Harry Potter

I really wanted to put a lot of time into this week's reading (more than usual) because this was my first time reading any of Harry Potter (please don't judge me...my boyfriend was mortified to find out I never read the books).  I've heard so much about the series that I couldn't come into it unbiased. The first few chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone match up really well with this week's prompt; Harry is a young adult who is having obvious difficulty navigating life with his monstrous adopted family. His aunt, uncle, and cousin all partake in abuse that would be sufficient to have Harry taken away by CPS if it were ever reported and Harry has no choice but to cowtow to their evil. He is depicted as a kind martyr, always taking the high road despite incessant attacks on his person.  Honestly, it was frustrating to read; I wanted him to stand up for himself!

Eventually Harry has a symbolic 'magic puberty' when he is pushed to his limit at the zoo. All at once his entire life is turned on its head when he casts his first spell.  Only he can communicate with the snake- and for the first time (though however "small" it may seem) he strikes back at his aunt, uncle, and cousin.  There's a lot less negative repercussion for doing so than the goody-two-shoes image he was built up to have would indicate, though. Soon it becomes clear that this is the turning point for Harry and his life is about to include a lot more magic when he is taken away by a friendly giant on a flying motorcycle.

I didn't get much farther than his midnight escape from the clutches of the Dursleys but I know from the movies and from Harry Potter obsessed friends that he goes on to grow up and battle evil at magic school. I'm sure it gets more complex and deals with every part of growing up through a fantasy lens but at least here at the beginning it all seems very straightforward: Harry is a powerless orphan who learns to suffer in silence until he comes of age and learns to stand up for himself and call out the evils of those who torment him.


(For once, I didn't talk about anime.  I am proud of myself.)