Harry Potter

Harry Potter is famous book series worldwide written by J.k. Rowling. This book takes us into a world full of fantasy, horror, mystery, magic. This book is not limited to children only but it goes beyond that if we study this book from the lens of literature.

Feminist reading of Hermione’s character:

Harry potter satisfies the expectations of female readers when it comes to female characters but it would not satisfy the minds of rich feminist readers. Harry potter follows some gender stereotypes. Strong characters like McGonagall and Hermione comes under the aura of harry and Dumbledore.
                                                                              

She is smarter than these two boys than also she needs their help to rescue her from dangerous situation. She is more rational and logical than Harry and Ron; but in last two parts her mind stops working as it sparks with an idea in her mind in previous series and Ron was shown Smarter when it comes to destroy Horcrux. Wizard sport Quidditch is also important when we do feminist reading of this book.No matter how much girls will score in Quidditch match their score will not make any importance until their seeker do not catch a golden snitch and seeker is obviously a boy

The Headmaster at Hogwarts, Dumbledore, is male. Nearly all teachers are male except for McGonagall and Trelawny at first, then Dolores Umbridge, who is known as the evil teacher to most students, and a few more scattered in between. The house elves throughout the series are male. The sorting hat (the ritualistic talking hat that sorts students into their houses) is even a male persona. Also, inside the house, there are ghosts that fly around and talk to the students. Most of these ghosts are male, including the one most students know as Nearly Headless Nick. Inside Hogwarts and the wizarding world, males are the dominant gender. (Grief)

Children’s Literature and Harry Potter:

Harry potter was written as children literature because it deals with fantasy world, but after four books it doesn’t remain as a children’s literature. Along with children’s literature it contains some aspect of adolescent literature as well. Along with fantasy it took children to the reality that if you know magic then also you can’t bring the death ones back. There are many moral and highly philosophical dialogues from very begging to the end throughout the novel.

The Harry Potter novels serve as a test case showing how Foucault's theories about power can be used to better understand adolescent literature. The crux of defining adolescent literature as distinct from children's literature revolves around the issue of power. While growth in children's literature is depicted as a function of what the character has learned about self, growth in adolescent literature is depicted as a function of what the adolescent learns about how society curtails power. The adolescent cannot grow without experiencing gradations between power and powerlessness. Consequently, power is even more fundamental to the genre than growth is. Adolescents must learn to negotiate the many institutions that shape them and how to balance their power with their parents' power and with the power of authority figures in general. Finally, they must learn what portion of power they wield because of and despite such biological imperatives as sex and death. Adolescents are empowered by institutions and their parents and by their knowledge of their bodies, but by offering up rules and holding repercussions over their heads that limit their newfound freedoms, these things also restrict them. The Harry Potter novels serve as a test case showing how Foucault's theories about power can be used to better understand adolescent literature. The crux of defining adolescent literature as distinct from children's literature revolves around the issue of power. While growth in children's literature is depicted as a function of what the character has learned about self, growth in adolescent literature is depicted as a function of what the adolescent learns about how society curtails power. The adolescent cannot grow without experiencing gradations between power and powerlessness. Consequently, power is even more fundamental to the genre than growth is. Adolescents must learn to negotiate the many institutions that shape them and how to balance their power with their parents' power and with the power of authority figures in general. Finally, they must learn what portion of power they wield because of and despite such biological imperatives as sex and death. Adolescents are empowered by institutions and their parents and by their knowledge of their bodies, but by offering up rules and holding repercussions over their heads that limit their newfound freedoms, these things also restrict them.

Theme of Choice and Chance :
Choice versus chance runs throughout the novel. Dumbledore tells harry that it is our choice that shows that what we truly are far more than our abilities Achieving free will by allowing to make own choices. Making the free choice within the fated destinies. Choices are made according to criteria; chance without choice is unthinkable. Author encourages choice in her series. In the end Harry’s choice of self sacrifice made him to defeat voldemort. He had fear of dying while he asks spirit of Sirius that does it hurt? Of dying? then also he made a choice to face voldemort. People can only guide you as Dumbledore guides Harry, ultimately it’s up to you to make your choice. Dumbledore only guides harry it’s up to harry to make his own choice. Battle was only between harry and voldemort but others also helped Harry ; all were very well acknowledge with the fact that they would be killed but it was their own conscious choice.

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Works Cited

Anelli, Melissa. The Leaky Cauldron.org. <http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/features/essays/issue19/choice/>.

Grief, Julia. "THE WOMEN IN HARRY POTTER’S WORLD: A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE." Canyon, Texas, 2015. 64.

Helimen, Elizabeth E. "Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter." Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2009.

Pond, Julia Rose. "Divine Destiny or Free Choice: Nietzsche's Strong Wills in the Harry Potter Series." Georgia State University, n.d. 65.

Trites, Roberta Seelinger. "The Harry Potter Novels as a Test Case for Adolescent Literature." JSTOR (n.d.).