Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Goblet of Fire

International Relations in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Rowling's series of books concerning the boy wizard Harry Potter have garnered a lot of attention since the publication of the first volume over a decade ago. Much of it has been positive -- the books have been credited with encouraging children to read, and even with rekindling faith in juvenile fiction altogether. Critics applaud Rowling's storytelling abilities, and her business savvy (with the help of Hollywood and other marketers) has made her one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, all from a seemingly simple series of books. Not all of the attention given to the Harry Potter series has been positive, however. The portrayal of witchcraft has angered many people, especially conservative Christians, and there are many who believe the books are simply frivolous stories with little point and absolutely no literary value. Given the strength of the world's reaction to these books, however, it is clear that whatever one thinks about their moral content or literary value the Harry Potter books are anything but frivolous.

In fact, even the most basic reading of these books reveals lessons both explicitly revealed in the text and layered underneath the surface of the story, as well. This is true even of the overarching story of the entire series. Harry Potter is considered by many in the realm of the novel as the savior of the wizarding world because he lived when the evil Voldemort tried to kill him. This same Dark Wizard succeeding in killing Harry's parents in the same attack, and much of the series of novels revolves around sacrifice and coming to terms with grief and loss. This strain is readily apparent in the fourth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but the main message of the novel does not deal with loss so much as it does with acceptance -- of other people, other cultures, and other ideas. Rowling's genius is in weaving her lessons seamlessly into the plot of her stories, and this book says much about multiculturalism.

It is somewhat doubtful that Rowling did true scientific research in preparing for her depiction of international relations, but her accurate portrayal of the several stages many people go through when encountering a new and different culture for the first time is not diminished by this fact in the slightest. Part of Rowling's brilliance as a storyteller is her adept understanding and portrayal of human characteristics and feelings that are entirely universal, and the view taken of the foreign wizards and withes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is no exception. Harry, Hermione, and Ron -- as well as the other stock characters of the series -- do not see the foreigners through one lens throughout the novel, but rather adjust their perceptions and opinions as they truly come to know the foreign guests at Hogwarts.

The first reaction the English characters show on meeting foreigners is somewhat sensationalistic. This begins even before the Triwizard tournament at Hogwarts school is even mentioned, while Harry is attending the Quidditch Cup with the Weasley clan. Of course, given the nature of the event (which is quite obviously modeled on soccer's World Cup event and is a cause for extreme nationalism for all spectators, and even more so those who are camping out next to the playing field) the stereotyped and sensational image of other cultures is not too unusual. Thus, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk "into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of shamrocks," it is not seen as too unusual. The effect is somewhat more startling when the teen wizards encounter the Bulgarian section, but the overall impression one gets from the Quidditch Cup is that it is our tendency, whether we be Muggle or wizard, to paint foreigners with a broad brush, and perhaps even to view their behavior as supporting this view without much objectivity.

These aspects of human nature when it comes to multiculturalism, though somewhat apparent in the scenes at the Quidditch Cup, are far more important during the Triwizard Tournament. The main foreign characters that are introduced in the novel are Karkaroff and Viktor Krum from Durmstrang, and Madame Maxine and Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons.. Rowling is careful not to mention any nationality or country of origin for either the schools or these particular characters (it is known from the Quidditch Cup that Krum is Bulgarian, but this does not necessarily apply to the Karkaroff or to Durmstrang). At the same time, it is entirely obvious that Beauxbatons is a French school, and the Durmstrang is located somewhere in Eastern Europe, with its distinctive Slavic/Germanic flavor. The immediate reaction is, again, sensationalistic, and this is aided by the modes of entrance chosen by the two foreign schools.

It is clear that the Triwizard Tournament is a competition, with each school displaying a huge amount of pride and even standoffishness that is never made overtly nationalistic, but carries clear overtones of cultural disparity. At the same time, the exotic nature of the foreigners has its effects on the other characters. Ron is basically speechless anytime he is around Fleur, and even the stoic Hermione is initially won over by Viktor Krum's foreign mystique. The wonder and amazement expressed at the foreigners diminishes somewhat as they are known better, and Rowling actually manages to show the similarities of the different cultures involved in the tournament by highlighting their reactions to the extreme competitiveness of the tournament.

All cultures cheat, and Rowling does not shy away from this fact. Each of the champions in the Triwizard tournament receives aid from the adults accompanying them, and no one (except the honorable Harry Potter) is surprised by this. The cheating that occurs is one of the earliest and strongest bonds of similarity drawn between the various cultures, as though Rowling were letting the similarity be seen through humorous foibles in order to allow for a somewhat more relaxed guard about one's own culture. Knowing how alike different cultures are in negative ways might allow them to see positive ways in which they are similar, too.