After re-reading J.K. Rowling’s novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I realized how great of a team Harry, Ron, and Hermione make. Each character has their own unique personality, skill set, and wizardly-knowledge that makes them different from one another, so when they act as a team, they are able to conquer any challenge. The bond between Harry, Ron, and Hermione is what make their characters so appealing to Rowling’s readers, because her readers can relate to the feeling of wanting to do anything to protect their friends.
There are many scenes where the three of them act as team to successfully overcome a problem. Such scenes include saving Hermione from the troll on Halloween, Harry’s first quidditch match, and releasing Hagrid’s Norwegian ridgeback to Charlie, but the most impressive one is preventing Quirrell from stealing the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s team dynamic is especially strong in this scene, because each of them contribute their knowledge to reach the last chamber.
In the first chamber, Harry yells, “they’re not birds! They’re keys!” which makes the three of them realize that they need to find the correct bird to open the door (Rowling, 279). Harry then uses his experience as a Seeker, which no one else has, to capture the bird and unlock the door. In the next chamber, Ron figures out how they are going to access the door and says, “I think, we’re going to have to be chessman” (Rowling, 281). Here, Ron contributes his knowledge of chess, which no one else has, to win the game and get Harry and Hermione to the next chamber. In the last chamber, Hermione reads the riddle and exclaims, “Brilliant. This isn’t magic—its logic—a puzzle,” and she figures out which potion her and Harry should drink (Rowling, 285). Here, Hermione uses her natural genius, which no one else has, to get Harry to the Stone.
This scene shows how each character had to contribute their own knowledge in order for them all to reach the goal they wanted. Their teamwork demonstrates the advantages of working together, and how each person in the group can benefit from the other’s help. Rowling’s readers root for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, because they can relate to how they work together with their own friends in the real world. The readers see the character’s strong teamwork and can think of situations when they helped their friends, and their friends helped them. The ability to resonate with the characters, even though Rowling’s readers are not wizards, is what make this novel so popular and enjoyable to read at a young age.
I agree with your analysis; I think it’s important that J.K. Rowling made the three of them together as a team as the heroes and not just Harry Potter alone. It makes their accomplishments more realistic and allows the audience to make more personal connections. Additionally, I think it would be interesting to compare this trio to the trio in Never Let Me Go, since Ashiguro stated that the novel was supposed to emphasize the value of relationships. Analyzing and comparing these two trios could provide an analysis of which we feel has a stronger connection to the audience, how the characters contrast, the roles of each character in the relationship, and a comparison of cultures. I think it could take an interesting turn to be able to effectively analyze two of the novels we’ve read this semester. Both friendships work together, depend on each other, and accomplish goals together.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a great point by discussing how Harry, Hermione and Ron complement each other, and how it allows them to highlight each other’s strengths. I think you could take this a step further, however, and make the claim that it reinforces the fact that despite being wizards, they are only human. It makes them more relatable and allows the audience to see the value in the supporting cast, as opposed to Harry being able to do anything just because he is “The Chosen One.” A moment that stands out to me is in the chamber with the seven potions, when Hermione solves the riddle to get through the fire. She explains, “This isn’t magic-it’s logic-a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven’t got an ounce of logic, they’d be stuck in here forever” (285). Throughout the novel, those in the wizarding world look down on Muggles, and act as if they are better than them. However, here, Rowling illustrates the skills that they possess (Hermione grew up as a Muggle) that wizards do not.
ReplyDeleteHermione is the smartest among her peers even though Ron grew up with a wizarding background, Ron is an incredible chess player, and Harry will not hesitate to stand up for what he believes is right, regardless of the consequences. The three friends highlight each other’s strengths and build off each other to succeed, which is what makes them such a popular team. Readers can see themselves reflected in each of the characters.