J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone presents a fictional world full of witchcraft and wizardry. The novel follows Harry, an orphan boy/newly discovered wizard, who is learning how to navigate the wizarding world after finding out he is the "chosen one". Before this discovery, Harry lives with his abusive Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon in the shadow of his cousin, Dudley. The neglect he receives from his family makes Harry wish for a life with his parents who loved him dearly, and desire that familial love again. In contrast to Harry's simple desires, there are other characters who have excessive desires and are condemned throughout the novel. Through characterization, Rowling highlights the fine line between natural and excessive desire.
Harry has lived in the shadow of his cousin Dudley since he can remember. While Harry sleeps under the stairs, he watches Dudley receive thirty-seven birthday presents and be upset that it is fewer than previous years(Rowling 24). The spoiled Dudley's outrageous demands for more gifts appear both foolish and obnoxious. Much more mature themes of excessive desire become present later in the novel. Voldemort, the power-hungry evil antagonist, has a similar greed to Dudley. Voldemort desires the Sorcerer's Stone, which "[has] the ability to turn any mental into pure gold, [and] make someone [immortal]" (Rowling 251). Although Voldemort and Dudley are very different characters, they share the same uncontrollable desire that turns away readers and makes an enemy of Harry.
Rowling shows that desire is not necessarily a wrong or bad feeling when Dumbledore, the wise wizard, explains to Harry his desire to see his parents is both touching and noble. Harry understands this is his greatest desire after looking into the Mirror of Erised, which shows the "user his or her heart's deepest desire" (Rowling 230). Dumbledore further explains, overblown desire is dangerous and can make people lose their perspective on life. Because of this belief, Dumbledore urges Harry to not looking into the Mirror of Erised again.
Through positive and negative characterization, Rowling is able to show readers the harmful impacts of excessive desire. By portraying well liked, moral characters with a healthy amount of desire and unlikable evil characters with excessive desire readers are shown unfavorable qualities that come with an unhealthy amount of desire.
I agree that excessive desire is often portrayed negatively throughout Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Voldemort is the most obvious example of this desire, since he becomes so corrupted by the need to gain more and more power that he ends up as someone less than human. The way Voldemort is described throughout the entire series definitely proves the physical effects of that transformation. Harry’s reaction to first seeing the Mirror of Erised also exemplifies how dangerous feeling that intense desire can be. The day after he found the mirror, “Harry couldn’t eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn’t seem very important anymore” (Rowling 209). There are a couple more examples of this obsession Harry exhibits in the next couple of days as well. He becomes so entranced by his desire that he forgets to care about anything else. Even Ron, who is notoriously a bit dense, notices the change in Harry and discourages him from returning. This is likely why Dumbledore warns Harry not to seek out the mirror again, because he has seen people completely lose themselves in their desire to obtain whatever they saw in the mirror.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post truly made me revise and analyze my view of desire within Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. J.K. Rowling illustrates how excessive desire can negatively impact a character and alter how the reader perceives that character. Rowling introduces the theme of desire by incorporating a scene of Harry Potter finding the Mirror of Erised – a mirror that shows the deepest desires of one’s heart (Rowling 213). When Harry looks into the mirror, he sees himself surrounded by his family. Growing up an orphan and raised in a home without love, what Harry desires more than anything is to be surrounded by his loved ones. However, Dumbledore tells Harry, “This mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible” (Rowling 213). Here, Dumbledore warns Harry of the power of desire. Desire can be dangerous and drive people to madness to achieve their desires. Voldemort is an example of a character who is led by his negative desires for power and glory. He has committed many atrocious acts to fulfill his deepest desires, and this illustrates one of the ways Harry and Voldemort contrast. Harry’s deepest desire is to be with his family, while Voldemort’s deepest desire is to be feared and powerful.
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