Is Harry Potter a literary Christ figure, or the newest plot to turn you and your children into satanic evildoers?
When the Harry Potter books were new, many Christians refused to sell or even read them because of the elements of witchcraft found in the plot. It became fashionable in some Christian circles to swap Harry Potter horror stories and read books on why the fictional teenage boy was the next worst thing to happen to Christendom. Hating Harry became a popular pastime. It still is, though some of the energy of the anti-Harry Potter movement seems to have worn away as the books have aged and become less of a novelty.
Was this outcry deserved? Have hordes of schoolchildren really embraced witchcraft at the bidding of the green eyed wizard boy? Have we all been taken in by the golden griffin?
Snopes and truthorfiction.com agree that the internet rumors you’ve probably all heard about the scores of young people eagerly embracing Satanism have no basis in fact.Have individual readers turned from the straight and narrow after entering Harry’s world?Perhaps, but that’s not Harry’s fault.If John Granger is right, it’s not even Potter author J.K. Rowling’s fault.
John Granger, the “Potter Pundit,” holds a degree in classical languages and literature from the University of Chicago and is one of the first real academics to take a careful look at the Harry Potter phenomenon. (Tyndale generously offered to send me a copy of How Harry Cast His Spell: The meaning behind the mania for J.K. Rowling’s bestselling bookswhen I wrote about John’s ideas elsewhere after hearing him speak.)Granger argues that, far from being hotbeds of dangerous occult activity, the Harry Potter books are positively riddled with powerful Christian symbols.In fact, he argues that this seminal Christian imagery is the reason Rowling’s books are so popular.The books have sold millions of copies worldwide and shaped the imagination of a generation because they are deeply and fundamentally Christian.
What?Deeply and fundamentally Christian?Are these the same books that are supposed to be lying in wait for your innocent children, subversively leading them down the path to doom?Yup, same books.If Granger is right, the source of the controversy behind this series lies not in the books themselves but rather in the fact that those reading them aren’t very well educated.
Western literature, built as it is upon a Judeo-Christian worldview, cannot be rightly interpreted without at least a rudimentary knowledge of scripture.Unfortunately, as the west has become increasingly secular, many no longer have this basic knowledge—hence the need for footnotes in newer editions of classical works explaining biblical allusions that would have been obvious to almost anyone just a generation or two ago.
Rowling’s books need similar footnotes, and Granger provides them for us.In How Harry Cast His Spell Mr. Granger unlocks many of the ‘secrets’ of Rowling’s success by explaining the origins and meanings of many of the story elements.Granger examines everything from character names to book structure to literary alchemy in a clear and easy-to-read manner that will delight both nerds and novices.He even explains why these books have appealed to people of so many different faiths and cultures, and why Dumbledore’s first name is Albus.(Come on, you know you’ve always wondered.)
How Harry Cast His Spell is a good introduction to some of the ideas and symbols that undergird not only the Harry Potter books but much of western literature.More importantly, it is a useful jumping-off point for discussions of bigger and better things.Mr. Granger, who has taught for Barnes & Noble University, given numerous radio and TV interviews and even made an appearance in the special features section of the Order of the Phoenix DVD, repeatedly invites his readers to interact with him on his blog and through email.How Harry Cast His Spell should not be a stopping place in your quest for a better understanding of these popular books and the culture from which they came, but rather the beginning of a long conversation.
Perhaps it is simply not that Harry Potter is evil so much that the critics are just so fundamentally stupid that they seem to have been created so that the rest of us would have people to laugh at.
