Religion in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
Added on 2020-04-07
5 Pages1137 Words268 Views
Surname 1Student NameInstructor Name Course DateReligion in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”In the modern era, Harry Potter novels are undoubtedly one of the best children narratives. Although labelled as children books, the Harry Potter novels discuss themes of vital relevance to people of all ages. Apart from the disturbing occult culture that Rowling outlines in Harry Potter books, modern society religion is also equally presented. However, it is interesting how much of the discussions about the novel majors on its occult nature. In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” Rowling describes religion through the use of various celebrations and symbolism particularly those present in Christianity. The use of celebrations and symbols present in Christianity throughout the book is attributed its setting. Rowling set the book in England society which values Christianity as its main religion. Despite widely criticized for its occult nature, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” explicitly incorporates religion in its structure through the use of beliefs and religious celebrations. The book contains explicit references to religion. These references are illustrated by the major religious celebrations mentioned throughout the book. With book set in a Christian dominated England community, the major religious celebrations and holidays mentioned in the book are associated with Christianity. Interestingly, these events are celebrated both in thenormal society or what the book terms as the Muggle world and occult world. Christmas is
Surname 2one of the religious holidays that is celebrated in the book. In Christianity, Christmas is the day that the believers commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. On this day, people share with family and friends and celebrate by feasting. In the book, students at the Hogwarts School were released to go home for the Christmas holiday (Rowling 155). Moreover, for students like Harry Potter who opted to remain in school for the Christmas held celebrations and exchanged gifts. The Halloween feast is another religious celebration depicted in the book. The Halloween is a religious festival popular to the western Christians. The festival is dedicated to remembering those who died in matters of faith like the saints and martyrs. The Hogwarts School also celebrated the Halloween festival, and the students were treated to feasting and celebrations (Rowling 136). Furthermore, the book cites the celebration the of Easter holiday.The Easter festival is one the oldest practices in Christianity which marks the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Moreover, the book also gives interesting views about good and evil. The book points out that these two forces are present in every society. However, it insists that individuals havethe free will to choose between good and evil. In the book, Good and evil are illustrated in differing shapes and are not restricted to magic or the human world. Notably, the Rowling use the actions and decisions of her characters to illustrate the decisions between good and evil. For instance, those who use magic to harm others like Lord Voldemort are described as belonging to the dark side. However, Rowling is quick to point out that it is difficult to tell if an individual is good or evil based on their actions in public. In fact, the book posits that goodand evil are complex concepts which are hard to discern. As illustrated in the conversation between Harry and Quirrell, the concept of good and evil are socially constructed and defer with individuals (Rowling 234). However, judging from how the characters react to actions
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