Week Two: Book One and Initial Themes
• Harry Potter opens with, “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” What does it mean to be normal? According to you? According to our society/culture? • Who or what, in our world, is Dursley-like? Conversely, who or what is considered “abnormal” or otherwise unacceptable? Who do you consider abnormal or unacceptable? Who do you fear? • Re-read the initial description of Dumbledore (“Nothing like this man [. . .]” through, “everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.”) in PS/SS. What is your reaction to this description? Compare and contrast Dumbledore with the Dursleys. • Compare and contrast McGonagall and Dumbledore. Note the exchange about lemon drops: what does this tell us about both of these characters? Also note McGonagall’s reaction to Harry living with the Dursleys: what does this tell us about each character? • Why does Dumbledore trust Hagrid? Is this wise? Consider the later friendship between Harry and Hagrid. • Note that the final chapter gives evidence that Snape is trying to save, not kill, Harry. The fandom (and Harry) continues to believe Snape is evil for most of the series, however. Why do we have a tendency to over-simplify human complexities? • Discuss the Mirror of Erised. What would you see in the mirror? Think about how the mirror helped Harry get the Stone only because he did not want to use it. Why is this important? Does Harry only succeed, both in this book and others, because he is not seeking power for himself? What lesson might this teach? • Why does Dumbledore not tell Harry why Voldemort tried to kill him? Why does he lie about why Snape saved him? Is this fair? Should he have been more honest with Harry, or was he correct in his decision? • After reading the first book, what might a reader expect the themes of the Harry Potter series to be? Which themes continue throughout the series?