How Does Rowling Present Prejudice In The Wizarding World

J.K. Rowling represents the idea of pure versus lesser races through the different types of blood statuses. There is a clear representation of racial hierarchy in the Harry Potter series. Many pure bloods in the wizarding word consider themselves better than wizards who are half blood or muggle born. Muggleborns are subject to discrimination, violence, and racial slurs in the wizarding world. Even half bloods who have two wizarding parents are seen as lesser if one of these parents is a muggleborn. The idea that one type of blood status is better or purer than others can be seen historically in the real world with the idea that one type of race is better or purer than others. One common parallel that is drawn between prejudice in the wizarding world and racism in the real world is Nazi Germany. Nazis viewed only the “Aryan race” as people as worthy of life. If you had a just one Jewish grandparent then you were not considered “pure” in the same way that half bloods are looked down on by purebloods. The most radical pure bloods such as the

Rowling portrays prejudice against muggles and muggleborns in the wizarding world, is not in the outright prejudice exhibited by death eaters or fanatical pure bloods, but in the subtle prejudices shown by characters who would not necessarily be considered “racist” or outwardly think muggles are lower than wizards, but who are still conditioned by the ideas perpetuated in wizarding world about blood status. In the sixth book, slughorn mentions that it is unbelievable that Harry’s mother is muggleborn and that he would have thought she was pure blood due to her talent. In the first book, Hagrid says about the Dursleys “an’ it’s your bad luck you grew up in a family o’ the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on.” The Dursleys are bad people, but Hagrid uses the word muggle as the insult itself. This reflects on the internal prejudice that many in the real world are raised with with regards to race and