evil & villain in harry potter

8/6/2019 Evil & Villain in Harry Potter

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Ministry of Higher Education

The Higher Institute of Languages

Department of English

Graduation ThesisIn

Evil & Villain in Harry Potter

By: J.K.Rowling

Presented By:

Mina Farouk Naguib

Under The Supervision of:

Prof. Gamal Abdel Maksoud

Cairo 2011


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J.K. Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in Bristol, United

Kingdom. As the author of the Harry Potterbooks, she met profound

success. The novels won many awards, sold more than 400 million copies

and have been the basis for six very popular movies, with more on the

way.

Rowling studied French and Classics at the University of Exeter, also

spending a year in Paris. Afterwards, she worked in London as a

researcher for Amnesty International. In 1990, she started writingHarry

Potter. During the course of her writing and until the publication of the

first story, Harry Potter and theSorcerer's Stonein 1997,

she faced many misfortunes. Not long after getting married and moving

to Porto, around 1992, she gave birth to a child. Joyous events in

themselves, her marriage quickly ended in divorce and depression.

Returning to London as a single mother and with a myriad of personal

and health problems, Rowling nevertheless succeeded in getting her first

novel published - the first step of a big career and fame.

In 1998 she published the second novel, Harry Potter and the

Chamber of Secrets, and in 1999 and 2000 respectively gave her

growing number of fans Harry Potter and the Prisoner of

Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. By2000, Rowling had sold over a million copies of her books and was

awarded the prize of the Best Writer of the Year in British Book Awards.

Taking a long break after the initial success, she left her dedicated readers

in the waiting room for three years, not releasing Harry Potter and

the Order of the Phoenix until 21 June 2003. The passage of

these three years, as I have found through my analysis of all of thenovels, signified a significant shift in her writings. Rowlings books


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became darker and more politically directed. This distinct turn in the

novels continued and on 16 July 2005 Harry Potter and the

Half-Blood Price, for which Rowling once more won the British

Book Award of the Best Writer of the Year, entered bookstores. The

seventh, and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly

Hallows, was released on 11 January 2007. The last installment of the

Harry Potternovels immediately sold 11 million copies just in Great

Britain and United States of America. Currently, she is one of the most

wildly popular authors and Rowling'sHarry Potterbrand is estimated to

be worth more than $14 billion dollars, and the author is credited as

bringing youths back into the world of reading.

Plot Summary:-

The novels revolve around Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers that

he is a wizard. Wizard ability is inborn, but children are sent to

Wizarding School to learn the magical skills necessary to succeed in the

wizarding world. Harry is invited to attend the boarding school called

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each book chronicles one

year in Harry's life, and most of the events take place at Hogwarts. As he

struggles through adolescence, Harry learns to overcome many magical,

social and emotional hurdles, "Each book has a similar plot, structureand style beginning with Harry unhappily living with the Dursleys,

fleeing from the Dursleys, eventually ending up at Hogwarts, solving a

mystery involving the evil Voldemort and ending with the end of the

school year"(ibid., p. 146)

The wizarding world:-


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Flashbacks throughout the series reveal that when Harry was a baby

he

witnessed his parents' murder by Lord Voldemort who was a dark wizard

obsessed with racial purity. For reasons not immediately revealed,

Voldemort's attempt to kill Harry rebounds. Voldemort is seemingly

killed and Harry survives with only a lightning-shaped mark on his

forehead as a memento of the attack. As its inadvertent saviour from

Voldemort's reign of terror, Harry becomes a living legend in the wizard

world. At the orders of his patron, the wizard Albus Dumbledore, Harry

is placed in the home of his Muggle (non-wizard) relatives, who keep him

completely ignorant of his true heritage.

The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,

begins near Harry's 11th birthday. Half-giant Rubeus Hagrid reveals

Harry's history and introduces him to the wizarding world. The world

J. K. Rowling created is both completely separate from and yet intimatelyconnected to the real world. While the fantasy World of Narnia is

an alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings Middle-earth a

mythic past, the Wizarding world ofHarry Potterexists alongside

that of the real world and contains magical elements similar to things in

the non-magical world. Many of its institutions and locations are in

places that are recognisable in the real world, such as London. Itcomprises a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and

ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain

invisible to the non-magical population of Muggles. With Hagrid's help,

Harry prepares for and undertakes his first year of study at Hogwarts. As

Harry begins to explore the magical world, the reader is introduced to

many of the primary locations used throughout the series.


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Harry meets most of the main characters and gains his two closest

friends: Ron Weasley, a fun-loving member of an ancient wizarding

family, and Hermione Granger, an obsessively bookish witch of non-

magical parentage. Harry also encounters the school's potions master,

Severus Snape, who appears to have a deep-seated and irrational hatred of

him. The plot concludes with Harry's second confrontation with Lord

Voldemort, who in his quest for immortality, yearns to gain the power of

the Philosopher's Stone.

The series continues with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

describing Harry's second year at Hogwarts. He and his friends

investigate a 50-year-old mystery that appears tied to recent sinister

events at the school. The novel delves into the history of Hogwarts and a

legend revolving around the "Chamber of Secrets", the underground lair

of an ancient evil. For the first time, Harry realises that racial prejudice

exists in the wizarding world, and he learns that Voldemort's reign ofterror was often directed at wizards who were descended from Muggles.

Harry is also shocked to learn that he can speak Parseltongue, the

language of snakes; this rare ability is often equated with the dark arts.

The novel ends after Harry saves the life of Ron's younger sister, Ginny

Weasley, by defeating an attempt by Voldemort to reincarnate himself

through the memories he stored within a diary.

The third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, follows

Harry in his third year of magical education. It is the only book in the

series which does not feature Voldemort. Instead, Harry must deal with

the knowledge that he has been targeted by Sirius Black, an escaped

murderer from "Azkaban prison", who is believed to have assisted in the

deaths of Harry's parents.


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As Harry struggles with his reaction to the dementorsdark creatures

with the power to devour a human soulwhich are ostensibly protecting

the school, he reaches out to Remus Lupin, a Defence against the Dark

Arts teacher with a dark secret. Lupin teaches Harry defensive measures

which are well above the level of magic generally shown by people his

age. Harry learns that both Lupin and Black were close friends of his

father and that Black was framed by their fourth friend, Peter Pettigrew.

Voldemort returns:-During Harry's fourth year of school, detailed in Harry Potter and the

Goblet of Fire, Harry unwillingly participates in the Triwizard

Tournament, a dangerous magical contest. The plot centers on Harry's

attempt to discover who has forced him to compete in the tournament and

why. An anxious Harry is guided through the tournament by Professor

Alastor Moody, the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. The pointat which the mystery is unraveled marking the series' shift from

foreboding and uncertainty into open conflict. The novel ends with the

resurgence of Voldemort and the death of Cedric Diggory a student who

is accidently involved in Voldemort'sdiabolical acts.

In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry

must confront the newly resurfaced Voldemort. In response to

Voldemort's reappearance, Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the

Phoenix, a secret society which works to defeat Voldemort's minions and

protect Voldemort's targets, including Harry. The Order includes many of

the adults Harry trusts, including Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and

members of the Weasley family. Despite Harry's description of


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Voldemort's recent activities, the Ministry of Magic and many others in

the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.

In an attempt to enforce their version of curriculum, the Ministry

appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She

transforms the school into a quasi-dictatorial regime and refuses to allow

the students to learn ways to defend themselves against dark magic.

Harry forms a secret group called "Dumbledore's Army" and begins to

teach his classmates the higher-level skills he has learned. The novel

introduces Harry to Luna Lovegood, an airy young witch with a tendency

to believe in oddball conspiracy theories. Moreover, it reveals an

important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort. Harry also

discovers that he and Voldemort have a telepathic connection, allowing

Harry to view some of Voldemort's actions. In the novel's climax, Harry

and his school friends face off against Voldemort's followers "Death

Eaters". The timely arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix savesthe children's lives and allows many of the Death Eaters to be captured.

The sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, shows clearly

that Voldemort is leading another wizarding war, which has become so

violent that even Muggles have noticed some of its effects. Harry is

relatively protected from the danger as he completes his sixth year atHogwarts. At the beginning of the novel, he stumbles upon an old potions

textbook filled with annotations and recommendations signed by a

mysterious writer, the Half-Blood Prince. While the shortcuts written in

the book help Harry to finally excel at potions, he eventually realises that

some of the spells have evil results. Harry also participates in private

tutoring sessions with Albus Dumbledore, who shows him various

memories concerning the early life of Voldemort. These sessions reveal


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that Voldemort had splintered his soul into a series of "Horcruxes", evil

enchanted objects hidden in various locations.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book in the series,

begin directly after the events of the sixth book. Following Dumbledore's

death, Voldemort has completed his ascension to power and gains control

of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drop out of school

so that they can find and destroy Voldemort's remaining horcruxes. To

ensure their own safety as well as that of their family and friends, they are

forced to isolate themselves. As they search for the horcruxes, the trio

learn details about Dumbledore's past, as well as Snape's true motives.

The book culminates in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and

Hermione, in conjunction with members of the Order of the Phoenix and

many of the teachers and students, defend Hogwarts from Voldemort, his

Death Eaters, and various magical creatures. Several major characters arekilled in the first wave of the battle. In an effort to save the survivors,

Harry surrenders himself to Voldemort, who attempts to kill Harry. The

battle resumes as the parents of many Hogwarts students and residents of

the nearby village Hogsmeade arrive to reinforce the Order of the

Phoenix. With the last horcrux destroyed, Harry is able to defeat

Voldemort. An epilogue describes the lives of the surviving charactersand reveals that peace has returned to Hogowarts and the wizarding world

as well.

The Theme of Evil

Morality(from the Latin moralitas "manner, character, proper

behavior") is a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions,


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decisions, and actions between those that are good (or right) and bad (or

wrong). A moral code is a system of morality (for example, according to

a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc.) and a ''moral'' is any one

practice or teaching within a moral code. Immorality is the active

opposition to morality just like evil opposes good. (Wikipedia, 2011-05-07)

In religion, ethics, and philosophy, the phrase, ''good and evil'' refers tothe location on a two-way spectrum of objects, desires, or behaviors,

the good direction being morally positive, and the evil direction morally

negative. Good is a broad concept but it typically deals with anassociation with life, charity, continuity, happiness, and prosperity.

Evil is the intention or effect of causing harm or destruction, usually

specifically from the perception of deliberately violating some moral

code or more simply defined as the opposite of good. (Wikipedia, 2011-05-

07)

David and Catherine Deavel in Harry Potter and

Philosophy : If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts show their opinion

that evil doesn't exist "The first thing we learn from the Potter books is

that evil doesn't really exist. Evil does not really exist in itself, but is a

privation, a lacking in what something is supposed to be. It is a lacking of

what is good"(p. 132).

Paula Soares Faria says about the clear division between good and evil

in The Journey of the Villain in the Harry Potter

series: An Archetypal Study of Fantasy Villains

(2008): "In typical fantasy the contact with evil, by the hero or even by

the villain-to-be, happens, in many instances, through apparently

harmless means. There are usually clear divisions between what is good


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or evil as much for people as for objects and powers". One of the scariest

aspects of Rowling's view of evil is that people can and do choose it: "In

the Harry Potter series, choice is used to deny the fixedness of nature as

characters are not good or bad in essence but in their choices"

(Lachance, 2005, p. 75). They choose the lie of evil rather than the truth

of goodness. David and Catherine Deavel state about this in Harry

Potter and Philosophy : If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts that

"One lie about evil is that people are simply predestined for evil because

of their ancestry, the last deceit of evil is that one has no choice whether

to succumb to it or not"(p. 142). This theme runs throughout the series.

From the very beginning Harry worries that he will be in Slytherin,

Voldemort's old house, because it is his "Destiny" Harry Potter

and the Sorcerer's Stone (p. 130). When he discovers in

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that he (like

Voldemort) speaks parseltongue, the language of snakes, Harry worries

that not only he is destined for the dark side, but he is the heir of

Slytherin who will unleash doom on all Hogwarts.

Harry's fears are understandable by the notion that there is no freedom

for the individual. Muggles like Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia insinuate

that Harry is bad simply because of his magical powers. Aunt Marge,

ignorant of Harry's powers, has a more general theory: "If there's

something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it"

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (p. 25). All

three seem to believe that people are born bad or good and that life is

simply a working out of this fundamental nature or fate. Sibyll

Trelawney, the flaky Divination teacher, influences students nonetheless

with her own view that people have on choice about their lives.

Dumbledore, the constant voice of wisdom, spends much of his time


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refuting these fatalistic views of the person. His logic depends upon the

freedom of the individual and the fact that our choices will have

unforeseen consequences, in part because our actions affect the options

and motivations of others as they make their own choices.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,

Dumbledore reminds a worried Harry that though he shares many

characteristics and even talents with Voldemort, he is not like him:

"It [the Sorting Hat] only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a

defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin"

"Exactly," said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you

very different from Tom Riddle [Voldemort]? It is our choices, Harry that

show what we truly are far more than our abilities."(p. 333)

Harry had considered his place in Gryffindor to be a dodge of the

Sorting Hat's proper decision, a decision it would presumably have made

without Harry's input. He thought his request interfered with the hat's

judgment. In direct contrast, Dumbledore asserts that this view treats

Harry's choice as external to the course of Harry's life rather than the

central determining factor it truly is. Despite their similarities, Harry and

Voldemort's choices set them decisively apart.

"Our Choices show what we are in here and now. But the choices we

make also change us and make us what we are and will be..We are

what we choose to make our lives. We are evil only if we choose evil.

Here, the Potter books again follow Augustine and Thomas Aquinas:

moral evil results from free choice of the will. Our choices involve

privation when we choose lesser goods over greater goods" (Harry

Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, p.

144).


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Of course, since choosing evil is to choose something less, it's much

easier to choose it. Peter Pettigrew illustrates this decision greatly. Peter

Pettigrew was the Potter's Secret-Keeper. Voldemort is powerful, but he

could never have found the Potters unless Pettigrew chose to betray them.

In the end Pettigrew's fear of Voldemort and desire to save his own life

outweighed his devotion to the Potters. Pettigrew desperately claims that

he had no choice, Voldemort was too powerful, and he himself would

have been killed. In response to Pettigrew's protests, however, Sirius

Black reminds him that he did have a choice. He had the choice to eithersave his own life or the lives of the Potters; however, he chose the easier

and lesser path because of his fear from Voldemort.

We demonstrate our personal values through the choices we make.

Other critics see this as a key statement in the series (Cherrett, 2003, p.

29, Bridger, 2001, p. 74, 2001, Houghton, 2001, p.17, Beck, 2001, p. 53,

Pharr, 2002, p. 63, et al.)

The Choice to resist Voldemort often demanded great sacrifice as the

consequence: many wizards died for their defiance of Voldemort.

Pettigrew's choice also has far-reaching consequences but of a different

sort. In saving his own life, he has radically changed it. His choice loses

him his other friends, forces him onto years of hiding, and eventually

binds him to Voldemort as a slave. So, an individual's choice for good or

evil shapes this person and brings lasting consequences oneself and for

others.

Evil is represented in any work of art in the villain. Voldemort

delivers an excellent portrait of the villain, but before we speak about


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Voldemort we should know who is the villain. Paula Soares Faria

introduces a brief definition of the villain in The Journey of the

Villain in the Harry Potter series: An Archetypal

Study of Fantasy Villains (2008), saying "In fantasy literature

the hero can be directly associated with his archetypal journey.

Similarly, the villain will also be associated with an archetype. However,

compared with the heros the villains archetype seems simpler and will

be characterized by his deeds or individual characteristics rather than

the events of his life or his path. The villain is part of the construction of

the hero archetype".

An essential part, I would say, for he is the goal of the journey, the

center of the maze. How the hero faces his villain is what defines his

journey. Without a villain and the obstacles posed by him/her, there

would be no need for a journey.

The villain archetype, however, is usually not as developed as the

heros. In general, it does not unfold into a path or carry multiple

symbolisms into it. The idea of the general villain refers to the one the

hero encounters as soon as he crosses the threshold. His existence

precedes the heros and what is shown about this villain does not give

him dimensions as a character, usually resulting in a supernatural, unrealand not believable entity. In this definition the villain is greedy and

utterly selfish; therefore, all of his deeds would be ruled by those

characteristics.

Paula Soares Faria explains in her book: The psychoanalyst Marie-

Louise Von Franz, a disciple of Jung, studied the representation of evil in

fairy tales from many different cultures. Some of her remarks should be


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useful here in determining what types of evil fantasy addresses and how it

is represented in the figure of a villain. "Lack of harmony is a

characteristic that surrounds peoples lives and it is expressed in the

stories told by people. An important characteristic of evil is to cause this

disharmony and unbalance by being at the same time desirable and

undesirable". The Journey of the Villain in the HarryPotter series: An Archetypal Study of Fantasy

Villains(p. 48)In my opinion, the images that appear in the stories are at the same

time repulsive and attractive. That duality is part of human nature as well.

Terrifying events fascinate us. Villains of fantasy often exercise that

alluring power over others characters. Tom Riddle, soon to be Lord

Voldemort, knows the consequences of using the Unforgivable Curses

(spells that kill, torture and control the minds of people) or of creating

horcruxes (tearing the soul apart and transferring a piece to an object);

however, he uses the curses and creates the horcruxes anyway, because

he is completely fascinated by the power those things bring to him ,

Well, Harry, said Dumbledore, At the same age as you are now, give

or take a few months, Tom Riddle was doing all he could to find out how

to make himself immortal Harry Potter and the Half-Blood

Prince (p. 328). Initially his goal is to kill Harry, but at one point hesees the advantage of having him as an ally and tries to seduce him. Not

only Voldemort, but also the power of magic itself, the same that

fascinated Voldemort, is constantly teasing Harry into forgetting about

the abominable side of evil. The hero has to have contact with that side so

he can better understand the forces around him. The villain is taken by

the alluring side of evil without really understanding it. His view of the


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world and his behavior becomes unilateral which is an aspect that brings

about more evilwhich results an excess of evil.

R. Alexandria Pallas-Weinbrecht wrote about "excess of evil" in her

book The Phenomenology of Evil: Excessivity,

Intention, and Malignancy in Human Action "We can

and do have ordinary and frequent moral lapses that constitutethis type

of excess or deficiency in our behavior when we go after what we desire.

This is not, however, the kind of excess a phenomenological account of

evil brings with it"(p. 26). Evil is not overindulgence or deficiency of

control that we can measure according to our sense of the median and

how far or near we are to it. Evil as an excess goes beyond our ability to

accommodate, to create meaning, to put experience into a whole with

continuity; evil in fact breaks up continuity. The excess of evil comes to

us as a form of transcendence, a permanent wound that can never be

assimilated, destroying our ability to create a world, to respond and act.

About the representatives of evil or "The Villains" in Harry

Potter, evil can be traced, and its climax can be seen in Lord

Voldemorts face. The first reference to Voldemort in the books gives us

an insight into what is wrong with him. In the wake of Voldemort's defeat

at the hands of the infant Harry, Professor McGonagall remarks thatDumbledore is the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. Dumbledore

replies, "You flatter me Voldemort had powers I will never have"

McGonagall answers this question, "Only because you are too well noble

to use them" Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (p.

11). What appears as weakness on Dumbledore's part is revealed to be

strength, the nobility that Voldemort lacks. While Voldemort's power to

manipulate things magically is amazing, he seems unaware that this is not


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the only kind of power, or even the most important kind. Voldemort has

powers Dumbledore will never have, but the opposite is also true.

Dumbledore has the power of nobility, a good character and high moral

ideals. He can see the world clearly in a way that is completely

impossible for Voldemort.

Voldemort was unable to see what accounted for his defeat at the

hands of Harry. He was a more powerful wizard than Harry's parents,

even more so than a mere infant. But though he was able to kill James

and Lily Potter, he was not able to defeat them or kill their baby. He was

unable to do this because he encountered in them the very thing he

lacked, love.Talking to his followers, the "Death Eaters", after his return

in Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire You know, of

course, that they have called this boy my downfall? Voldemort said

softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that

he almost screamed in agony. You all know that on the night I lost my

powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to

save him and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had

not foreseenI could not touch the boy His mother left upon him the

traces other sacrificeThis is old magic, I should have remembered it, I

was foolish to overlook it (p. 652). This love, more powerful than the

death curses he hurled at the infant Harry, deflected them back at himself,leaving him lacking even more as a person I miscalculated, my friends, I

admit it. My curse was deflected by the womans foolish sacrifice, and it

rebounded upon myself nothing could have prepared me for it. I was

ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone we encounter

the defeated Voldemort weak and horrifying. He himself explains what


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resulted from his attack on baby Harry: See what I have become?the

face said. Mere shadow and vapor I have form only when I can share

another's body (p. 293). Voldemort is literally a parasite on Professor

Quirrell's body. But living by taking another person's life is not enough;

Voldemort must gain strength by feeding, via Professor Quirrell, from the

blood of the unicorns, those one-horned symbols of purity. Voldemort

has no qualms about slaughtering innocent unicorns, just as he had no

qualms about attacking the infant Harry or parasitically sapping Quirrell's

life.

It is one thing to live because of someone else's willing sacrifice, as

Harry does because of his parents, and another to live because one

sacrifices others for one's own gain. Voldemort does not understand this,

but Dumbledore explains that this is why Quirrell feels tremendous pain

when he touches Harry "It is agony to touch someone marked by

something so good as sacrificial love" Harry Potter and theSorcerer's Stone (p. 299). For all of Voldemort's use of others'

lives (Quirrell, the unicorns, and the people he killed simply because they

were not useful to him) but his life is still a half-life. Voldemort plots to

regain his adult body in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

by means of an ancient spell that requires three sacrifices; first, bone from

his muggle father, whom he hated and murdered; second, the sacrifice ofWormtail's hand [one of Voldemort followers], severed in fear and

desperation by this servant himself; and third, blood from Harry,

Voldemort's enemy. This terrible restoration shows us again the parasitic

character of evil. Voldemort's new bone, flesh, and blood are gained

through fear or force at the expense of other people.


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This parasitic character of evil is also clear in Harry Potter and

the Chamber of Secrets when Voldemort tries to regain his

power through his old Diary, a Horcrux [ an evil object that has part of

Voldemort's soul], which takes the life of Ginny Wesley and transferred it

into Voldemort If I say it myself, Harry, Ive always been able to charm

the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul

happened to be exactly what I wantedI grew stronger and stronger on

a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more

powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss

Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into

her.

The critic John Granger argues that this is an example of the books

postmodern aspects and he discusses how Rowling tells us Tom Riddles

life:

"[Voldemort] is, post-Horcruxes, simply a shattered person, whose soul

and humanity have been deposited in physical objects as a means to a

mechanical, murderous immortality. He is himself a deconstructed

text, that no longer has an independent existence or value. Even though

we learn about his painful childhood in an orphanage and about his

mothers trials, Ms. Rowling never suggests there is something

understandable or pitiable in the evil person Tom Riddle chooses tobecome in his pursuit of power. He is also not a conceptual evil that can

be parsed, broken down and made relative, the product of external

forces outside his control. Rowling presents her prime villains and his

henchmen as a very real wickedness, the product of human error and

choice, that must be resisted at all costs, even death. Rowling never soft-

pedals the reality of Riddles wickedness, his culpability for his


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condition, or the necessity of resisting this evil courageously and

sacrificially".(2007: 208-9).

Voldemort is not pitiable because he made conscious choices on who

he wanted to become. He deliberately chooses evil; it is not something

that happened to him or was imposed on him, he was not tricked into it.

And unlike the redeemed villain he does not regret his choices. The evil

he represents cannot be related to the external evil of nature, as is

common in fantasy, or any other external force. He represents the evil

within and the reality of choice as great, but terrible. Granger also

mentions Riddle as being Potters doppelganger; that is because they

show intrinsic similarities that can be described as archetypal. Voldemort

lives the same journey as Harry.

Evil is represented in some other minor villains as in the Death Eaters.

Death Eaters is the name given to Voldemorts loyal followers. Theyinclude men and women, one of them is Bellatrix Lestrange, from

different social positions that share Voldemorts goals. They aspire to

power through their connection with the Dark Lord very much like

Lucius Malfoy, who is one of them. The Death Eaters represent the

typical followers of the arch(e)-villain. They act solely as they are

ordered and although a sect of followers is comprised by several people,they all act together and in a similar manner resembling a single entity

under the command of the villain. They have no individual identity or

personality and sometimes not even individual names, especially when

they are in great numbers. In the Harry Potter books these followers

appear in a smaller scale, but they are everywhere, there is a villain,

Draco has his mates, Crabbe and Goyle, follow him around and do his


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bidding, while their parents, including Dracos, do the biddings of

Voldemort.

The followers are an extension of the villains powers and they

represent the seductive side of the villain at work. They are attracted by

the alluring side of evil and they are taken by the same influence the

villain tries, at some point, to exert over the hero. The Death Eaters are

seduced by the promise of power. In Harry Potter and the

Sorcerer's Stone, Professor Quirrell tells Harry exactly how he

was taken by this promise: He is with me wherever I go, said Quirrell

quietly. I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young

man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord

Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there

is only power, and those too weak to seek it. Since then, I have served

him faithfully, although I have let him down many times.(p. 211).

In this instance Harry is not hooked by that promise, good and evil doprove to be relative concepts, but for a different reason than sheer power.

Harry has a strong connection with Voldemort and he carries a piece of

the Dark Lords soul in him, very much like Quirrell. By Harry

Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry starts to take

advantage of this connection and even enjoy it.

Professor Severus Snape is without a doubt the most ambiguous,

complex and challenged character in the series. In response to the

questioning of what Snapes example of morality may cause on children,

the childrens specialist, Courtney B. Strimel, argues in her essay The

Politics of Terror: Rereading Harry Potterthat, characters like Snape

are actually a good influence on childrens perception of the real world:


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"Certainly, most of the characters appear ambiguous at times, but that

ambiguity relates to strong Moral themes running throughout the series.

People, both good and bad, make mistakes in the series and in the

real world. The ambiguity, then, in Harry Potteris more realistic for

young readers as they navigate the complexities of morality".(2004: 46)

Snapes complexity does prove to be a challenge not only for children,

but for adults as well, especially when some critics fail to see the

importance of such a character. In Harry Potter and the

Deathly Hallows Snape is definitely redeemed and may even be

said to have gained the status of a good guy, with Harrys son even

being named after him. However, that does not change his past behavior

and that he is considered a villain for most part of the series. His despite

for Harry is undeniable and the injustices he commits in the name of this

hatred have instances spread throughout the series. Besides his present

actions (at the time the narrative of the novel is happening), Snapes past

actions are also condemnable: he was a member of the Death Eaters and

still carries the Dark Mark in his arm. Snape antagonizes Harry, who

treats Snape as an enemy he cannot fight but, unlike with Draco, one he

fails to learn from. Conversely, despite all the evidence against Snape, he

is the depositary of Dumbledores unwavering trust. That fact has puzzled

Harry until the very last moment when he finally unravels the truth aboutSnape and the boy finds out that, as much as Snape had been unjust to

him, he had returned the gesture by misjudging and distrusting the

Professor.

Snape fits into this redeemed villain archetype, Even though Harry

sees Snapes memories without his consent, what Snape suffered in the

past becomes the excuse for his actions in the present. Snape does not


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become any nicer to Harry, rather he finds reason to become nastier. Even

though he has actually been on the good guys side all along, he displays

villainous qualities: he takes advantage of his position over Harry and

delights in making the boys life more difficult. He is petty and

ambitious, but also loyal. Snape is a complex character because he is the

grey area between black and white, and especially in fantasy this is rare.

As Strimel argues, This ambiguity teaches children that good people

sometimes make poor decisions and perpetrate bad acts just as bad

people are capable of positive acts. (2004: 46) In characters that are

three-dimensional, emulating real life, we can never be sure of what their

real intentions are. Snape contributes to the evolution of the redeemed

villain archetype by adding this three -dimensionality to it.

The Malfoy family is another portrait of evil. The family name here is

the first indication of their nature. Draco Malfoy is the first Hogwarts kid

Harry meets in the series: they were both buying school robes at MadamMalkins Robes for All Occasions. In this first encounter Draco already

exposes the paradigm him and his family live by, that is, their pure blood

convictions; the same philosophy followed and spread by Voldemort:

Oh sorry, said [Draco], not sounding sorry at all. But they were our

kind, werent they?

They were a witch and a wizard, if thats what you mean.I really dont think they should let the other sort in, do you? Theyre

just not the same, theyve never been brought up to know our ways. Some

of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter,

imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. Whats

your surname, anyway? Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's

Stone (p. 60-61).


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From Dracos first scene the reader is led to dislike the character and

his whole family. In the next book, Harry Potter and the

Chamber of Secrets, we meet Dracos father and discover how

dangerous he really can be. He is the trigger for the whole of the second

books plot by placing Tom Riddles old diary into the Weasleys

belongings. Without his help the diary may have not ended up with Ginny

Weasley. However, although Lucius Malfoy seems to be helping his

master, Voldemort, he is in fact looking out for himself. He serves

Voldemort only to the point where it serves his personal interests; it

grants him power in his midst and also the protection and back up from

people more powerful than him, that is, Voldemort himself, members of

ministerial departments and even the Ministry for Magic. At the time

Voldemort lost his powers in the attack to the Potters home, and his

followers were being sent to prison, Lucius pleaded being under the

Imperious Curse. He denied any connections with Voldemort and his

other followers because, at the time, that would serve his interests best.

He is one of Voldemorts followers but he lacks the essential qualities for

it; he is not loyal or submissive. His predominant trait is selfishness.

Draco is taught from an early age the values of his family. He learns

from his father his selfish behavior and also to lie, cheat and con while

avoiding being caught when it serves his interests. Draco, however, has acloser relationship to Harry, seeing that both attend Hogwarts. They

became rivals from their first day at the school and engaged in disputes

and fights as often as they could. However, their fights are never

definitive, for as big as their despise for each other may be, the rules of

the school and their confinement to it demand that they learn to live and

share the same space.


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Although Draco is an opponent his age and one which, most probably,

Harry could defeat, Harry cannot just finish him in battle. The

circumstances in which they live in demand Harry to develop other

strategies to deal with those enemies that are closer to him. Potter has to

exercise will-power to control his temper and not fall for Dracos

provocations. He has to develop combat strategies not to attack, but to

defend. In fact the disarming spell, Expelliarmus, becomes Harrys

combat signature and it is with it that he ultimately defeats Voldemort.

Both boys have to play by the rules Hogwarts imposes or else both should

be punished, as it happens in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's

Stonewhen Draco tries to catch Harry breaking the rules. It turns out

that in the attempt Draco broke the rules himself (p. 167-176).

After that lesson they were both more careful. Also with Draco, Harry

has to learn to forgive by getting over their petty disputes and growing

out of them. By the end of the series Harry saves Draco and eventually

Draco learns to co-exist with Harry in their adult lives. By having an

enemy he cannot actively fight, Harry actually learns how to face the

other villains in his life.

The first time we see Dracos mother, Narcisa, she displays a differentside of the family, one we have not seen up to that point. She appears in

the initial chapters of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood

Prince, worried about her son and the task that was assigned to him by

Voldemort. She asks Snape to take care of him and protect him no matter

what happens. By the end of the series the Malfoy family redeem

themselves as all of the members show a high level of concern for each

other following Narcisas example. They love one another and this love


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proves to be stronger than their selfish interests. Although all of them are

villains during the series and play an important part in Harrys life, they

eventually give expression to the good in them through this love and their

family ties.

If evil is a privation, then it will always have a weakness. Its power

flows not from true strength but from the manipulation and distortion of

what is good. Truth and goodness will always be stronger in and of

themselves. In their completeness, they expose evil's lack [ lack of love,

lack of health in mind and body, lack of hope, and lack of clear-

sightedness].

The Destructive effects of evil

If one takes a closer look at Voldemort's life after he murders the

Potter, however, it becomes clear that he receives something other than

the benefit of having two less wizards to oppose him. A physical

transformation occurs in Voldemort that is both deforming and

frightening, which seems to be the result of his evil actions. While

Voldemort's deformities cannot ease Harry's suffering, they can provide

some assurance that Voldemort is negatively affected by his misdeeds.

Jennifer Hart Weed says about the destructive effects of evil in

Harry Potter and Philosophy : If Aristotle Ran

Hogwarts: "Boethius concludes that just as evil diminishes a human

being by causing him to lose his natural goal, happiness, so evil

dehumanizes the evildoer. In other words, evil actions transforms an

evildoer from a human being into an animal"(p. 151). For example, it is


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revealed in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

that Peter Pettigrew told Voldemort the location of James and Lily Potter,

enabling their murder. Peter subsequently disguises himself as a rat in

order to hide from the Potters' friends. We can interpret the physical

transformation of Peter into a rat as indicating the moral state of his

character. "Peter 'rats out' the Potters to Voldemort, and then Peter

physically becomes a rat. Rowling seems to treat Peter's act of betrayal

symbolically, diminishing him from a human being to an animal"Harry

Potter and Philosophy : If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts

(p.152)

Evildoer abandons his own proper nature in committing evil actions.

The evil doer destroys himself by rejecting part of himself and by failing

to live up to his potential. So, truly, the evildoer undergoes a

"dehumanizing" and self-destructive transformation when he commits

evil acts. With every evil act the self-destruction becomes greater as the

evildoer consistently rejects his own nature. Voldemort experiences this

kind of spiraling self-destruction after he attempts to murder the whole

Potter family.

Voldemort denies the very existence of good and evil Harry

Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (p. 291), He either refuses todistinguish between good and evil or he lacks the ability to make such a

distinction, just like an animal. Indeed, Voldemort deems all things

permissible in his quest for power, including killing children. Harry's

schoolmates are understandably terrified of Voldemort and they refuse to

pronounce his name, choosing rather to call him "You-Know-Who"

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban( p. 106).


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Through Lily's love for her baby, the curse that Voldemort had used

with the intention of murdering Harry was turned back on Voldemort

himself. He was reduced to "something barely alive", a creature not quite

human and yet not quite a ghost, either Harry Potter and the

Goblet of Fire (p. 20). In this transformation we see a dramatic,

literal portrayal of the self-destructive effects of evil. There is no

evidence, however, that Voldemort re-thinks his activities and his choices

or even reconsiders the possibility of blaming himself for his sorry state

or learns any kind of moral lesson from his ordeal. Voldemort lack of

introspection on this matter is another self-destructive effect of evil.

As we have seen through this research that Voldemort attaches himself

as a parasite on Professor Quirrell's body and also manipulating him into

killing a beautiful unicorn for its life-giving blood, only compounding his

self-destruction. As the centaur Firenze explains:

That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn Only one

who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a

crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch

from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and

defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed

life, from the moment the blood touches your lips. Harry Potter

and the Sorcerer's Stone(p. 258).

Once again, Voldemort does not distinguish between his enemies and

innocent "non-combatants" such as unicorn. Voldemort's cursed life is

manifested both in his actions, which grow progressively more barbaric,

and in his physical appearance. Voldemort's appearance worsens and

becomes more grotesque throughout the stories. In a disturbing scene

near the beginning ofHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,


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Voldemort murders an innocent Muggle named Frank who just happens

to enter the house in which he is hiding (p. 15). Just prior to his murder,

Frank catches a glimpse of Voldemort. This glimpse is so frightening,

Frank screams uncontrollably until Voldemort kills him. Voldemort's

appearance also frightens Wormtail, his disgusting little minion, as

Voldemort says, "I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look al me, feel

you shudder when you touch me"(Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, p. 9).

The destruction that Voldemort experiences at each stage of his life is

linked with his own choice of actions. First, he attacks the Potters andconsequently loses his body. Next, he becomes a parasite and

manipulates his host into killing a beautiful unicorn for its blood.

Consequently his life is forever cursed. After leaving Quirrell to die,

Voldemort disappears in search of another source of life (Harry Potter and

the Sorcerer's Stone, p. 298). His condition and his disposition are so

frightening at this point, however, that most of his followers abandonhim.

Voldemort's dependence on his followers indicates the extent of his

own self-destruction. Once again, his helplessness could have been an

opportunity for reflection or for redemption. Voldemort, however, seems

oblivious to the fact that he is the cause of his own destruction and,

further, that he is capable of correcting it. He ignores any possibility of

reforming himself, becoming more and more violent and more and more

intent on revenge.

Jennifer Hart Weedsummarizes her idea by saying: "The effects of

evil extend far beyond one's victims or one's community; the effects of

evil are also received in the person of the evildoer. Voldemort's


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progressive worsening throughout the stories should serve to teach

readers about the self-destructive effects of evil and the ugliness of a

wicked character. This self-destruction can be explicitly connected with

Voldemort's choice of actions, for example his murderous attempts, his

manipulation of the weak, or his killing of animals. This self-destruction

stands in contrast to the virtues manifested by Harry, Dumbledore, Ron,

Hagrid, and Hermione, virtues such as courage, friendship, and love."

Harry Potter and Philosophy : If Aristotle Ran

Hogwarts(p.156-157)

It is clear from the stories that both Voldemort and Harry are

responsible for their own moral characters. Their actions and their

choices determine the kinds of people that they become. Voldemort's

choices lead to his own ruin and suffering as well as the suffering of

others, while Harry's choices lead to his development into a courageous

young man who is fiercely loyal to his friends.

Finally, I conclude my research with David and Catherine Deavel's

summarizing quote about the nature of evil: "Throughout the series,

Harry is learning how to recognize good and evil and how best to act on

this Knowledge episode by episode, in bits and spurts, as Voldemort's

power increases and the stakes grow What makes the plot so dynamicis that it follows the complicated pattern of real life. Neither Harry nor

any of the other characters, including Dumbledore and Voldemort, is

either all good or all evil."Harry Potter and Philosophy : If

Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (p. 146). As Sirius Black (Harry Potter's

Godfather) tells Harry, "The World isn't split into good people and Death

Eaters."Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(p.

302).


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Part of growing up is taking seriously the importance of seeing clearly,

of recognizing good and evil for what they are, and trying to act for the

good against the evil. Just like humans in real life, Harry and his friends

do not always judge properly or act properly in every situation. They

sometimes jump to conclusions or act impulsively or emotionally before

they have made a proper judgment. Again, just like real humans, these

mistakes can harm others; for example, Harry's admirable desire to help

Sirius in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

inadvertently puts Sirius and others in danger. This was because Harry

didn't learn to guard his mind from the influence of Voldemort. The

stakes are real for them and for us. But the key is to keep trying to clear

one's vision and set one's heart in the right direction.

"When the mask of evil is ripped off, it is death that we find, not life.

When the Choice of evil seems 'easy', suffering happens" HarryPotter and Philosophy : If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (p.

147).


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Bibliography:

Primary Source:

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's

Stone, Scholastic Press, New York; 1997.

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.:Harry Potter and the Chamber of

Secrets, Scholastic Press, New York; 1998.

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of

Azkaban, Scholastic Press, New York; 1999.

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Goblet of

Fire, Scholastic Press, New York; 2000.

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.:Harry Potter and the Order of the

Phoenix, Scholastic Press, New York; 2003.

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood

Prince, Scholastic Press, New York; 2005.

Levine, Arthur A. (ed.), Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Deathly

Hallows, Scholastic Press, New York; 2007.

Secondary Sources:

Baggett, David & Klein, Shawn E. (Eds.), Catherine Deavel, & David

Deavel, (2004), A skewed reflection: The nature of evil. InHarry Potter

and philosophy: If Aristotle ran Hogwarts (p. 132-147).


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Hart W., Jennifer, (2004), Voldemort, Boethius, and the Destructive

Effects of Evil. In Harry Potter and philosophy: If Aristotle ran

Hogwarts (p. 151-157).

Soares F., Paula, The Journey of the Villain in the Harry Potter series:

An Archetypal Study of Fantasy Villains, (2008). Universidade Federal de

Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Pallas-Weinbrecht, R. Alexandria, The Phenomenology of Evil:

Excessivity, Intention, and Malignancy in Human Action. Unpublished

mastersthesis, The Faculty of Princeton University, (2007).

Strimel, Courtney B., The Politics of Terror: Rereading Harry Potter,

(2004: 46)

Lachance, H., Are you there, God? Its me, Philip Pullman: Philip

Pullmans His Dark Materials: Hope and Humanist faith in Godless

worlds, (2005). Unpublished masters thesis, Monash University,

Melbourne, Australia.

Online Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil.html

evil & villain in harry potter

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