(continued)
| Interestingly, the Christian virtues of selflessness and love are not mentioned by the Sorting Hat as characteristic of any of the Hogwarts schools. But there are plenty of examples in the four novels published thus far to suggest that selflessness and love, as well as forgiveness, mercy, and grace, are virtues in Rowling’s fantasy world. In interviews, Rowling has said she read and loved the Narnia tales as a child. There she would surely have encountered “deeper magic,” which is Lewis’ metaphor for divine selflessness, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love. According to Lewis, only when we realize we have broken the law of “deep magic” and deserve to pay the penalty, only then can the deeper magic of Christian atonement bring us to the point of conversion. Rowling does not go this far. “Deep magic” is implied, however, in the lessons Harry learns from Professor Dumbledore and the choices he has to make to become a wise wizard. Rowling actually uses the term “deep magic” in The Prisoner of Azkaban to describe the power that overcomes evil. Thus far in the series, this is not the “deeper magic” of Aslan in Narnia, or not exactly. Rowling’s “deep magic” lacks the incarnational element of Lewis’ Christology, the idea of a Master Magician intentionally laying aside His magical powers in order to defeat Evil once and for all, opening the way for Good to rule and reign. Perhaps we will see this before the series ends. Things may become so desperate that Dumbledore will have to give his life for Harry, or perhaps Harry will die for Dumbledore. In the end, I agree with Lewis; there are only two questions to ask about a work of literature: “Is it interesting and enjoyable?” and “Will this enjoyment help or hinder us towards all the other things we would like to enjoy or do or be?” |
Harry Potter is interesting and enjoyable. If Christian parents and teachers take it for what it is, a work of literary fantasy, it should not hinder and could even help children embrace and receive the true magic of the Gospel. With spiritual preparation, Harry Potter could at least call children’s attention to the battle between good and evil going on all around them, not in fantasy or fairy tales, but in the real world. If nothing else, Harry’s journey towards maturity as a wizard suggests that in the battle between good and evil, our choices are costly, to ourselves and others, and regardless of size, age, appearance, or ability, our choices matter. Finally, the magic in Harry Potter enlarges our being, as Lewis would say, to include the possibility of other worlds and the implicit promise that every one of us, the strong, the weak, the beautiful, the funny looking, the athlete, the geek, the nerd, can experience the “deepest magic” of all, which is to know we are accepted and special and deeply loved. In this, Rowling sets the stage for the Christian Gospel and provides her reader a “real though unfocused gleam of divine truth.” Emily Griesinger, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department
of English. Portions of this article are taken from “Why Read
Harry Potter? J. K. Rowling and the Christian Debate,” forthcoming
in Christian Scholar’s Review. A more fully developed
literary analysis of the “deeper magic” argument appears in
“Harry Potter and the Deeper Magic: Narrating Hope in Children’s
Literature,” Christianity and Literature, 51iii (Spring
2002): 455-80. egriesinger@apu.edu For additional perspectives on this topic, consult the following links: |
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