Harry Potter Parallels

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Introduction

In this study, I set out to find how freshmen UT Engineering students’ battles correlated to the struggles of first-year students at Hogwarts and how that proved J.K. Rowling’s characters were relatable and that the fantastical themes presented in the Harry Potter series were realistic. This is a qualitative study focused on paralleling a fantastical series to normal life. Many scholars are curious about the millennial generation’s behaviors and attitudes, and by having representative people of the age group compare a work of literature to their lives, these questions can be dissected. This study clearly complements current discussions of the fantasy genre. Many people believe that fans of fantasy read (or watch) the genre to escape into an exotic new world. This research question helps ask why people want to run away to the made-up worlds created by fantasy authors by comparing struggles and characters to actual, real life situations. This can aid scholars in “figuring out” the millennial generation.

Methods

Participants
To qualify as an interviewee for this study, it is essential to be a freshman in the College of Engineering at UT that has read or watched …show more content…

The participants related what they believed the message of Harry Potter was to a challenge they had to face while coming to college. These struggles ranged from realizing that “it’s okay to seek help from your friends” as Darner explained to figuring out that “it doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, you can still be great” like Myatt explained. There are many themes and motifs in the Harry Potter series, and I think it is interesting that the friendship and courage motifs are the ones that the participants in this study focused on, when the themes stretch from death to the

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