The last three volumes deal with Harry’s increasingly desperate battle against Voldemort, and his fight to remain steadfast even as the world spins into chaos around him. Aided by his fellow evil wizards (“Death Eaters”), Voldemort begins a campaign to kill Harry Potter, the only one who may stand a chance of defeating him.
#What reading level is harry potter book 1 series#
The first few books of the series develop the characters and set the stage for Book 4, in which Voldemort returns to power and regains a corporeal body. Voldemort also attempted to kill Harry, but his attack rebounded on himself, severely crippling Voldemort’s power.
It soon becomes clear that the death of Harry’s parents was no accident: the evil Dark Lord Voldemort murdered them. At Hogwarts, he meets his two closest friends – Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – and begins studying magic. On his eleventh birthday, Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts, a school for young wizards and witches, and promptly enters a world of wonder and mystery. The “Harry Potter” series is the story of the eponymous hero, orphaned at birth and left in the care of the cruel Dursley family of “Muggles” (non-magical people).
(Note: In order to evaluate the complex themes of this series, the following commentary contains spoilers) Rather than being blindly condemned and censored, it should be read and analyzed thoughtfully. While it isn’t an allegory on the level of the “Narnia” books, it contains some deeply Christian themes. I’ll come right out with the thesis for this discussion: I do not believe the “Harry Potter” series is an apologetic for witchcraft, nor do I believe it should be shunned by Christians. This will necessarily be a fairly long discussion – after a brief summary of the series, this commentary will explore the three predominant motifs in the seven books before responding to a few of the foremost anti-“Potter” objections. The second time around, I was specifically looking for themes – and more specifically, I intended to write this commentary. The first time I read the books, I did so primarily for entertainment. This past summer, I took the time to revisit the series from a more critical standpoint. I devoured the first six volumes, read the seventh book as soon as it came out, and moved on to other things. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I’d been mistaken: the books were adventure stories in the style of Roald Dahl, with a layer of fairy-tale magic added on. I’d read plenty of books about the “occultism” of the series, and heard all the anti-“Potter” arguments. However, considering that the franchise has almost run its course, and sentiments have cooled somewhat, I feel it’s time to take an in-depth look at some of the themes and worldview elements in this oft-disputed series.įive years ago, I began reading the series suspiciously, expecting to encounter a barrage of subversive, anti-Christian propaganda. As a Christian, I don’t want to cause anyone to stumble by what I say, nor do I want to simply stir up dissent.
I’ve previously avoided discussing this issue directly for a variety of reasons. And, of course, they’ve attracted praise and scorn from virtually all sides, including an almost unprecedented amount of criticism from the conservative Christian community. With more than 400 million copies sold, the books have impacted popular culture in a massive way. Rowling’s hugely popular “Harry Potter” fantasy series. I think it’s fair to say that few books have ever inspired as much controversy as J.K.
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