical world and how she developed her characters. I was very surprised to dissect Harry Potter as a way to learn about moral issues as I didn’t see it before, but it does make sense since it is targeted at young adults. And looking back, it was also probably why I was so intrigued by the series in the first place.

I think the way they bully Hermione calling her a ‘muggle born’ because she has two normal non-magical parents is definitely something similar to complexities in a normal teenager’s life. And to be honest still sticks with people all their life. The act of judging and categorizing someone based on their roots and what they are or are not is incredibly common and definitely reflects a moral issue. I like that she is strong about it and is herself anyways, knowing that she has to face these accusations everyday just for being born into the ‘wrong’ type of family.

The dynamics of Harry’s personal life is also another thing. The fact that his aunt is jealous of her sister, Harry’s mother reflects family struggles very common in everyday life. More common than people might think and portrayed in a unique way. I never thought that using magic to portray these issues would be so fascinating to read about and the complexity of the feelings definitely makes it more interesting to read to me. Harry’s aunt treats his badly out of her own personal grudge and unjustly treats him compared to the way she treated her own son.