Other personal values in Harry Potter
Selflessness is derived from the word “selfless” which is defined as “disregarding
oneself or one’s own interests, unselfish” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986,
p.751). In this thesis the term “selflessness” refers to acts of unselfishness where people act
out of regard for other people’s interests rather than their own. Self-sacrifice is defined as the
“sacrifice of one’s own interests and wishes so that others may benefit” (ibid.). Selflessness
and self-sacrifice are key themes in the Harry Potter series. Critics express opinions on the
examples of selflessness and self-sacrifice in the books by Harry and other characters
(Bridger, 2001, pp. 91-93). Hermione even makes the comment that Harry has a bit of a
“saving-people thing” (OoP, p. 646). Examples include Harry’s mother’s sacrifice of her life
to protect Harry (CoS, p. 233 and GoF, p. 566), Harry entering the Chamber of Secrets to
rescue Ginny (CoS, pp. 221-240), Harry’s rescuing both Ron and Gabrielle Delacour from
the merpeople (GoF, pp. 435-436) and in PS when Ron sacrifices himself in the chess game
under Hogwarts where he could have been killed:
‘Ready?’ Ron called, his face pale but determined. ‘Here I go – now, don’t hang
around once you’ve won.’
He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard
around the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor” (pp. 205-206).
Bridger (2001) draws attention to the importance of this self-sacrificial love which he
views as a key Christian theme in the book and expresses the view that Rowling seems to embrace self-sacrificial love as a moral philosophy to live by (p. 31, p. 62, p. 90, p. 93).
Other critics also see this theme as important. Furst and Heilmann (2001), among others,
comment on the analogy of the sacrificial love of Harry’s mother with Jesus’ death on the
cross to take away our sins (pp. 104-105) but they stress that it does not offer the eternal
salvation Christ’s death does. Yet Furst and Heilmann see Jesus’ act as far more important
that the sacrifice provided by Harry’s mother because Jesus’ death provided eternal salvation
for humankind, whereas Harry’s mother’s sacrifice provides limited salvation for Harry
(2001, p. 107).
Other critics remark on the centrality of the theme of self-sacrifice to Christian faith
(Killinger, 2002, pp. 80-89, Neal, 2001, 195-196, Cherrett, 2003, p. 69). Cherrett and others
state that the acts of self-sacrifice in the books are specifically aimed at the defeat of evil and
are therefore closely connected with the Christian faith (Cherrett, pp. 80-82, Neal, 2001, pp.
195-196, Bridger, 2001, p. 31). Abanes (2001) takes a different view because he attacks the
sacrifices Harry makes as only being done for his friends (p. 135, p. 239). However, he has
conveniently forgotten Harry’s sacrificial actions in seeking to help Hermione when she was
not his friend (PS, pp. 129-132).
Dumbledore also provides a model of the sacrificial lamb, exemplified by Jesus,
through his actions in HBP. Before any action takes place in HBP Dumbledore has suffered a
blackened hand from his efforts over the summer break to try and retrieve Voldemort’s
Horcruxes (p. 50). Through his actions Dumbledore hopes to cause the ultimate defeat of
Voldemort. During the book Dumbledore suffers greatly while trying to retrieve a horcrux
from a cave (pp. 519-540). These actions have so drained Dumbledore that his enemies even
note that he is close to death: ‘He’s not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!’ (p. 555).
Dumbledore’s death is caused by his sacrificial act to save Harry from being noticed by his enemies. He is struck down by the Avada Kedavra killing curse because he is unable to
defend himself as he has had his wand dislodged by Malfoy in an early incident:
Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore’s wand flying in an arc
over the edge of the ramparts and understood . . . Dumbledore had wordlessly
immobilised Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the
chance of defending himself. (HBP, pp. 545-546).
Plyming (2001) also highlights the importance of sacrifice in one’s relationships with
others. He comments on the sacrifices Harry’s parents made in trying to save him and how
“these events and the continual reliving of them shape and change Harry’s present existence”
(p. 19). Kern (2003) also notes the importance of sacrifices in relationships (pp. 73-74, p.
118), as does Neal (2002, pp. 65-66). Examples of the effect of people sacrificing themselves
for others are shown in other parts of the books and they have a profound effect on people’s
relationships. A key example, as stated earlier, is when Ron and Harry risk their lives to fight
off the troll that is attacking Hermione Granger. From this sacrificial act a seemingly
permanent friendship is born (PS, pp. 129-132). Kern sees Harry’s sacrificial activities as
very important to the books particularly as these actions support his view of Harry as being a
stoic figure (p. 115).
Students also responded to the presence of selflessness and self-sacrifice in the Harry
Potter series. Upon questioning students about the self-sacrifice shown by Harry’s mother
they were able to provide other examples of self-sacrifice in the series (Appendix 7, Student
Interview responses, pp. 9-10). These included:
• Ron getting injured in chess game in PS book
• Sirius Black helping to save Harry on OoP and dies
• Sirius Black helping to save Harry (and others) against Remus’ werewolf in PoA Sirius Black protecting Harry
• Severus Snape in trying to help Harry in Shrieking Shack
• Hermione Granger helping house elves
• Dumbledore in helping Harry at end of OoP
• Hermione and Ron suffering to help Harry get to Philosopher’s Stone
• Hermione and Ron helping Sirius Black escape
• Albus Dumbledore in all books
• Ron and Harry risking death in following spider trail
• Harry Potter entering Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny
• Snape helping Harry survive the Quidditch game in PS book against own house team
• Harry risking life to save others in Triwizard Tournament.
One of the key scenes mentioned by the students is Severus Snape’s rescue of Harry
from the supposed threat of Remus Lupin, the werewolf, in PoA (pp. 262-265). Snape
dislikes Harry Potter and in HBP appears to be a traitor to Professor Dumbledore. He is a
complicated character who is not always what he seems. He had previously saved Harry from
plunging to his death from his enchanted broomstick in PS (pp. 139-140) but in PoA he
actually places his own life in danger to protect Harry because he thinks Harry may be killed:
“Get out of the way, Potter, you’re in enough trouble already,’ snarled
Snape. ‘If I hadn’t been here to save your skin - ’
. . . ‘I have just saved your neck, you should be thanking me on bended knee!
You would have been well served if he’d killed you!’ (p. 265).
Critics make mention of the importance of the personal quality of kindness in the
series. Kindness is derived from the word “kind” which means to be “gentle or considerate in conduct or manner towards others” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 454)
and is essentially a communal action, which is shown through one’s gentleness, consideration
and fairness to those around you. Farah Mendlesohn (2002) comments that the ideological
structure which Rowling uses for all her books is based on the manipulation of an uncritical
construction of fairness (p.159). Mendlesohn feels that this follows in the traditions of
Tolkien and Lewis’ message that “fairness and happiness can best be achieved when rules are
obeyed and heroes decided by destiny” (p. 160). By this she means that characters such as
Frodo Baggins have been chosen by destiny to do great deeds and that they generally follow
the rules of their time to achieve their task. Yet Mendlesohn seems mistaken in this
assumption because the key characters in the Harry Potter series, including Harry, Ron,
Hermione and Malfoy, constantly disobey rules. They may sneak out at night, go to forbidden
areas or indulge in magic spells that are not permitted for their age group. Also, as previously
stated, Harry’s future is not decided by destiny but by the choices he makes.
Killinger (2002) also emphasises the importance of kindness in the Harry Potter
books. He views the series as depicting Harry as the “seeker” of a “golden” existence based
on a set of ethics which are based on the Judeo-Christian tradition exemplified by Jesus
Christ in the Gospels (pp. 64-99). Neal (2001) also makes mention of this seeker motif and its
relationship to Judeo-Christian ethics (pp. 189-190). Jesus exemplified kindness in his words,
actions and the way he responds to others throughout the Gospels and Harry exhibits similar
kindness in his words, actions and the way he responds to others.
However, Mendlesohn (2002) makes further remarks about Harry and kindness. She
feels that Rowling’s depiction of kindness in the novels is flawed. While Harry shows
kindness to others it is limited because it does not offer real life change for those who are
oppressed. Mendlesohn feels that the books only argue superficially for kindness to others
because in reality they deny “the oppressed the agency to change their own lives” (p. 181). An example of this limited kindness is Harry being kind to the house elf Dobby. He helps
Dobby to be free of the Malfoy household at the end of CoS (p. 248) book but he does not
show the compassion that Hermione shows for the rest of the enslaved house elves through
her creation of S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) (GoF, p. 198). Harry is
quite content for house elves to continue to be enslaved in other wizarding households, as
well as providing him with all his cooking and cleaning needs at Hogwarts; whereas
Hermione understands that there needs to be real social and political change if house elves
are ever truly to be free.
Selflessness is derived from the word “selfless” which is defined as “disregarding
oneself or one’s own interests, unselfish” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986,
p.751). In this thesis the term “selflessness” refers to acts of unselfishness where people act
out of regard for other people’s interests rather than their own. Self-sacrifice is defined as the
“sacrifice of one’s own interests and wishes so that others may benefit” (ibid.). Selflessness
and self-sacrifice are key themes in the Harry Potter series. Critics express opinions on the
examples of selflessness and self-sacrifice in the books by Harry and other characters
(Bridger, 2001, pp. 91-93). Hermione even makes the comment that Harry has a bit of a
“saving-people thing” (OoP, p. 646). Examples include Harry’s mother’s sacrifice of her life
to protect Harry (CoS, p. 233 and GoF, p. 566), Harry entering the Chamber of Secrets to
rescue Ginny (CoS, pp. 221-240), Harry’s rescuing both Ron and Gabrielle Delacour from
the merpeople (GoF, pp. 435-436) and in PS when Ron sacrifices himself in the chess game
under Hogwarts where he could have been killed:
‘Ready?’ Ron called, his face pale but determined. ‘Here I go – now, don’t hang
around once you’ve won.’
He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard
around the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor” (pp. 205-206).
Bridger (2001) draws attention to the importance of this self-sacrificial love which he
views as a key Christian theme in the book and expresses the view that Rowling seems to embrace self-sacrificial love as a moral philosophy to live by (p. 31, p. 62, p. 90, p. 93).
Other critics also see this theme as important. Furst and Heilmann (2001), among others,
comment on the analogy of the sacrificial love of Harry’s mother with Jesus’ death on the
cross to take away our sins (pp. 104-105) but they stress that it does not offer the eternal
salvation Christ’s death does. Yet Furst and Heilmann see Jesus’ act as far more important
that the sacrifice provided by Harry’s mother because Jesus’ death provided eternal salvation
for humankind, whereas Harry’s mother’s sacrifice provides limited salvation for Harry
(2001, p. 107).
Other critics remark on the centrality of the theme of self-sacrifice to Christian faith
(Killinger, 2002, pp. 80-89, Neal, 2001, 195-196, Cherrett, 2003, p. 69). Cherrett and others
state that the acts of self-sacrifice in the books are specifically aimed at the defeat of evil and
are therefore closely connected with the Christian faith (Cherrett, pp. 80-82, Neal, 2001, pp.
195-196, Bridger, 2001, p. 31). Abanes (2001) takes a different view because he attacks the
sacrifices Harry makes as only being done for his friends (p. 135, p. 239). However, he has
conveniently forgotten Harry’s sacrificial actions in seeking to help Hermione when she was
not his friend (PS, pp. 129-132).
Dumbledore also provides a model of the sacrificial lamb, exemplified by Jesus,
through his actions in HBP. Before any action takes place in HBP Dumbledore has suffered a
blackened hand from his efforts over the summer break to try and retrieve Voldemort’s
Horcruxes (p. 50). Through his actions Dumbledore hopes to cause the ultimate defeat of
Voldemort. During the book Dumbledore suffers greatly while trying to retrieve a horcrux
from a cave (pp. 519-540). These actions have so drained Dumbledore that his enemies even
note that he is close to death: ‘He’s not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!’ (p. 555).
Dumbledore’s death is caused by his sacrificial act to save Harry from being noticed by his enemies. He is struck down by the Avada Kedavra killing curse because he is unable to
defend himself as he has had his wand dislodged by Malfoy in an early incident:
Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore’s wand flying in an arc
over the edge of the ramparts and understood . . . Dumbledore had wordlessly
immobilised Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the
chance of defending himself. (HBP, pp. 545-546).
Plyming (2001) also highlights the importance of sacrifice in one’s relationships with
others. He comments on the sacrifices Harry’s parents made in trying to save him and how
“these events and the continual reliving of them shape and change Harry’s present existence”
(p. 19). Kern (2003) also notes the importance of sacrifices in relationships (pp. 73-74, p.
118), as does Neal (2002, pp. 65-66). Examples of the effect of people sacrificing themselves
for others are shown in other parts of the books and they have a profound effect on people’s
relationships. A key example, as stated earlier, is when Ron and Harry risk their lives to fight
off the troll that is attacking Hermione Granger. From this sacrificial act a seemingly
permanent friendship is born (PS, pp. 129-132). Kern sees Harry’s sacrificial activities as
very important to the books particularly as these actions support his view of Harry as being a
stoic figure (p. 115).
Students also responded to the presence of selflessness and self-sacrifice in the Harry
Potter series. Upon questioning students about the self-sacrifice shown by Harry’s mother
they were able to provide other examples of self-sacrifice in the series (Appendix 7, Student
Interview responses, pp. 9-10). These included:
• Ron getting injured in chess game in PS book
• Sirius Black helping to save Harry on OoP and dies
• Sirius Black helping to save Harry (and others) against Remus’ werewolf in PoA Sirius Black protecting Harry
• Severus Snape in trying to help Harry in Shrieking Shack
• Hermione Granger helping house elves
• Dumbledore in helping Harry at end of OoP
• Hermione and Ron suffering to help Harry get to Philosopher’s Stone
• Hermione and Ron helping Sirius Black escape
• Albus Dumbledore in all books
• Ron and Harry risking death in following spider trail
• Harry Potter entering Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny
• Snape helping Harry survive the Quidditch game in PS book against own house team
• Harry risking life to save others in Triwizard Tournament.
One of the key scenes mentioned by the students is Severus Snape’s rescue of Harry
from the supposed threat of Remus Lupin, the werewolf, in PoA (pp. 262-265). Snape
dislikes Harry Potter and in HBP appears to be a traitor to Professor Dumbledore. He is a
complicated character who is not always what he seems. He had previously saved Harry from
plunging to his death from his enchanted broomstick in PS (pp. 139-140) but in PoA he
actually places his own life in danger to protect Harry because he thinks Harry may be killed:
“Get out of the way, Potter, you’re in enough trouble already,’ snarled
Snape. ‘If I hadn’t been here to save your skin - ’
. . . ‘I have just saved your neck, you should be thanking me on bended knee!
You would have been well served if he’d killed you!’ (p. 265).
Critics make mention of the importance of the personal quality of kindness in the
series. Kindness is derived from the word “kind” which means to be “gentle or considerate in conduct or manner towards others” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 454)
and is essentially a communal action, which is shown through one’s gentleness, consideration
and fairness to those around you. Farah Mendlesohn (2002) comments that the ideological
structure which Rowling uses for all her books is based on the manipulation of an uncritical
construction of fairness (p.159). Mendlesohn feels that this follows in the traditions of
Tolkien and Lewis’ message that “fairness and happiness can best be achieved when rules are
obeyed and heroes decided by destiny” (p. 160). By this she means that characters such as
Frodo Baggins have been chosen by destiny to do great deeds and that they generally follow
the rules of their time to achieve their task. Yet Mendlesohn seems mistaken in this
assumption because the key characters in the Harry Potter series, including Harry, Ron,
Hermione and Malfoy, constantly disobey rules. They may sneak out at night, go to forbidden
areas or indulge in magic spells that are not permitted for their age group. Also, as previously
stated, Harry’s future is not decided by destiny but by the choices he makes.
Killinger (2002) also emphasises the importance of kindness in the Harry Potter
books. He views the series as depicting Harry as the “seeker” of a “golden” existence based
on a set of ethics which are based on the Judeo-Christian tradition exemplified by Jesus
Christ in the Gospels (pp. 64-99). Neal (2001) also makes mention of this seeker motif and its
relationship to Judeo-Christian ethics (pp. 189-190). Jesus exemplified kindness in his words,
actions and the way he responds to others throughout the Gospels and Harry exhibits similar
kindness in his words, actions and the way he responds to others.
However, Mendlesohn (2002) makes further remarks about Harry and kindness. She
feels that Rowling’s depiction of kindness in the novels is flawed. While Harry shows
kindness to others it is limited because it does not offer real life change for those who are
oppressed. Mendlesohn feels that the books only argue superficially for kindness to others
because in reality they deny “the oppressed the agency to change their own lives” (p. 181). An example of this limited kindness is Harry being kind to the house elf Dobby. He helps
Dobby to be free of the Malfoy household at the end of CoS (p. 248) book but he does not
show the compassion that Hermione shows for the rest of the enslaved house elves through
her creation of S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) (GoF, p. 198). Harry is
quite content for house elves to continue to be enslaved in other wizarding households, as
well as providing him with all his cooking and cleaning needs at Hogwarts; whereas
Hermione understands that there needs to be real social and political change if house elves
are ever truly to be free.
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