.jpg)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second installment of the Harry Potter series. It continues the story of Harry Potter, who is now in his second year of Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a wizarding school for boys and girls starting at the age of 11 years old to 18 years old, making it a seven year school. Harry now being 12 years of age he is going through way more than any other person or wizard in fact. Everyday he uncovers new mysteries and gets involved in heroic actions making him the bravest 12 year old I've ever heard about.
Person vs Society
Harry has a persona of being "The Chosen One", so people put him on a pedestal. They think he's great, but if anything weird happens he's the first to blame. For instance when Harry went to the wizarding dueling club he started speaking snake that Malfoy, an enemy of Harry, unleashed on him. Everyone claimed he was the one who is the heir of Slytherin and would open the Chamber of Secrets just because he could speak parseltongue, snake verbiage, and so did Salazar Slytherin. So Harry has to constantly deal with people assuming he's one thing one day and another thing another day. Since he survived Lord Voldemort and was labeled "The Chosen One" they have high expectations from him. People observe the smile he wears everyday and hear the rumors of him being the one and assume he has such a wonderful lifestyle. He dreads going home to his muggle, non-magic people, "family" who treats him like dirt and rather him not come home at all. The Dursleys are his Mother's sisters' family, who took Harry in because no one else would. And then Professor Snape loathes Harry in the sense that no matter what Harry does, he's wrong. He gives no regards to Harry's feelings and kicks it to the side.
Person vs Self
Harry has a lot of self conflicts through out this novel. His own mather anf father died trying to save him, which is a huge burden to carry. He didn't discover how they died and what he really was until he turned 11 years old. So for Harry to discover all of these things changes his direction in life. But what's even worse is that so many adults know things and conceal them from him for "his own good", except for Dumbledore. He trusts Harry, thus why he tells him things because he wants Harry to trust him too. For example, towards the end of the novel when you find out Tom Riddle, a former student of Hogwarts, is actually Lord Voldemort, Harry tells Dumbledore. Dumbledore elaborates and tells Harry that the reason Harry can speak parseltongue is because when Lord Voldemort tried killing Harry he accidently put some of his soul into him. This was a big action from Dumbledore because he knows he doesn't have to tell Harry, but he chooses to be on his side. Harry has to live up to a lot and is only trying to get through school, but touble always seems to find him.
Think about Harry's expectations and what he has to go through everyday. Put yourself in his position, a lost boy who is trying to figure out what his life really is and means. The world he lives in is not a world familiar to us. So what would you do? Would you choose the heroic route or the route that clearly leads to bad things?
Think about Harry's expectations and what he has to go through everyday. Put yourself in his position, a lost boy who is trying to figure out what his life really is and means. The world he lives in is not a world familiar to us. So what would you do? Would you choose the heroic route or the route that clearly leads to bad things?
Hi natalie. I really love this series and i feel throughout the entire series Harry is constantly put in bad possitions. When he's blamed to be the heir of Slytherin is a great example of the mistreatment he faces. He already faces problems at his muggle house but then he goes to hogwarts, his only safe place, and he gets treated coldly by the other students. Ever since he was born, he was labeled the "chosen one" so he is probably used to this by now. I liked your analysis.
ReplyDeleteI could never really get into the Harry Potter books since they're are so many, but from your description of this book it makes me want to read the first one so I can read this one. The way you described this book and your connections were so good and interesting that makes me wanna read it. I feel as though you did a really good job with connecting the book to person vs. society.
ReplyDeleteI never read a harry potter book before but after you talked about it, they seem pretty cool. I think you did a good job connecting the book to person vs. self and person vs. society.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job at explaining the books. Although I never read them, you supplied me with enough details to know exactly what was going on and what might happen next. Although I watched the movies and know what was going to happen, you stilled made me hooked and drawn to the story. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete