by Joanne Rowling – the girl who grew up to write Harry Potter.
According to Bauer P. (2020), Ten-year-old Harry Potter is an orphan who lives in the fictional London suburb of Little Whinging, Surrey, with the Dursleys: his uncaring Aunt Petunia, loathsome Uncle Vernon, and spoiled cousin Dudley. The Dursleys barely tolerate Harry, and Dudley bullies him. At first, he was just an ordinary boy longing for his parents, whom he thought that his parents died from a car accident. However, that was just completely made up by the Dursleys, until such time that the truth revealed when the letters start dropping on their doormat. On his eleventh birthday, Rubeus Hagrid went to his house and told Harry that he is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As Harry entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he found his two loyal friends called Ron and Hermione. In every mission and adventure, he was with his friends that always help him to solve the mystery. Harry Potter depicted the youth who has an imaginative mind and strong courage to do things with magic. He is the main character that epitomized a down to earth person. Despite being one of the top students at Hogwarts, he remained humble and ensured the safety of people in Hogwarts and other places.
There are so many signs and symbols found in this story that would evoke a universal response. The first thing I have observed is how Harry obtained his holly wand from Ollivander. It tells us that there are things that we chose to try out, which gives a little success, but when we get the real thing that lets us felt a warm feeling, that thing is meant for us by God. At the time of arrival at school, Harry and the other students are classified into one of four houses through the sorting hat. In this case, the hat symbolizes our minds to think of what group where we belong in this society. There has been always a specific group that we belong to aligned with our talents. Another point is the invisibility cloak which was a mysterious gift to Harry from his father. The invisibility cloak turns the wearer into invisible, which represents the necessity of breaking the rules to do what is right. There are things that we need to do with courage for us to attain the right decisions in life. Next is the mirror of erised, an object that could make a person insane by thinking of things he or she desire in front of the mirror that will appear instantly. It signifies how Harry desired to have a loving family. However, if you are addicted to your desire by looking at the mirror, there's a possibility that you would ignore your surroundings, and you won't be able to live in the present. Lastly is the sorcerer's stone that can turn any metal into gold, and perhaps more tempting, can create the Elixir of Life, which makes the drinker immortal. It represents that people can turn into selfish just to gain power and superiority even though they can hurt someone (Harry Potter Wiki, n.d.).
All in all, this story focuses on the power of love and how it can endure everything. The life and adventure of Harry started from the love and end the trouble with the power of love. The enemy was vanished because of his strong love for his parents that defeated Voldemort. Here's a catchy line stated by the author that love is extraordinary.
“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. Love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. To have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.”
― J.K. Rowling
About the author:
References
Bauer P. (n.d.). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harry-Potter-and-the-Philosophers-Stone
Goodreads (2020). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/4640799-harry-potter-and-the-philosopher-s-stone
Harry Potter Wiki (2020). Philosopher's Stone. Retrieved from https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Philosopher%27s_Stone
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