{"id":282,"date":"2017-12-12T21:30:59","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T02:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/?p=282"},"modified":"2017-12-12T21:30:59","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T02:30:59","slug":"harry-potter-the-war-of-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/uncategorized\/harry-potter-the-war-of-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Potter: The War of Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although I don\u2019t like to admit it, I am a huge Harry Potter geek. \u00a0Maybe this is because I read all of the books (twice) when I was in grade school and am now growing self-conscious of being associated with a series created for thirteen year olds, or maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019m embarrassed of the excessiveness of my obsession (I went as Harry Potter for Halloween three years in a row). \u00a0Despite my embarrassment, I\u2019ll admit it now: I know everything there is to know about the <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i> series — or at least so I thought. <\/span><\/p>\n

Having not touched a <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i> book in over five years and only catching glimpses of the movies when they air on ABC Family, I am surprised that I am still able to retain so much information about the series. \u00a0But, as it turns out, I still know a lot. \u00a0I know that the author J.K Rowling came up with the idea for the series while waiting for a train, but don\u2019t remember how the hell I learned that. \u00a0I know all of the major characters by heart and can quote nearly every scene in the movies. \u00a0I know what actors play the major roles and how they differed from my expectations from the characters in the novels. \u00a0I know the minor characters and their specific roles in the story. \u00a0I know the plot so well that I can pick out deficiencies between the movies and the novels. \u00a0I know the pronunciation of most of the spells and enchantments and their purposes. \u00a0I know how the point system works in a quidditch match. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, I gained all of this knowledge while in my Harry-Potter-Geek phase, as I like to refer to it as. \u00a0I was simply a kid living vicariously through the magical world that J.K Rowling created for me and enjoying every second of it. \u00a0I had a notion of the elements of good and evil that are relevant in the plot, but did not concern myself with anything more complex than that. \u00a0Why would I? \u00a0I was young and oblivious to the cultural and societal issues happening around me. \u00a0So, at the time, I had no reason to believe that there was much more to the <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i> series other than the fact that Harry was a bad-ass teenager with magical abilities who ends up becoming a hero by saving the world from the evil that is seeking to destroy it. \u00a0What I have come to understand since then, however, is that pop culture can provide accurate depictions of the reality of our society, and that it can do this in subtle ways that don\u2019t necessarily jump out on the pages of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i> series is a war between the good and the evil — we know this. \u00a0But what people fail to grasp is that it is really a war between the white and the black; a war of race. \u00a0This war is most clearly represented by the struggle between light and darkness, where light and the color white represents the good, while darkness and the color black represents the evil. \u00a0I\u2019m not saying that Rowling is guilty of racism. \u00a0I am simply saying that the world that she creates throughout the series is filled with the same racial prejudice of society. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the series, race is not mentioned at all — nearly every character is white! \u00a0However, race is not always expressed through skin color. \u00a0In <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i>, there are certain elements of darkness that are associated with evil characters that suggest racial prejudice towards people of color. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lord Voldemort is the source of all evil and is referred to as \u201cThe Dark Lord.\u201d \u00a0He is always dressed in a black cloak and is known for the practice of \u201cdark magic,\u201d which is really just another term for <\/span>evil<\/span><\/i> magic. \u00a0His followers, the Death Eaters, are also dressed in black and like their leader, are notorious for the use of this dark magic. \u00a0When they disapparate, which is really just the wizard term for teleportation, they disappear in a cloud of black smoke. Additionally, they all have a black mark consisting of a skull and serpent engraved on their forearms called the \u201cdark mark.\u201d \u00a0This mark was feared throughout the wizarding world as it represents evil and was often associated with murder. \u00a0If you lived in the wizarding world and came home to this mark projected in the sky above your house, you could only assume the worst. \u00a0It is interesting how the dark mark on the arms of the Death Eaters is faded during the first three novels and then regains its dark color in The Goblet of Fire. \u00a0The darkness of the mark seems to increase as Voldemort regains his powers, suggesting that as evil increases, darkness becomes more prevalent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

In contrast, Albus Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard on the \u201cgood\u201d side of the war and represents a source of light that combats darkness. \u00a0Unlike the evil characters who are typically shown wearing all black, he is often depicted wearing light-colored gowns, complimenting his long silver hair and beard. \u00a0His Phoenix, Fawkes, gives him the ability to disappear in a burst of flames and represents fire and light. \u00a0Throughout the series, Dumbledore mentors Harry, shaping him into a wizard that is able to lead the good against the darkness. \u00a0In the last novel, Harry is viewed as the last sign of hope for the Wizarding World, as he is the only one who can face and defeat Voldemort. \u00a0Similarly to how evil is associated with darkness, this sense of hope is associated with light. \u00a0Hope is a source of light in times of darkness, and light symbolizes the good. \u00a0Rowling is shaping her reader\u2019s attitudes towards light and darkness through these associations, and consequently, she is shaping her readers attitudes towards race.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But it doesn\u2019t stop there. \u00a0The Black Family is a notorious supporter of Voldemort and dark magic. \u00a0Rowling specifically chose their family name to be \u201cBlack,\u201d which immediately associates them with darkness and evil. \u00a0Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin of Sirius Black, is one of the most feared Death Eaters in the series. \u00a0In addition to being a part of the Black family, she is also depicted as dirty and somewhat trashy, especially in the scene where she escapes from Azkaban prison in The Order of The Phoenix. \u00a0The way she is characterized here highlights her imperfections: the dirt on her face and body has an evil connotation — it is tainting her normally white complexion. \u00a0This sense of dirtiness can also be seen in Sirius Black, the Godfather of Harry, during the third novel when he is still believed to be a murderer and blamed for the death of Harry\u2019s parents. \u00a0However, this dirt seems to fade as Harry learns the truth about his story and begins to see the good inside him. \u00a0As he becomes more clean and more white, readers are able to view him as a member of the good side like Harry does. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The dementors of Azkaban epitomize the association between evil and darkness in the series. \u00a0In the third novel, Professor Lupin describes them: \u201c<\/span>Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them… Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself… soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life\u201d (The Prisoner of Azkaban, 16.42). \u00a0The only way to counter an attack from a dementor is to conjure a patronus charm, which is really just a shield of white mist that drives them away. \u00a0So, a dirty, soulless, evil creature is able to be beaten back by the whiteness and brightness of a charm — shocker!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

In addition to the relationship between light and darkness, Rowling creates another racial separation within the Wizarding World through the purity or impurity of blood. \u00a0A \u201cPureblood\u201d is a witch or wizard that has two magical parents. \u00a0In the series, purebloods replicate the white elitist group that is prevalent in our society. \u00a0The Malfoy Family is a good example of this as they are wealthy, entitled, and narcissistic. \u00a0Voldemort\u2019s followers are almost entirely made up of Purebloods. \u00a0In this sense, they are pure, clean, and white, which are the characteristics of the good in this racial war. \u00a0However, in reality the evil that they believe in pollutes this with darkness. \u00a0On the other hand, a \u201cMudblood\u201d is a witch or wizard with no magical parents, and are viewed as minorities and a disgrace to the wizarding world by Purebloods as a result of the \u201cdirtiness\u201d of their blood. \u00a0Hermione Granger is a good example of this. \u00a0Despite the impurity of her blood, she proves to be one of the most talented and intelligent witches of her age, illustrating how race often attaches certain assumptions with biological factors that really have no intrinsic meaning. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Furthermore, magical creatures such as house-elves fall below Mudbloods in this racial hierarchy that Rowling has created. \u00a0In The Chamber of Secrets, we are first introduced to the house-elf Dobby, who is the property of the Malfoy Family and is meant to serve them for the duration of his life. \u00a0The ownership of house-elves and the fact that they considered \u201cproperty\u201d of witches and wizards can be easily compared to the slavery that was once prevalent in the United States. \u00a0Despite his magical abilities, Dobby is dressed in a single rag and is covered in dirt. \u00a0The Malfoy Family has little regard for his well-being and treat him in a harsh way similar to how American slave owners treated their slaves. \u00a0\u00a0Alyssa Hunziker of the University of Florida points out that \u201cdespite the fact that [house-elves] possess magic that is even more powerful than wizards\u2019, they do not question the human-run Ministry of Magic\u2019s decree that \u2018no non-human creature is permitted to carry or use as wand\u2019 (Goblet of Fire 132)\u201d (Hunziker 54). \u00a0She goes on to explain how house-elves are denied the same rights of magical humans as a result of their biological differences. \u00a0When first reading the series, I did not make this connection. \u00a0However, Rowling intentionally portrays house-elves and their relationship with magical humans in a way that can be easily compared to African-American slaves, illustrating how race and racial prejudice can be expressed in ways other than the complexion of skin. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In a fictional fantasy that involves flying around on broomsticks and spouting magical powers out of a foot long piece of wood, Rowling is able to confirm racial prejudices and educate her readers about how society views race in general. \u00a0When first introduced to the series, we are able to see a war between good and evil, light and darkness, pure and impure. \u00a0But what we fail to realize is Rowling\u2019s attempt to express society\u2019s seemingly automatic associations of color and race: black is evil, white is good. \u00a0Imagine that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were depicted wearing all white instead of black, and that they used \u201clight magic\u201d instead of dark. \u00a0This would not make sense to us because it differs from the racial connotations that society has created around the colors black and white. \u00a0We also fail to realize how Rowling has flipped these racial connotations to express the problems with the racial hierarchy in our society. \u00a0Jordana Hall states \u201c<\/span>The carnivalesque and grotesque in <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i> illustrates an appeal to social transformation through the power of laughter and the reversal of the dominant order of race and racial difference\u201d (Hall). <\/span>\u00a0Rowling associates darkness and dirtiness (grotesque attributes) with purity and whiteness to illustrate the content and desire for power of white elitists just as she associates laughter, love, and light (carnivalesque attributes) with impurity in order to promote equality and the dispersion of white domination. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Race is a lived fiction. \u00a0While the concept may seem to be centered around skin color, in reality it is about the seemingly necessary connotations that are naturally attached to skin color and social status. \u00a0At first glance, it is difficult to spot race in the all white wizarding world of <\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0However, the way Rowling depicts her characters sheds light on these assumptions and associations, allowing her to create a powerful story behind the one of the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs — a story of racial prejudice and social transformation.<\/span><\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

Hall, Jordana. \u201cEmbracing the Abject Other: The Carnival Imagery of Harry Potter.\u201d <\/span>Springer: Children’s Literature in Education<\/span><\/i>, 18 Dec. 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hunziker, Alyssa. \u201cEmbodiment of Collective Exclusion: Transcending the Borders of Social Segregation in Harry Potter.\u201d <\/span>DisClosure: A Journal of Social Theory<\/span><\/i>, University of Florida, Apr. 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

Klosterman, Chuck. \u201cDeath by Harry Potter.\u201d <\/span>Esquire<\/span><\/i> 2007.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1997. Print<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1998. Print<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999. Print<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2000. Print<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003. Print<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005. Print<\/span><\/p>\n

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. Print<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although I don\u2019t like to admit it, I am a huge Harry Potter geek. \u00a0Maybe…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1806,"featured_media":296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1806"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282\/revisions\/295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}