Rereading The Darker Themes of Harry Potter as an Adult

The Harry Potter books re-released in House Colours by Bloomsbury to commemorate their 20th Anniversary (Source: Bloomsbury)

Harry Potter was the very first book that I read on my own as a child. Back then, its author, J.K Rowling, was still actively writing her 7-book fantasy epic, so you can imagine how alive and crazy the fandom was as we waited impatiently for the next book to be published. My friends and I even started our own fan club in my Primary School, meeting every Friday in the canteen to furiously discuss the hottest fan theories – was Snape a double agent? Would J.K Rowling kill off Harry? And were Hermione and Ron going to end up together?

A decade after the release of the final Harry Potter movie, fans continue to be excited by the recent slew of new content that have greatly expanded the wizarding world. This includes the 3-part Fantastic Beasts movie franchise and a global theatrical production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  I expect these upcoming developments to drive renewed interest in the Potter universe among adult fans, making this year a particularly compelling one to revisit the original books as an adult.

Book release parties and midnight queues were common back during the Golden Ages of the Fandom
Book release parties and midnight queues were common back during the Golden Ages of the Fandom

Re-reading the Harry Potter books as an adult can be revelatory. It is like watching a cartoon in your twenties and suddenly noticing the more adult jokes that you would have never picked up on as a kid. In J.K Rowling’s case, I’ve discovered a whole new range of themes, plot lines and even plot holes that weren’t apparent to me as a child. The first two points speak to the Bildungsroman structure of the book series – different themes and characters connect with you as you read the books growing up. The last point just makes things more exciting – poking holes at your own favourite set of novels can make for a more adventurous read. So, in the dichotomous spirits of fun and solemnity, I’d like to share 3 big perspectives about the books that have changed as I grew up.

The adult characters in the series are really quite flawed

Dumbledore (left) - arguably the most powerful and most flawed character in the series
Dumbledore (left) – arguably the most powerful and most flawed character in the series

The use of the child perspective throughout the books can be misleading for a reader who is about the same age as Harry. Through his lens, we see the adults in the story as binaries – either good and bad, and always knowing more than us no matter which side they’re on. Rereading the book as an adult removes the myth of the perfect adult in the story, enabling you to be more critical about the motivations and actions of, well, your fellow adults.

The biggest change in perspective for me was Dumbledore. My opinions on him have become far more nuanced now than when I was a kid. I remember feeling so betrayed by Dumbledore when it was revealed that he was raising Harry like ‘like a pig for slaughter’ in the seventh and final book. It seemed that J.K Rowling had pulled the rug under the key grandfather figure of the novels – “he’s not the saint that we thought he was!” fans around the world screamed.

The Fantastic Beasts movie franchise reveals more about Dumbledore’s younger years. He is played by Jude Law
The Fantastic Beasts movie franchise reveals more about Dumbledore’s younger years. He is played by Jude Law

But I think Rowling was doing more. She wanted us to reflect on the theme of sacrifice ‘for the greater good’ – a key idea that Dumbledore passionately believed in when he experimented in the dark arts with Grindelwald. I cannot blame Dumbledore for manipulating other characters to get what he wants, because they ultimately met benevolent goals, but it is clear from these actions that Dumbledore never really developed that strong sense of empathy and trust – even towards Harry, who I believed that he loved the most. It is quite interesting to see that the wisest character in the series is also the one that changes the least.

One of J.K Rowling’s writing feats is her ability to hide the motivations of her characters and then reveal them several books later.  Their grand strategies, and the flaws in their plans, are only revealed when one reads the book forward, and then backwards. I found Dumbledore to be the most interesting, but you’ll find the same for characters like Severus Snape, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Petunia Dursley.

There are aspects of Rowling’s writing that I’m more critical about

What an excellent scene to show Voldemort’s revival in Book 4. Apart from that, however, I found this book to be weakest in its plot development
What an excellent scene to show Voldemort’s revival in Book 4. Apart from that, however, I found this book to be weakest in its plot development

One of the most enjoyable aspects about revisiting a childhood favourite is to get some perspective on how blindly loyal you might have been as a child. Now, this isn’t a hit on J.K Rowling, who I still admire and respect. In fact, I see it as a maturation of fandom when its own loyal readers adopt a more nuanced, critical stance about the work that they still consume.

J.K Rowling’s key strengths lie in characterisation, world building and thematic connections, but one weakness that I found in her story is in creating a tight plot, and I saw this mostly in Book 4(Goblet of Fire). I have never really understood why the antagonists had to go through all the trouble of getting Harry to touch the Triwizard Cup just to transport him to a secure location with Voldemort. The prestige of the event and the international element of the other schools were not exploited effectively for villainous reasons; think – for example, of how an international event might be exploited in today’s world for terrorist activities, the purpose of doing so being to make a statement of vengeance on a global platform.

Pay close attention to book 4 (Goblet of Fire)  and 5 (Order of the Phoenix), which J.K Rowling has identified as the time of writing where she faced the most pressure.

Some of the themes take on more meaning in today’s context

Remus Lupin has a terrible condition that risks him being ostracised
Remus Lupin has a terrible condition that risks him being ostracised

As I review the Harry Potter books today, the themes of discrimination and othering still come out very strongly for me. Take the example of Lupin and his struggle with lycanthropy in the story. Rowling herself noted that:

Lupin’s condition of lycanthropy (being a werewolf) was a metaphor for those illnesses that carry a stigma, like HIV and AIDS. All kinds of superstitions seem to surround blood-borne conditions, probably due to taboos surrounding blood itself. The wizarding community is as prone to hysteria and prejudice as the Muggle one, and the character of Lupin gave me a chance to examine those attitudes.’

From: Wizarding World (J.K Rowling wrote the short article herself)

The themes of discrimination and minority representation take on new meaning in today’s context. In June 2020, a Twitter comment by Rowling sparked a new wave of debates about transgender rights within the Harry Potter community. Responses came in from everywhere – including two of the biggest fan communities of the Harry Potter Universe, MuggleNet and the Leaky Cauldron, as well as multiple cast members from the Fantastic Beasts movie series and the original Harry Potter movie series.

J.K Rowling’s recent comments have sparked a series of discussions within the Harry Potter Fandom

It might be worth revisiting some of the themes in the book with the new information put out by Rowling. For example, could the four houses reflect the importance of boundaries to Rowling? What happens if students discover that they simply don’t belong to any of the house descriptors decided on by the four founders many decades ago? How do we read feminist and LBGT concepts in the novels, and what do they say about the beliefs of the author? The books will respond specifically to the lens and time period with which we read them.

An exciting year for rereading

Remember when the Harry Potter actors were just kids like us?
Remember when the Harry Potter actors were just kids like us?

We’re seeing a bountiful year for reboots, remakes and spin-offs, suggesting a trend among media executives to go back to the classics rather than produce new, unpredictable content. I suspect the same with Harry Potter. In fact, there is already an alleged Harry Potter TV series in the works for HBO Max. This means that the original Harry Potter books will not just be left to dust, and that there’s not a better time to begin reading, or rereading the books.  Just this month in the MRT, I saw someone sitting opposite me reading Chamber of Secrets – the 2nd book in the series!

Whether you’re a first-time reader or someone who hasn’t finished all seven books, I’d definitely recommend going back to give this timeless fantasy epic a try. Until today, I haven’t had another book that delivers with a style like Rowling’s. Read her books for a character-driven, witty and epic experience, and remember not to get your hopes too high up for that Hogwarts letter!

By: Haris Arman Thong, Publicity Director, ReadNUS