Although it may not be obvious to many people who enjoy the works of J.K. Rowling, the “Harry Potter” series is actually a series based on many Christian themes and ideology. Beyond the blantant chaacter similarities, J.K. Rowling also uses scripture straight from biblical texts and in her dipiction of death mirror Chrisitan beliefs and the author herself has admitted to basing thing throughout her story on her faith and Christianity. Quoted in an article in The Telegraph, "To me, the religious parallels have always been obvious," Rowling said. "But I never wanted to talk too openly about it because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going.” There is much debate on the matter, but there are clear comparisons …show more content…
In book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry and Hermione visit the Graves of Harry’s deceased parents in Godric’s Hollow. While they are looking at the grave stones, there is an inscription on the tombstone that is a bible passage. The scripture on the tombstone is 1st Corinthians 15:26 which states “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” This explicit use of Biblical scripture along with other scripture references throughout the story also subtly show how the Christian ideas come through J.K. Rowling’s writing. We see a huge similarity in Christian ideals in the series in the way that J.K. Rowling depicts death. as mentionsed above, the way Harry Potter is killed in the seventh book of the series almost identically matches the death of Jesus Christ in the bible. He sacrifices himself for the good of man kind, while Jesus does the same thing for man kind in the bible. They both are risen from the dead to continue their mission for the welfare of life on Earth. These similarities between the ideology of Christian believers and the Harry Potter series are along side J.K. Rowling herself stating that her Harry Potter works have Christian undertones that the story is based …show more content…
Their works have many of the same qualities although drastically different story lines. Pity is a concept that is used throughout both story lines and are a heavy influence on the characters and their endings respectively. In Harry Potter, the characters who experience or use pity often find themselves being saved through the same pity they gave. For example, in book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, are captured and sent to the Malfoy Manor where Harry and Ron are sent to stay in the dungeon while Hermione is tortured in the room above. While they are down in the dungeon, a servant of the dark wizards, known as Wormtail, is sent down to check on the prisoners he ends up attacking Harry with his fake hand given to him by none other than Lord Voldemort. When Harry reminds him of the pity he extended in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Wormtail’s hand releases for a moment. The pity that Harry showed to Wormtail by sparing his life at the end of the third book ended up saving his life in that moment. Unfortunately for Wormtail, in that moment his life was not spared for a second time. On the other hand, in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, pity has the power to take different shapes and feelings in the sense of a powerful emotion. For example, Gandalf makes the decision for himself that he would be unable to take control of
To some this story might seem like a tragedy, but to Christians this is a beautiful story. Although young Harry dies at the end, he is accepted into the kingdom of God, which is far superior to anything on Earth. A non-religious family raises him and the first taste of Christianity he gets makes him want to pursue God. In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, The River, the allure of Gods grace and the repelling of sinful ways are shown heavily through Harry.
...s, and everyone around him. He norices the little things around him and all the changes in the preacers eyes that lets Harry know what to expect and how to react, althogh he doesnt actually understand what is going on. The preacher wasnt very cler with Harry so Harry died, but by Harry dieing is it actaully better for him to be leaving that lifestyle of child abuse, and neglagt from the people who shpiuld be loving and caring for him. Was he better off dieing than returning to that home? Are children who live in similair homes now a days and runaway from it better off? That is a question that many people ask each other everyday.
...but they also believe that it is influenced by current day books such as Harry Potter more than Greek myth. Even though the movie and book may be influenced by these pop culture books that is to say that those books are not influenced by Greek myth. There are influences of mythology all through the world and most things in the world are influenced by mythology in some way.
Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, children and adults have read and loved the series. It has gained such popularity that all of the books have been made into major motion pictures, and a Harry Potter attraction has been opened in Universal Studios, Florida. Though the readers love Rowling’s intricate and exciting story lines, many controversies have arisen from these stories, not only in the United States, but also in various countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest controversy is the religious implications perceived by some critics. Although these critics believe that the series promotes paganism and encourages evil actions, these theories should not be taken so seriously.
experiences and its beliefs developed over time about sin, salvation, grace, faith and so forth.2
Have you ever wanted to free yourself from the terrors and troublesome times of modern society and escape to a magical place? Clive Staples Lewis, or C.S. Lewis as he is better known, created such a place, in his extremely popular children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia. In these books, Lewis has an underlying message about Christianity. He represents four key aspects of Christianity in this series: Christ and God, evil in the world, and faith.
Whitehead, A. N. (2006). God, C.S. Lewis, and J.K. Rowling: Christian Symbolism in Harry Potter.
Of course, it's also possible that Rowling simply finds it entertaining to sneakily implant pieces of classical mythology into her novels and watch as her fans try to find some deep, overarching meaning to all of it.
Have you ever been reading a book and thought to yourself, this sounds very similar to something. In the novel, The Canterbury Tales written in the 1300’s, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Pardoner’s tale. In the Pardoner’s tale, Chaucer has death acting as a thief who would kill the ones that are doing wrong or harmful things (Lowell, Student Resources in Context). Later on in life, in J.K Rowling series Harry Potter, there was a similarity found. In the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a story told about three brothers who were tricked by death. Harry Potter fans began to see the comparison between the two stories. There are very similar and different things about each. In a recent interview with J.K Rowling she is said to have been inspired
With one story having a ring that offers eternal youth and another with a sword that keeps its owner from ever bleeding, it is hard to imagine what the two could have in common. After looking at the make up of the groups, the heroes, the villains, moral codes, supernatural elements and knightly quests, it is easy to see that they do share many similarities. Tolkien’s work deals more with fantasy characters and places but all in all they are very similar.
Jk Rowling said “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already (Goodreads, 2017).” Rowling has lived an incredible life. Jk Rowling is an influential person because her love for writing started at a young age, all of her trust funds, her success with the Harry Potter series, and her inspiration for the Harry Potter characters.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was written by J. K. Rowling and is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series. The book is about a seventeen-year-old wizard, named Harry Potter, who has to travel all over England to find things that will help him defeat the evil wizard, Lord Voldomort. The main theme/moral of the entire series is good will always triumphs over evil. In every book, even when it looks like evil is going to win, good always triumphs in the end.
...character and even Beowulf when he dies. His last words seemed considerate instead of selfish. Although Harry is a hero he still has authority over him because of his age, unlike Beowulf who is the son of a king and is older. Harry’s battles didn’t just involve physically fighting like Beowulf’s did. He had to find weaknesses in the Dark Lord and use them against him to finally kill Voldermort after several fights. In the end of both tales good triumphs over evil and the wicked is ultimately defeated perpetually. Harry goes on to live an honorable life among his friends, but Beowulf dies a noble man for the welfare of his people giving his throne to someone else deserving. Even though both endings are concluded in somewhat of a sad note, they both give you a sense of accomplishment because of the overall victory over what used to rule the world they lived in.
JK Rowling is one of the most influential authors of our time, breaking boundaries and creating an alternate reality in a world far from anyones imagination. The series she is most well known for is the Harry Potter series. The series is seven books accompanied by eight movies. The tale starts with a young boy named Harry, whose parents died, from the sinister Voldemort. The series takes a bunch of twist and turns that ultimately lead to Voldemort 's death. Although, Harry and Voldemort want to destroy one another, they have some undoubtedly strong connections that are undeniable. JK Rowling has said that the connections between Harry and Voldemort range from childhood, through the death of Voldemort. The story of Voldemort and Harry begins
Many people believe that Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’s storyline and plot are based off of a Christian-based allegory; however, it is not. With the early childhood and teenage years of C.S. Lewis, the author of Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the story could be a reflection of his life. Lewis also had a fascination with mythology, which plays a key role in the making of the characters. Many think that Lewis’s Christian conversion is what inspired him to write Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Without the Christian conversion of C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’s content would not change but the focus on the meaning would change from a Christian allegory to a children’s fantasy novel. The first fact that would support this theory is Lewis’s childhood.