Deconstructing Rowling

J.K. Rowling is an Inkling. That's the well-argued thesis of John Granger's fine book The Hidden Key to Harry Potter. Granger demonstrates the absurdity of the claim that Harry Potter is anti-Christian. And even if you've never worried about charges brought by misguided fundamentalists, The Hidden Key will substantially augment your understanding of what's really at stake in Harry's adventures.

The Inklings were originally a group of Oxford dons who wrote Christian fiction. The most famous of them are J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Lord of the Rings and the Narnia series never mention Christianity overtly, and in Tolkien's books, religion itself is absent from the plot. Yet these mythopoeic books aim to "baptize the imagination" of the reader — to teach her the importance of fighting for the right, no matter how powerful the forces of evil may appear.

Rowling has confessed herself to be a great fan of C. S. Lewis, her use of "J. R." for her byline evokes "J. R. R." Tolkien, and she is a member of the Church of Scotland (that's Presbyterian, for American readers).

The most useful parts of The Hidden Key are the author's extensive discussion of symbolism. Harry lives in Gryffindor House, founded by Godric Gryffindor. "D'or" being French for "of gold," we could translate the name as "golden griffin." The griffin has a lion's body and an eagle's wings — a hybrid of the animals that are master of the sky and of the earth, the griffin was traditionally a symbol of Jesus, master of the spiritual and temporal worlds.

The unicorn, too, is a traditional Jesus symbol; pure and powerful, it could only be tamed by a virgin, as Jesus could only be incarnated by a virgin. In Sorcerer's Stone, drinking its blood brings life, and its killing is an especially hideous crime.

The phoenix (which saves Harry's life in Chamber of Secrets) rises to life from its own ashes, and is described by T. H. White as the "resurrection bird." This explains the title of the almost-released book five, The Order of the Phoenix — that is, the alliance of people who band together to fight for resurrection values. "Order" also evokes the fighting Christian religious orders of the Middle Ages, such as the Order of the Knights of Malta.

Harry's father James was nicknamed "prongs," for his ability to turn himself into a stag. In Prisoner of Azkeban, when Harry conjures a magical patronus to drive away the soul-stealing Dementors (Latin for mind-removers), the patronus appears as a stag, shining "as bright as a unicorn." The stag is also a medieval symbol of Jesus.

John Granger recaps the plots of the first four books, explaining each of them as a form of trial in which Harry's purity of heart is tested. In The Sorcerer's Stone, Harry is able to find the power of immortality (concealed in a magic mirror) only because he does not want to use it for selfish purposes.

The villain in Chamber of Secrets is Gilderoy Lockheart — the gilded, or false, king ("roi" in French) with a "locked heart." Lockhart, best-selling author of a string of false books, is, Granger suggests, modeled on Philip Pullman, the militant atheist and best-selling real-life author of the Dark Materials children's series — books that were written as a deliberate refutation of Narnia.

In the climax of Chamber of Secrets, Harry descends to a deep underworld, is confronted by two satanic minions (Voldemort and a giant serpent), is saved from certain death by his faith in Dumbledore (the bearded God the Father/Ancient of Days), rescues the virgin (Virginia Weasley), and ascends in triumph. It's Pilgrim's Progress for a new audience.

Prisoner of Azkebanrevolves around two characters (Sirius Black the magician and Buckbeak the hippogriff) who are falsely accused and condemned. Jungian and Freudian themes abound, as Harry begins by fleeing from his fears (running away from the Dursleys), confronts his hidden memories of his dead parents, forgives the man who betrayed his father, and triumphs by mastering his fear. "Expecto Patronus," invokes Harry — or in Latin, "Expect the little father." As Harry achieves identity with his father James, the luminous stag appears and drives away the soul-killing Dementors, rescuing Harry's godfather Sirius.

Granger reveals the meanings of the names of all the important characters. Draco (dragon/serpent in Latin) Malfoy (faith in evil, in French); Harry's parents James (the brother of Jesus) and Lily (the Easter flower), nasty journalist Rita Skeeter (read: a bloodsucking pest), and more.

And "Harry Potter"? Well, the name does evoke Harry Hotspur, the prince Hal of Shakespeare's histories. But if you say it with a French or Cockney accent, it also reminds us of "heir." For "Potter," Granger tells us to look to the Bible's "potter verses" (e.g., Isaiah 64:8), in which God is described as the potter who shapes man out of clay. Granger's summary of Rowling's theme is that we are all heirs of God.

The Potter books are a magical work aimed to liberate their readers from materialism and to elevate their spirits. Harry leaves the temporal world of London by entering Diagon Alley — that is, by moving diagonally, not in the lines of the ordinary material world. And Dudley's grotesque weight and surfeit of toys are an extreme case of a spiritual death from immersion in a purely material world: a world which Rowling shows can be put aside, if one can think and live diagonally.

Harry Potter fans are used to scouring the Internet for the morsels of hints Rowling has offered about the rest of the series. The last section of Hidden Key offers informed speculation about what will happen in the final books; of course, some of Granger's guesses might be wrong, but his exposition of the series' themes makes many of his ideas seem almost inevitable. For instance:

Harry will be revealed as the true heir of Godric Gryffindor and the climatic battle will be fought at Harry's birthplace, Godric Hollow. The heir of Gryffindor will confront the Heir of Slytherin (slithering, like a snake), Voldemort. Dumbledore has powers of invisibility; that is how he knew that the orphan Neville Longbottom (no-village, long at the lowest place) stood up to his friends in Sorcerer's Stone. Dumbledore will die, because Harry must defeat Voldemort himself. Snape's mixed feelings about Harry — he saves Harry's life, but is angrily jealous of Harry's fame — can be traced back to Snape's school days; then, Snape loved the green-eyed Lily (perhaps a Slytherin student, since house color is green) who rejected him for James. No matter — love and sacrifice will battle with death, at first appearing to be defeated, and then triumphing gloriously.

There's much more in Hidden Key: Rowling's extensive use of alchemical symbolism (alchemy being a process in which spiritual purification is correlated with metallurgical purification), Aristotelian and Platonic themes, and Arthurian legend. Like King Arthur, Harry was hidden as a baby, raised without knowledge of his true identify, watched over from afar by a great wizard, and proves that he is the true heir by pulling out a sword — in Harry's case, by pulling Godric Gryffindor's sword from Godric Gryffindor's sorting ("sword-in") hat.

Hidden Key can be read in an afternoon, and if you can interrupt your progress through the Order of the Phoenix for a little bit, Hidden Key will greatly add to your understanding of J. K. Rowling's magnificent work.

It's a proven fact that cats only levitate when they hear food hit a bowl.

LOL! Very true!

(because the former accept figures of speech and symbolism in the Bible, the latter do not.)

I don't know. I was discussing the argument in the Bible for a flat earth (Jesus is lead to a mountaintop from which he can see all the kingdoms of the earth), and was told that this was a metaphor. There have been times in history when the church took this literally and argued the earth is flat.

LOL! I've gotta take the kids and go wave at the President this afternoon!! And then dinner, bed, etc.....

After the Mr. gets home later, one of us is going.

LOL

WHAT??? Is that why my cats don't levitate when I say wingardium leviosa?

No...you're just not DOING it right! I made it work, but the problem is that I can't get the cats down on the ground now. They're just hanging in the air and they're none too pleased about it.

The fylfot - the backward swastika - was originally four Gammas joined at the base. To early Christians, it symbolized the four elements that God created.

The cross symbolized only one thing to early Christians and that was the Cross of Calvery. Pagans worship the 4 elements. It has never been a "Christian" thing. It has always been a "pagan" practice.

but also more traditional themes, such as good versus evil, power over powerlessness, friendship, loyalty, responsibility and, above all, love.

I think the relevant phrase from the Bible begins withe "By their fruits..."

The magic in Harry Potter is just metaphor for all the difficult and mysterious things that children have to learn while growing up.

The cross symbolized only one thing to early Christians and that was the Cross of Calvery. Pagans worship the 4 elements. It has never been a "Christian" thing. It has always been a "pagan" practice.

(heavy sigh)

I was talking about the fylfot, the reverse swastika. NOT the Cross.

128 posted on 06/20/2003 12:53:59 PM PDT by Xenalyte (I may not agree with your bumper sticker, but I'll defend to the death your right to stick it)

go to the nearest bookstore, pick up a Hairy Potty book and count the clichés on the first two pages.

I notice you have posted this without going to the trouble of posting any of these clichés. Are you really confident about this?

Did I mention Illuminati or the Bilderbergers?

Of course not, they're small-time -- tools of the viscious neeeeeeeo-cons.

Ever watch The Matrix? Ever wonder about the main character's name?

Did you know David Frum can fly at Mach 3 and William F. Buckley can dodge bullets?

The cross is an old pagan symbol as well. Throughout it's history, Christianity has sought to "baptize" pre-Christian mythological symbols and show how they can be understood as speaking of the Truth of Christ. Thus were many pagan peoples converted to Christianity.

I sure hope AU never has to read how Ireland was converted. But then something tells me he never will.

I notice you have posted this without going to the trouble of posting any of these clichés. Are you really confident about this?

I'm confident of the story I related, yes. The review and the subsequent letter to the editor were either in the Wall Street Journal or in the weekly New York Times Review of Books. I'm also confident that at the time I did go to a bookstore myself, picked up a copy and started counting. This was the second or third book of the series, if I remember correctly. Anyway, I found maybe 10 of the 12 the reviewer counted (numbers from memory). Sorry, I don't own a copy of any of the books to post anything from them.

Look OOOUUUUT! There's a Bludger flying right towards your HEAD!!

I'll admit I've never read them, but I've seen the movie, very cute. But my childhood was forever enriched by Madeline L'Engle's fantasies.

That means you have also been corrupted by fiction that glorifies witchcraft and magic.

;^)

I suppose it's now evil to celebrate holidays near the soltices and equinoxes as well. >:o

And where do you suppose those holidays originated?

WHAT??? Is that why my cats don't levitate when I say wingardium leviosa?

I can make my cats levitate with a charm. I just call the Ibizan hound (appropriately named Grendel).

"Am I a witch or a pagan from having read them? Hardly."

Same here! I was a Wizard long before I read the Potter Books!

I played the Devil's own game when I was a kid (with me mum at me side playing a goodly Paladin) I've never been the same since and of course I am not only a Wizard but one of the elven folk as well.

See, I also read Tolkein long before I played my first game of D&D!

140 posted on 06/20/2003 1:27:29 PM PDT by Xenalyte (I may not agree with your bumper sticker, but I'll defend to the death your right to stick it)

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