A very interesting point to look upon is that Jesus and Harry are both male, magical and world greats! Society has always shown that men and their world have always been run by males looked upon as these great rulers and wizards. Bush in the United States of America, Blair in the United Kingdom and every government party in the UK are lead by men. In the 80’s, luckily for the women of the land, Margaret Thatcher took reign as government leader but the press were always criticising her actions and slating her for being a woman! The Queen is another great monarch to rule the land although rarely is allowed to express her views in society. Instead it is left to the males among us who are portrayed as powerful and always correct.
JK Rowling is a woman who herself has struggled in life and against the government in being a single parent also continues this reign of men in her story ‘The Philosophers Stone.’ Right at the beginning of the novel Harry’s uncle Vernon Dursley shows us he is very much the man of the house at four Privet drive as he kept Harry and his secret hid under the stairs. The Dursleys had everything and anything that they wished for, and in their eyes a wonderful son Dudley, a boy who also dislikes Harry. Harry had many jobs to do in the house and is treated more like a servant to the Dursley’s than a relative. Is at this stage that you do not see Harry in his full heroic glory. It is not until some very special letters start to arrive that we as the reader begin to see the character of Harry Potter come alive. The letters alarm the Dursleys and they try to put a stop to them by drilling up the letterbox. Harry realizes that something magical is happening but has no idea he is a Wizard unlike the Dursleys who have been keeping this secret from him. Had Mr. Dursley tried to stop these letters because Harry could become the alpha male and be much stronger than he is? I believe he is very afraid that this could happen. Dudley the short little fat ugly kid in the story very much over powers Harry by whining about him ruining the trip to the zoo where he set a snake onto him. However, Harry just ignores this without a care in the world showing that really he is a stronger person than Dudley.
As the Dursleys work hard to get rid of the Hogwarts letters Harry is visited by a Hogwarts employee – Hagrid the giant a keeper of the keys at Hogwarts School. He himself a former pupil who left due to personal reasons but returned to maintain the schools grounds out of loyalty to Dumbledore. He has a passion and gentle affection for dragons, beasts and the sort of magical creatures that others may find terrifying! Despite his rough edges and lumbering appearance, Hagrid is both unquestionable loyal and honest and incredibly protective of Harry. When Hagrid appears, the Dursleys and indeed Harry (at first) are petrified by this giant.
‘The door was hit with such a force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed on the floor’…..
As Hagrid proceeded to tell Harry of his life, Mr. Dursley forbade Hagrid to tell Harry truth, fact that he is a wizard. However, Hagrid carries on and takes control of the situation by telling Mr. Dursley to shut up. He shows his power by reaching for a gun and tying it into a knot. Hagrid takes Harry away and explains to Harry he is to be enrolled at Hogwarts school of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Harry asks many questions and you begin to feel that Hagrid almost plays a father figure in the novel. Again the alpha male has shifted to Hagrid, until that is they arrive in Diagon Alley, a town full of Witches and Wizard and all of the shops that magic folk would need from books to brooms and magic wands Diagon Alley was the opening to Harry Potter’s newfound world. Harry had found himself as a newfound celebrity and everyone in Diagon alley was aware of his presence and knew his name women, man and children alike knew who he was and from this moment on Harry realises that he is indeed a very special person.
Class plays a huge part within the novel while on the train Harry meets Ron Weasley,
Ron follows in the footsteps of Brothers Percy the Prefect and twins Fred and George, in becoming the sixth Weasley to attend Hogwarts. This is Ron's first year at the school, but unfortunately not that of his clothes that have been passed down from brother to brother. Ron is a Gryffindor and proud to say best friend to Harry Potter. His likes are chess, sweets and the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team. He also has a soft spot for his rat Scabbers. Ron and Harry become friends on the journey and although Ron comes from a poorer background, Harry can relate to this through the bad treatment at living at Privet Drive with the Dursleys. While on the train journey Ron tries to do a magic trick and Hermione Granger enters and introduces herself.
‘Are you sure that’s a real spell?’ said the girl. ‘Well, it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me.
You can clearly see from Hermione’s entrance that she is clearly going to be an annoying little girl and likely to get on the nerves of any male reader. Hermione is the first wizard to come from her family and is a real credit to her parents, always studying and reading. Her biggest fear is not the beasts that lurk behind the forbidden rooms and corridors at the school, but failing her exams! This is also to be her first year at the school and is always looking out for her less academic friends Harry and Ron.
‘Harry Potter’, said Harry.
‘Are you really?’ said Hermione. ‘I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books for background reading, and you’re in Modern Magical History’.
Certainly, a clear point to make here is that Hermione being a woman knows exactly everything about Harry’s life and the school that they are to attend not to mention the fact that she has read all of her books for the year. I feel that Rowling is making the point here that girls are much more academic than boys are and this is clearly shown when Harry looks at Ron’s open mouth and the fact she has read them all.
Another point to make is that when they all arrive at the school to be sorted into their rooms, the sorting hat especially within the film should be the voice of a male. A male hat of authority taking the main decision in peoples lives just like a government or local authority. Harry now decides to be a super hero and save the Philosophers Stone and so takes Ron and Hermione on a quest to save it interestingly when ever Harry gets himself in trouble Hermione is always there to give a helping hand.
‘Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.
‘Brilliant, ‘said Hermione. ‘This isn’t magic – it’s logic – a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven’t got an ounce of logic; they’d be stuck in here forever.’
‘But so will we, wont we?’
‘Of course not’ said Hermione, everything we need is here on this paper’.
In a moment of weakness, the female warrior rescues Harry, putting him on an equal level with Hermione. Interestingly all of the bad things that had happened were all ideas of men playing the devious and controlling characters within the novel. Even the headmaster of the school ‘Dumbledore’ is male with his almost deputy sidekick ‘Professor McGonagall’ who could be described as a weaker character than the males dominating the novel. I found it interesting how Rowling used these females as a weaker persona but still describes the times that they ‘save the story’ and the reader’s imagination. I think that Rowling was trying to show her readers that although we all face things that seem impossible to overcome, there is always a way out whether male or female, you just need to stick to your guns. Look at her own life she has come through the tough times to a life that is truly phenomenal.
Bibliography.
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, J.K Rowling, 1997, Bloomsbury London.
Word Count, 1,532
