Harry Potter’s overwhelming and chaotic journey to becoming a famous wizard begins with revealing the fact that his entire life thus far has been a lie. He experiences personal trauma as he grows up in the emotionally abusive home of the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia care more about their image than anything else in the world, besides their son Dudley, so they reject the truth about Harry’s magical life and deceive him about it as well. They sweep the truth under the rug, just as they shove him away in a cabinet under the stairs. When Harry does have a question about anything, whether it is about him or the strange things he experiences, Aunt Petunia simply responds with “don’t ask questions” (Rowling 20). So, Harry is left in the dark to try and make sense of the odd things that happen to him but which he does not have control over. Then, on top of that, the Dursleys punish him for making these things happen, which psychologically manipulates and abuses him.
When Harry is accepted into Hogwarts and Hagrid comes to find him, Hagrid is sincerely outraged at the Dursleys for not telling Harry anything about his past, especially because everyone in the wizarding world knows his story. He yells at the Dursleys, absolutely astonished that Harry has not been told anything about magic, firmly expressing, “this boy – this boy! – knows nothin’ abou’ – about ANYTHING?” (Rowling 49). Then, as Aunt Petunia complains about all the strange and odd things that wizards are capable of, she reveals the truth about how Harry’s parents died. Harry is in shock, and Hagrid cannot hold in his anger as he lashes out at them. He emphasizes, “Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!” (Rowling 53). Hagrid’s genuine concern highlights how little Harry knows about his own life, of which everyone else in the wizarding society is aware of, all at the hands of his emotionally abusive family. Hagrid’s outrage demonstrates the absolute injustice that the Dursleys commit in lying to Harry.
Also, Harry enters an entirely new society of which he must adapt to. While Muggle-born students also have this experience, Harry has the added pressure of being a celebrity. Everyone gawks, stares, and talks about him, and Mrs. Weasley realizes that this is simply rude. She scolds her own kids, expressing, “the poor boy isn’t something you goggle at in a zoo … as though he needs to be reminded of [Voldemort] on his first day at school” (Rowling 97). After all the emotional damage that the Dursleys inflict on Harry, he finds a support system within Hogwarts and the wizarding world, which will guide him onward as he becomes a great wizard.
I find the topic of emotional and manipulative abuse a compelling topic in Harry Potter’s story. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, the abuse Harry experiences in the Dursley’s home is shocking, yet nobody in Harry’s world seems overly concerned about it. The target audience for this novel is around 9-12 years old. At this age, most children know at least a bit about the topic of abuse, but often not extensively. However, a significant portion of children in this age range, about 1 in every seven according to the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html), have experienced abuse. As prevalent as this issue is, it seems like the perfect opportunity for Rowling to address the issue and encourage children to reach out to a trusted individual for help. Yet Rowling does not do this, and instead chooses for the characters to practically ignore the abuse Harry has faced for his entire life. In fact, Harry goes back home for the summer, saying that he will “need something to look forward to” (Rowling, 308). However, after considering the age range and purpose of the novel, Rowling’s choice does make sense. Her target audience is young enough to not fully understand a topic such as this, and the novel’s purpose is to entertain, not inform. While I do believe that Rowling may have passed up an opportunity to help children in similar situations as Harry, I also understand her reasons for doing so.
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