Many heroes are defined by their courage or their strength. However, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the titular character is defined by his kindness and his humility. Rowling uses selfish characters such as Dudley, Draco, and Professor Quirrell to highlight the necessity of humility in heroic characters.
Rowling begins the novel with our protagonist in a loveless household. His cousin Dudley is selfish, growing angry when he receives thirty-seven presents, less than he had the previous year (21). Harry, on the other hand, is shown to be the exact opposite. He describes his morning at the zoo as “the best morning he’d had in a long time” (26), despite being yelled at and only given Dudley’s leftovers. Unlike Dudley, Harry is grateful for whatever he’s given, no matter how little. This opening allows readers to quickly gather Harry’s most identifiable and sympathetic traits by providing such a severe foil with Dudley. Where his cousin is selfish and rude, Harry is kind and meek. However, Harry is rewarded for his behavior, and Dudley is punished for his, by the arrival of Hagrid. While Harry receives his letter to Hogwarts and gifts from Hagrid, Hagrid gives Dudley “a curly pig’s tail” (59), with Hagrid joking that he “[meant] ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn’t much left ter do” (59), referring to Dudley’s gluttony and selfishness as ‘piglike’. While this is the first point in the novel where Harry is rewarded for being humble, a similar turn of events occurs in the climax.
Harry, unlike Quirrell, is able to retrieve the Sorcerer’s Stone from the Mirror of Erised. Dumbledore explains that this is because “only one who wanted to find the stone – find it, but not use it – would be able to get it” (300). Quirrell cannot retrieve the stone because he has a selfish motive, wanting the stone solely for his own gain. Harry’s selfless motive for wanting the stone is rewarded by victory. This is the scene that truly emphasizes why Harry is the hero of the story. He may not be as smart as Hermoine, or know the wizarding world as well as Ron, but those aren’t the traits that win the day in Rowling’s world- it's Harry’s humility that sets him apart as the protagonist.
Harry’s humility is not just an endearing trait. Characters such as Dudley, Draco, and Quirrell serve as narrative foils to highlight the ways in which Harry is a better person and deserving of his place as our protagonist. In the beginning of the novel, his humble nature places him in contrast with bullies and leads to him making close friends. By the end of the novel, however, his humility is the deciding value in fights against evil wizards. By having this trait help him succeed, Rowling reinforces the importance of being a kind and humble person in order to be a hero.
I thoroughly enjoyed and agree with this perspective on the main theme in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I would like to point out another point where Harry’s humility and selflessness is highlighted, which is on the Hogwarts Express when he is first entering the wizarding world. Ron, who only has unpleasant sandwiches he brought from home, watches Harry purchase all sorts of delicious wizard treats from the trolley on the train. Despite Ron’s polite reluctance, Harry insists on sharing his treats with the other boy. It’s a nice feeling for Harry, “who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with” (76). This is especially significant, because as he enters the wizarding world, Harry goes from a muggle child in a loveless household to a world where he is famous and rich beyond his dreams. Instead of using this newfound power to befriend people like Draco Malfoy or bully other children into getting his way, Harry relishes his new ability to be kind and generous since he has never had anything to share before. This reinforces that Harry is not humble and meek only because he has been ignored and mistreated by the Dursleys, but because he chooses to be kind, and enjoys being able to share with the new friends he makes at Hogwarts. This selflessness is rewarded throughout the book with his genuine friendships and his success against Lord Voldemort in the finale.
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