It
does require some suspension of disbelief to read a story in
which parents send their children to a boarding school in
which they may find themselves at risk when facing the forces
of terror and darkness, but critics of J.K. Rowling's modern
classic need to take these tales of witchcraft with a grain of
salt. The idea is not a new one; the book "The Worst Witch",
which became a popular TV series, has covered this topic as
well.
But in a writing style that is more than highly reminiscent of
another British children's author, Roald Dahl of "Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory" fame, Rowling has shared with fans of
all ages a fantastic and well-structured world in which the
characters face extremes of good and evil. The scenarios
covered in these tales are dark, bright, spirited, poignant,
and funny at various turns, as are the characters themselves.
Pewter Table Lamps.
At the heart of it all is the book's boy hero, Harry James
Potter, orphaned during his first year of life when the evil
wizard Lord Voldemort murdered his parents and, while failing
to kill young Harry as well, left the infant with a jagged
scar on his forehead that causes him pain at critical moments
in his life for many years afterwards.
The ever wise headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, along with Professor Minerva
McGonnagall, and the hirsute giant Rubeus Hagrid, deposit the
infant with his only remaining family, the Dursleys, and for
the next decade, the young Harry suffers abuse and neglect at
the hands of his dead mother's sister, Petunia, her husband
Vernon, and their spoiled and menacing son, Dudley. Pewter
lamps.
An owl with a message provides the first sign that Harry's
fortunes are about to change. Despite the Dursley's
decade-long efforts to break Harry out of some mysterious
habits and goings-on that often surround him, Harry finally
learns the truth about his background during a surprise
encounter with Hagrid.
Soon the boy-wizard-to-be is whisked away to the Scottish
castle that is Hogwarts to begin a life previously unknown to
him.
Realistically, he learns that life is not completely free of
torment from his peers since leaving the Dursleys when he
encounters the stuck-up Draco Malfoy and cohorts.
But he also encounters the red-haired and hysterical Ron
Weasley, who like Malfoy is from an old wizarding family but
from a different end of the spectrum, who can prove himself to
be a noble friend in the thick of a major crisis, and the
Muggle born intellectual, Hermione Granger, patterned after
J.K. Rowling herself.
Slowly, we watch these three develop a complex friendship and
evolve into Hogwart's trouble-shooting trio amid an array of
broken school rules, encounters with dangerous magical beasts,
and the occasional backfiring of magic spells, finally
reaching the climax in which Harry must help break the power
of the Sorcerer's Stone, in his first encounter with the Dark
Lord since his infancy.
Interestingly, magic and witchcraft Pewter table lamp. do not
solve all the characters' problems. Most deaths in the stories
are not reversed, the lively Weasley Family is not made any
richer, nor does magic reduce Harry's need for glasses or the
pain of his scar.
But they provide Harry with the chance to do things he never
imagined, such as the chance to play wizard sports, the joy
and freedom of flight, a chance to confront his yearning for
his dead parents, and world of companionship, and the wisdom
and kindness of mentors.
Readers can delight in watching the tremulous lad prove his
mettle and courage when confronting unexpected hazards of the
wizard world, and maintain his natural kindness and humility
while dealing with the acclaim he never knew in the Muggle
world.
We watch with admiration and amusement as his relationships
with his peers and teachers develop,his constant struggles
with his parents' killer, and along the way, we
discover why it's so difficult for Hogwarts to maintain a
Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher for very long.
The characters are relatably modern in some ways, and
old-fashioned in others, and the story is written with
brilliant plot twists and clever resolutions.
And so, I conclude my editorial toast to one of the most
famous characters of modern literature, and the friends who
help him along the way. I give every star available to the
beginning of a great literary series, which in turn, has
spawned an equally terrific film series, both of which will
undoubtedly be enjoyed for many years to come! Lamps for
Pewter. |
