Critical views on Harry Potter

The idea of pure blood or master race is age old, but it became prominent in the days of Hitler and Nazis. A world should only be ruled by Master race or one who belongs to pure blood, left should serve them. They thought they have right to rule over others. Nazis declared that the Nordics were the true Aryans because they were much less racially mixed with people who were non-native to the European continent. Based on this idea that Nordic people were superior to all other races, the Nazis believed they were chosen people to expand the territory.

At a first glance, the Harry potter universe seems to have little racial tension. There are a handful of non-white characters including fellow Gryffindors, Lee Jordon, Dean Thomas, Angelina Johnson, and Parvati and Padma Patil, and Cho Chang. Yet Rowling treats race with less attention to race. She has created universe which is not based on racial identity, rather it seems like melting pot, a multicultural state. These multiculturalism in her universe exist, she used it to show how race or pure blood has no real meaning in her magical universe. Perhaps she wants to show the reader a racial utopia. 

The idea and concept of the superiority of the Master race or belonging to pure blood do not play active role in Harry Potter. Infect Rowling has given anti-thesis of the idea of Pure blood by presenting harry as protagonist belonging to the Half Blood. In a way she has broken down the concept of superiority of the pure blood. 

Ideas related to Pure-blood are, they are superior than other, they have power to rule over other, they are most powerful, they are the savior, to make a universe pure. But these concepts are broken down by Rowling in her work where the protagonist is Muggle blood or half-blood child became the savior of the Hogwart universe. Whereas the idea of pure blood presented by the character of the Voldemort(He himself is Half-blood ) who wanted to create a world where only pure blood will exist.

Thus the novel broke down the thesis of the pure blood as superior and savior of the world. Actually her world seems more like Darwinian socialism, where the powerful rules the rest other. In this world Harry is growing more and more powerful day by day, and Voldemort becoming less powerful as time passes. The world once ruled by Voldemort, now it will be ruled by Harry Potter. It’s like a Jungle Raj where the powerful and strong animal eats up the less stronger and powerful. Like when Harry becomes more powerful than Voldemort, he killed Voldemort. 

Thus it can be said that, she has fairly broken the idea of pure blood but still there it remains there, as why Harry is white child and not black one, it is because at some level in her mind still there is a wish to see white as a savior, and thus our protagonist is not other than white.

Discourse of power and politics

At the surface level it is children’s literature and how can we imagine politics and power in it. But when we read it, understand it. it didn’t remain merely children’s literature. The world of Magic as presented by Rowling is full of power and politics. Because it is an institution a state in itself, thus it must has its power, laws, policies. 

Political system -: Ministry of Magic is the supreme body of the Hogwart school of magic. It is rule forming body and secrecy is maintained through this body of Ministry. It forms rules for teachers, students and others in school.

Albus Dumbledore is the head of the Hogwart school, he forgives Harry’s mistakes and plunders. And Albus was able to do only because he is at power position 

It presents two different world -: Muggle world and magic world. where both the world has different lifestyle and rules and regulations of behavior. There are certain rules to be followed by individual living within school, even there is restriction over use of magic outside the Hogwart. 

Hierarchy:- hierarchy is common feature of politics. It is to maintain power inside the institution and society. Thus wizards are divided accordingly. The houses for children’s are divided into three different groups like Griffindor etc. 

Education (ISA- Ideological state apparatus):- in a way school or educational institution can be seen as ideological state apparatus, which is worse yet liked by all, people happily preferred to enter. As the child who is growing in to the society is formed by the educational institute. It keeps a person busy for long time, and as one come out in society he is already conditioned by educational institute, to look the society as it has been taught. In other way it operates in a way that nobody felt bad that one is being used in institute and when one knows, he or she already left that premises. It is ideal prison which kept radical mind in control and people happily wanted to imprison in it.

Children’s literature

Harry Potter series largely regarded as children’s literature, especially written for pleasure and entertainment. No doubt it has quality and content that we can judge it as children’s literature. It is highly imaginative, full of fancy, not so simple but straight forward moving story(journey from birth to adulthood of Harry). There are children as character and even Harry is our hero in the narrative, they are the doer of action. It is optimistic and there is always hope that Harry will win in hazardous situations. However chancy the circumstances are but at the end Harry comes over the time and tide, it is one of the characteristic of Children’s literature. The world which book presents is too risky and dangerous and yet Harry and his friends roaming here and there. Thus it has elements that can prove it as children’s literature. 

When we do the study of these children’s books we come across some of the elements of the literature. When we judge it on the criteria of the true literature these books have elements of true literature. Though it is the story of a child’s journey from birth to adulthood, but as the story move forward, it becomes deeper and philosophical thoughts are also become more prominent. Not only the thoughts but the hardship of the life also increases. The world which Rowling has presented grows darker after the forth part. The last two part of the series has much literary value as it dealt with more serious matter, the last part which deals with the idea of death and love. 

Some of the reasons to call it literature are

We can do study of feministic reading(based on Hermione’s character)

It can be studied as racial and multicultural text(idea of race and Blood status and students from various countries)

It can be studied on philosophical, moral and religious(as a discourse on life and death, evil breeds evil can be prove based on Harry and Voldemort’s character) 

It also can be studied as discourse on politics(as explained above)

Thus we can say yes it transcends the confines of children’s Literature and claims the heights of real literature.