Reviewing: Harry Potter 2 + 3
I'm 28 years old, reading Harry Potter for the very first time.
Let's see if I missed out during my formative years or not.
The second book in the Potter series very quickly gave me that sense of wondrous magic that the first book did. The chapters with Ron’s flying car were pure imagination and very fun to read. I’d warmed up to Rowling’s big three characters by now (Harry, Ron, and Hermione), and was starting to enjoy their banter more than I did in the first book. Perhaps that’s because their relationship has solidified now and I can read their teasing of each other as more playful than mean-spirited. All the old familiar characters are back, but Lockhart was a welcome addition. He’s the classic all-talk kind of character who loves the spotlight but is totally incapable when it gets right down to it. Once again, however, I found myself seriously questioning the safety practices of Hogwarts. When the students were dealing with screaming mandrakes, it seemed evident to me that the professor made sure the kids were safe by giving them the special earmuffs or whatever. But Lockhart nearly got his class killed and literally removed the bones in Harry’s arm at one point. Who is the hiring team at Hogwarts? Did they call any references? Was there no formal examination of Lockhart’s magical prowess? Get it together, guys!
I’m hesitant to admit that I have another bone to pick with this franchise, but I have to say that I didn’t like the character of Dobby in this book. I know he’s a character that I’ll see again down the road, so I can’t yet speak to his development. But as for his presence in this book, I just felt that the self-mutilation element wasn’t funny, and it seems like it was meant to be. Kids replicate the things that make them laugh, which is why my dad threatened to burn our VHS of Jim Carrey’s Grinch years ago. We loved saying the things he said and doing the things he did in the movie. I worry about that when it comes to Dobby. He’s obviously very Gollum-like and a clearly comical character, but the problem with that is that he begs imitation. And hitting yourself isn’t something I want kids imitating. Harry Potter fans, feel free to defend Dobby, but I just don’t see him as a helpful character to the mind of the young reader.
The only other thing that surprised me about the final chapters of this book was the amount of blood. Harry’s fight with the Basilisk felt more mature than I had anticipated, with descriptions of clawed eyeballs, gushing blood, and so on. Up till now, I would have assumed that Narnia and Harry Potter were appropriate for the same age bracket. Now I’m thinking that Harry Potter would be slightly further along – but maybe I’m being too harsh on the franchise.
Don’t let any of the above make you think that I didn’t enjoy this book. I’m still enjoying the Wizarding World and all its wonderful weird nooks and crannies. The Basilisk was an intimidating and worthy climactic foe, and the giant spiders were great too. I like the mystery element that has been present in both books so far because it invites the reader to try and solve the puzzle along with the characters as they make their way through the book. The world also got deeper in this sequel as we learned more about the difference between pure-bred Wizards and half-bloods. There’s definitely some Aryanism themes going on there with regards to the Malfoys, but I’m excited to see where that aspect of the story goes next. All in all, I think I enjoyed Chamber of Secrets more than the first book, and I’m more excited now than I was before to head over to the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This was easily my favourite book in the series so far.
First and foremost, I think that Remus Lupin was a phenomenal character. While at first I assumed he was going to be evil in one way or another given the previous two teachers in his position, I quickly changed my stance as he proved to be very sympathetic to our heroes and also a very competent teacher. That said, there was clearly something going on with him. Somewhere along the line, I thought to myself, “He’s a werewolf, isn’t he?” I must have remembered it from somewhere or other in my past, because I don’t know how else I would’ve figured it out. Either way, I loved his characterization. Normally werewolves aren’t the kind of mythical monster I’m into, but I really enjoyed Lupin’s earnest struggle against his dark side. It felt very Jekyll-and-Hyde or Banner-and-Hulk, which was very fun.
I was surprised in the first chapter or so when Aunt Marge dropped the b-word while talking about Harry’s mom, mainly because I hadn’t expected language like that in a children’s book. To be clear, I totally get why Rowling did it. It cemented Marge as a straight-up jerk (and I’m being polite there), and made Harry’s burst of rage totally justified. I’m just wondering what I’m going to do if I ever read the book aloud to my kids. Regardless of anyone’s perspective on it, swearing is a very normal thing in our society, and I do believe that it deserves a place in spoken language. There are some things that can only be described with profanity because the things themselves are profane. That said, that doesn’t change the fact that I think scarcity is what makes profanity significant. If you drop f-bombs in every other sentence, you’re not actually saying much of anything. Think about the rule how in a PG-13 movie, you’re allowed one f-bomb. The filmmakers who choose to take advantage of this rule have to be picky when placing that word, and that’s usually what makes that moment more significant dramatically, comedically, or whatever. I’m going on a bit of a tangent here, but I’ll end it off by saying I don’t think this scene was unjustified or out of place. Harry’s in a bad place here with bad people, and the b-word was deliberately put in here to drive that point home. Though I’m squeamish about saying the word aloud, I stand behind Rowling’s decision to include it.
Let’s talk about the Dementors, which I am proud to admit I first learned about through ‘Prison Mike’ from The Office. These shapeless soul-sucking monsters felt very traditional to me in the sense that they’re far from the first of this sort that we’ve seen in literature or film. Think of the ring wraiths from Lord of the Rings, for example. However, they quickly grew in their distinction as the book went on and I learned more about how they worked. They seem almost sentient, less like bloodhounds and more like wicked guards. We don’t ever see them talking, but there’s obviously agreements and positions for them, which implies there’s some sort of communication going on behind the scenes. When Harry was lost in the woods and Dementors were surrounding him on all sides, I felt the fear there. It was a brilliant slow build to that point – if that scene had happened earlier on, it wouldn’t have hit the same way.
On that note, I don’t want to finish without talking about how much I loved Harry’s development in this book. First of all, that scene with him surrounded by Dementors was absolutely thrilling. I loved how he ended up being the person who saved him, as paradoxical as it may have been. Not only did it show his growing confidence in himself, but it showed his strength as an individual. In the first book, for example, Harry was saved by his parent’s love for him twice – first as a baby and then in the book’s climax. Here, Harry thought it was his father who saved him again, but it turned out to be himself. It’s not that his parents are losing significance in his life, but rather that Harry is becoming more and more of the person they wanted him to be. I think that’s really cool. More than that, though, I loved Harry’s decision to save Peter Pettigrew. I wrote in my review of the first book that I hadn’t seen Harry make many morally upright decisions. This was that moment that I’d been waiting for. That’s not to say that Harry hasn’t made any righteous choices up to this point, but this was a very big and pivotal decision – one that I think defines him in a way that some smaller choices may not have. Harry had the chance to kill the person who was responsible for his parents’ death, but instead of taking that leap, he decided that Pettigrew needed to go to jail. It’s Harry’s refusal to take that plunge that I admired so much, because it’s a very visible moment where Harry puts ‘the greater good’ above his own needs and desires. He may have been a hero for others far sooner, but this was the moment that made me a true Potter fan.
I’m heartbroken that I only have one more Harry Potter adventure illustrated by Jim Kay. Hopefully Book 5 will come out before this Christmas, because if not I’m going to have to read the final three novels without the wonderful illustrations I’ve grown accustomed to. I’ll do what I gotta do, but I wish I had a time-turner myself so I could get the complete set tomorrow.