The story of a hero being
separated from his family at birth, growing up in a different environment, and
returning to save his “people” is a common story line. It can be seen in works such as Oedipus Rex, the Harry Potter series, and the story of Moses in the Bible. The latter two texts are the two story lines
that stick out for me. In Harry Potter the main character Harry is
flown away as a baby to live with his aunt and uncle, who are Muggles
(non-magical beings,) after almost being murdered by an evil wizard named
Voldemort. Similarly in the story of
Moses, baby Moses is sent down the river by his mother so that he isn’t killed
under the Pharaoh’s rule and is found by a member of the Pharaoh’s family and
taken in. In both cases not only are the
babies evacuated in order to live, but in these evacuations they both have a
change in social class. As each grows
older they end up returning to their original class, Harry to the wizarding
world and Moses to the Israelites, and help them to overcome their oppressors,
Voldemort in Harry Potter and the
Pharaoh in the Bible story. I had read
the story of Moses way before I even knew what Harry Potter was, but after
reading Harry Potter and other works with the same story line I understood that
many people in the Bible, like Moses, were actually heroes. Their lives followed the same outline as a
lot of protagonist in modern literature.
If you think about it, it also goes a little further than works of
literature, and into people’s everyday lives.
Although the average person isn’t an infant when they leave for college,
most people that go to college go off to whatever school, get a degree and better
themselves, and then possibly return to the city they came from if they left it,
and start a career and a family. This
scenario doesn’t reflect every person, but it is a common one. They story of the hero is not only one for
literature, but one for life as well.
To me this is a very good point. I had never really thought about Harry Potter in any kind of deep meaning other than that he was a wizard and was essentially chosen to fight Voldemort. Now thinking in this way it makes a lot of sense. He is the chosen one meant to send the most evil thing away from his people. He's there to protect everyone and to eventually sacrifice his life for the one's he loves and they in return are willing to sacrifice their own life as well.
ReplyDeleteI really never thought of Harry Potter or Moses in the way you described. But now that it has been said I can see the sorta the same story line. Yes, Harry was always the hero but I never took his background into thought, and to have Moses who is thought to be a prophet, have some of the same backround is nice. Now I can look at Harry Potter with a more religious aspect.
ReplyDeleteI never considered this angle of Harry Potter the way you compared it to the story of Moses. I do appreciate this new connection. Harry was brought up as a human or "muggle" and was told about his true identity as a powerful wizard where he felt a bit lost and unsure about who he was. Moses, raised as an Egyptian, found out he was an Israeli and was even denying this truth at first. Both protagonists were not only shocked by their true identities and duties, but willing to pursue them with the intent to do good for "their people." Do you think that J.K Rowling did this on purpose and actually got some ideas from the Bible, or is this just a coincidence?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post because of its relatable nature and clear point. I also agree with India's comparison of Harry being a Wizard in a world of "Muggles" and Moses being an Israelite amongst a sea of Egyptians. I would have appreciated a few more examples of this story in modern literature and some deeper connections between Harry and Moses. Do you think these types of stories only apply to iconic figures or heros? Or could the average person exist in a scenario like this one?
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