In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, Harry is faced with the normal challenges of adolescence like going to a new school, trying to make friends, and juggling all of his classes. However, Harry faces an additional challenge at Hogwarts: he's wizard world famous. Even from the time he and Hagrid collect his school supplies in Diagon Alley, people are raving about him and praising him for something he has no memory of doing. He has very few memories about how he received his famous scar, yet everyone in the wizarding world makes it seem like he single-handedly defeated He Who Shall Not Be Named.
Once he gets to Hogwarts, his peers are all over him trying to make friends with the famous young man. Either that or they avoid him like the plague. Draco even tries to pry him away from Ron, saying that he should be careful about the types of friends he makes since it could ruin his reputation. Everyone seems to have an opinion about who Harry befriends and how it will impact his status as a famous wizard, but Harry just wants to have true friends that don't care about his fame. Some might consider Ron to be a little starstruck when he first meets Harry on the train, but he quickly gets over his nervousness and realizes that Harry is just like any other normal kid.
Some students also expect Harry to be naturally good at everything the first years are taught. Even a professor or two try to knock him down a peg, assuming he knows more than he really does. Snape quizzes him about potion ingredients just to embarrass him. This goes to show that with the exception of a few people at Hogwarts like Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid, everyone seems to forget that Harry is just a kid. He's new to this world and just trying to adapt, but people have such high expectations of him that he can scarcely afford to focus on his own well-being. Dumbledore his perhaps the best example of someone who depends on Harry too much, especially in the later books. Though Dumbledore didn't outright expect Harry to be the one to defeat Voldemort, he certainly prompted him to protect it by giving him the tools and technology to explore the castle at night.
Ultimately, though Harry Potter is just a child, he certainly isn't treated by one. People expect him to have everything figured out, but he really just wants to make friends and truly enjoy his life for the first time. He has the poor fortune to find bad luck around every corner at Hogwarts, but the true friends he makes always help him through it.
I completely agree with your description of Harry’s fame when it comes to his initial gathering with the wizarding world. As you mentioned, Draco felt the need to inform Harry on his reputation. This reputation, in Draco’s eyes, could be drastically cut in a negative way if Harry hung out with Ron, a boy who comes from a poor family, with ropes passed on from his brothers, and parents of low class. Even Draco’s first words to Harry were convincing for Harry to protect his reputation by saying “ I’m on your side!”. This meant that Draco was trying to prove to Potter that Potter should trust him because they are on the same team and have the same “morals”. But the purpose of Draco may not just be to protect Harry’s reputation, but rather to increase Draco’s reputation with the wizarding world. For Draco he is known, coming from a reputable family and background, however if people start to see that he has befriended Potter it would increase his importance and reputation. Some may say that this urge to befriend Potter is from his father’s orders, due to the family’s push to gain this importance standing. However, Draco might also be trying to prove a point to his father. This point being that one of Draco’s goals throughout the novels is to gain respect from his father. Befriending Potter could gain Draco that respect.
ReplyDeleteHarry’s situation is a unique one. No other person in the wizarding world has been able to defeat Voldemort, and now that a young baby has somehow defeated him, the wizarding world is at shock. Such fame and praise could go to Harry’s head if he were to be called a hero all his life. Furthermore, being sheltered from criticism could lead to catastrophe for Harry. Individuals such as Dumbledore understood this possibility, and he decided it would be best if Harry grew up in a humbling environment where he could develop into a kind, gentle soul.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, Harry became a simple, humble boy. He hardly had anything to call his own (as most of his belongings once belonged to Dudley). Harry also understood the difference between good and bad based on the way people treated him. Harry’s lesson then applied the moment he came to Hogwarts. Harry knew he could trust individuals such as Hagrid and Ron, and eventually Hermione. Harry’s lesson also helps him differentiate between who to affiliate himself with and who not to, which is why Harry doesn’t trust Draco Malfoy or Professor Snape. Harry’s upbringing develops him into an honest, kind individual who values these traits more than anything else, making him more of a Gryffindor than any other house.
I agree with you that Harry's fame and background make it quite difficult for him to grow up as an ordinary kid at Hogwarts. Teachers and students alike tend to treat him differently, even though he doesn't know much more than his peers. Ever since he was born, the fame has had an effect on him, starting with Dumbledore leaving Harry to grow up with his Muggle relatives, the Dursleys. This causes Harry to suffer for a whole decade under their neglect. Although this proves to be beneficial to him later on, it goes to show how much of an effect his fame (from his parents) has on him.
ReplyDeleteOnce Harry finally reaches Hogwarts, everyone around him seems to treat him differently. One exception to this would be Ron Weasley, who immediately befriends Ron on the train, after realizing that he is simply an ordinary boy. Even Draco Malfoy tries to befriend Potter, warning him about befriending people from families such as Ron's. The best example of this aspect is when Snape mocks his fame in class, asking him complicated questions about potions that he obviously doesn't know the answer to. Everyone expects Harry to be some sort of genius wizard, when he's just another student. Snape remarks, "Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn't everything" (Rowling 137).
I appreciate your insight into Dumbledore's flaws of overestimating Harry ability and grooming him to fight Vlodemort. I believe that the three trails to access the room with the Mirror of Erised and the Sorcerer's Stone were specifically designed for Harry, Ron, and Hermoine to overcome. After observing Ron and Harry using an invisibility cloak and interacting with the Mirror, Dumbledore has a conversation with Harry where he actively encourages the eleven year-old to use the invisibility cloak to sneak around Hogwarts and clues Harry in on the secrets of the Mirror saying "If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared." (171) I can't believe that it is a coincidence that the three challenges just happened to play right into the strengths of the gang. Leveraging Hermonie's cleverness, Ron's chess prowess, and Harry's broom flying to breeze through the trails only to find the Mirror of Erised that Harry was explicitly prepped to re-encounter. Dumbledore created these trails with the knowledge that Quirrell couldn't touch Harry to begin grooming him to fight Voldemort as there is simply no way that three eleven year-olds could surpass locks designed to keep out one of the most powerful wizards alive.
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