Re-reading Order of the Phoenix, which I would classify as the most consistently oppressive chronicle in Harry's adventures, I noticed that on several occasions Harry seemed to be looking to some higher power for aid. Though he doesn't address God, there is a definite air of supplication in his desperate thoughts under duress. Examples from this book:
* "If I'm not expelled from Hogwarts, I'll put in ten Galleons, Harry found himself thinking desperately." (128) It seems the sort of prayer many a panicked student has uttered: "Please get me through this test, and I'll put my whole a allowance in this week's offering." What really impresses me is the fact that on 156, he not only makes good on this promise but dumps in all his money, aiding all sorts of ailing witches and wizards in the process.
* "Don't let her be dead, don't let her be dead..." (793) Harry's in a blind panic here, not even daring to look at Hermione, but still grasping onto the hope that she might be all right.
* "Inwardly praying that Neville would stay with Ron..." (799) Here the word "pray" is actually used, and Harry's hoping that Neville will somehow understand what he wants him to do despite his inability to verbally instruct him.
* And then on 816, Harry inwardly begs, "Let the pain stop. Let him kill us..." The addressee in this case is Dumbledore, though, and since Dumbledore is a skilled Legillimens there is presumably the chance that he could actually read Harry's mind here, rendering this less a prayer than a plea for help from a fellow wizard. Still, there is a certain prayerlike vibe about it...
Anyway, it does seem to me that this time of intense crisis leads to Harry looking beyond himself and even his very devoted friends to the unseen. And it's oddly appropriate that it's the death of his godfather that sends him running to Nearly Headless Nick (861) for answers to deep, nagging spiritual questions - answers a mournful Nick cannot provide, though Luna, having undergone a searing personal loss herself, is able to offer some unexpected comfort (863) that may be enough to encourage Harry to continue considering these questions in quietude once his initial rage has died down.
There aren't a lot of overt references to Christianity in the Harry Potter series, but Christian symbols and themes abound, with important notions like self-sacrifice and mercy at the heart of the saga, and in the final book, I strongly suspect the Christian worldview will play a critical, though probably still not blatantly stated, part...
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3 comments:
Good insights, Erin, and great examples. I think you're onto something here about Harry's growing awareness of his need to rely on sources of help outside of himself.
One of the most interesting parts of John Granger's reflections on PoA comes when he discusses the spell to conjure a patronus. John (who is a Latin teacher, by the way) thinks one of the best translations of the term "expecto patronum" (given the language, and given the story) is "I await or expect a deliverer." So maybe one can say that Harry's lessons in prayer start there...
That is interesting! I really love the whole patronus idea. What a profound manifestation of this need for deliverance... It's interesting, too, that the ability to produce a patronus is highly regarded; I got a kick out of the reactions of Madame Bones and Professor Tofty to the fact that Harry was able to conjure one. It would seem, then, that a willingness to seek help - and to feel that need strongly enough for it to take a physical form - is a sign of maturity...
Yes. I think Harry's growing understanding of his need to rely on help is definitely a mark of his maturity.
And I think (or at any rate hope) that you're right about book 7. I am hoping that we are going to see a "eucatastrophe" (to borrow Tolkien) that is deeply, deeply indebted to the Christian story, even if JKR doesn't expressly admit as such. I sometimes wonder how conscious she is of the depths of Christian themes in her work; they're woven in so deeply and well that it's hard to believe at least some of it's not conscious though.
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