Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger (2004, Tyndale)
by John Granger (2004, Tyndale)Why has Potter-mania reached fever pitch? Granger (no, not Hermione) makes a convincing argument that it's because this story simply echoes the Great Story (as all great literature does) of Humanity's Fall & Divine Redemption. While not intended to be a Christian story (as Narnia is explicitly) the implicit message of Harry Potter is Christian in it's structure, symbols, and overarching theme .
More on this at time permits...
I agree. This remains a saga of Good versus Evil, no matter the setting. Those who have protested that it's about witchcraft, and thus Evil, have not read the stories or have misunderstood them.
ReplyDeleteHaving watched the Ring Trilogy again, and re-read the books, I was struck by the way that saga paralleled our own struggle against the forces of Terror and how many would submit rather than fight. All out of fear. Tolkein, a veteran of WWI, wrote his trilogy during the ramp-up to WWII, and then through it. You can see the same thing in that era, too.
Both sagas depict the pain and loss that will accompany any fight, especially against an Evil which cares nothing for human sensibility or feelings. Both show the utter necessity to fight Evil, no matter the cost.
Good thoughts...
ReplyDeleteI would even go so far as to say that the 'good vs evil' in the HP series is Christological because of the 'death and resurrection' themes, which I'll try to point out when I update the post. lgp