Last weekend, Fantastic Beasts, the newest installment in the Harry Potter cinematic universe, was released (I haven’t seen it yet, so please no spoilers). When talking about how excited I was to see the new film, it came to my attention that several of my fellow Fishies (Andie and Tiffany, I’m looking at you) have never read the Harry Potter books nor seen any of the movies. As a self-proclaimed nerd since I was old enough to read and die-hard Potterhead, I was astonished, amazed, bewildered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted – really, every thesaurus synonym in the book – at this revelation. How could anyone spend decades on this Earth without experiencing the magic (#PunIntended) of Harry Potter?!
The following weekend, ABC Family (or I guess Freeform as it’s now called – whose idea was that?) held one of its Harry Potter weekends, meaning they play every single Harry Potter film over and over again and I waste away my weekend sitting on my couch for hours watching movies I’ve seen approximately 8 million times. Having Harry Potter back in the pop culture conversation made me start thinking about how relevant the series’ themes still are today. Anyone familiar with the books or the movies knows that while they start out kid-friendly exploring the magic of Hogwarts and the excitement of a regular boy finding out he is a wizard, as the series goes on it slowly but surely gets into some pretty deep and dark stuff. If you take away Lord Voldemort’s wand and magical powers (and maybe give him a nose), it’s obvious that he is not so different from authoritarian dictators we’ve seen come to power throughout history. He rules on an agenda of intolerance, persecuting and targeting one particular group with the ultimate goal of removing them from society entirely. As a result, the story is driven by thematic elements including the significance of tolerance and acceptance, the value of friendship and love, and the importance of standing up to inequality and hatred.
That being said, when you strip away the magical components of Harry Potter, the story still imparts invaluable life lessons relevant to kids and adults alike. You may be rolling your eyes right now, thinking to yourself “Oh that Sam, she’s nuts. What do I have to learn from a story about kids learning magic?” Like anyone who prides themselves on their ability to win an argument, I’ve compiled a few quotes to back up my point and showcase the wisdom of some of the characters. Without further ado…
- “Perhaps those who are best suited for power are those who have never sought it.”
- “If you want to know what a man is like, take a look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
- “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”
- “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
- “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
- “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.”
PS: if this blog post inspired you to get into Harry Potter: A) you’re welcome and B) BOOKS > MOVIES.
