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Unit 29

Harry Potter: Excellent or Evil?

Harry Potter books have spent the past year quite comfortably on bestseller lists nationwide. Controversy over the series of fantasy fiction books -- about a boy who discovers a world of magic -- is generated in chatrooms, boardrooms and classrooms alike. All this frenzy makes one wonder if there has been a recent comingback of witchcraft among pre-teens. Are we really afraid that the Harry Potter books will inspire some frightful behavior that Peter Pan, Snow White, or the Grimm's Fairy Tales will not? Maybe some of the objecting parents have forgotten how much they loved the magical worlds in their childhood.

Part of what makes these books so popular is what also makes them threatening to some. The protagonist finds ways to control his environment as well as escape from it. When Harry's aunt begins talking about his deadbeat dad, who has died, her wine glass explodes in her hand, due to Harry's powers. While this could be seen as a violent act, Harry's reaction was unintentional and Aunt Marge isn't hurt, after all. Besides, this behavior is frowned upon by the Hogwart's (magic) school, so Harry is never pardoned and he does face punishment for it.

The boy is treated so badly by his relatives that we cannot help but take pity on him. Who can blame Harry for hating the cruel family he is forced to endure? Most of us can remember all too well how it felt when a sibling, a cousin or a classmate was being favored. At the very least we can likely recall feeling a need to escape everyday trials at school or at home. Harry has his escape; he takes the reader with him, and it's nothing short of excitement. The Hogwart's School is where he fits in, and where there are others like him.

It seems that this escape appeals to adults as much as it does children; there is even a web page devoted to adult fans, and talk of creating "adult" covers so that those over 15 needn't hide the books in public, or try to explain that it must have accidentally crept into to their brief cases.

While escape from reality can be just as appealing to those who have already passed through puberty, it seems there may also be other factors at play here. The books became increasingly more popular amongst adults as word spread that people objected to them. Yes, people love magic and controversy.

No one is terribly worried abut adults reading fantasy books, of course, except maybe some extremist groups. The burning question is whether these books are a true threat to children's stability, faith and healthy development? Unlikely. Real world violence should probably be much more of a concern, as well as the pre-teen peers that can greatly influence a child's behavior.

If children need to escape to another world, be it Narnia or the Hogwart's school while reading, parents should be delighted to see that need realized through a love of reading. I imagine there are far more dangerous routes of escape.