Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\'s

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Explication

Quote 2 Rowling

"To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure," and so death is not to be feared, but rather accepted as a natural part of life (Rowling 297). The last chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone really nails down a very existential theme, one which allows the text to allude to prior literary works but also to remain relevant enough to be able to transcend into a cinematic context. Here, Harry is exposed through Dumbledore's wise words to the concept that death is not the end of a journey, but rather the beginning of a whole new journey.

All mortals will eventually die. That is, in fact, what constitutes the definition of a mortal in the first place. This quote comes from Dumbledore to explain to the agitated Harry as he rests in the hospital the reason for destroying the sorcerer's stone. Dumbledore's partner, Nicolas Flamel, had previously sought the stone in order to achieve ever lasting life, and to avoid the impending death that was to come. However, the stone clearly became a danger to others, as Voldemort, Harry's nemesis, sought it as well to return to his former state and undoubtedly cause mayhem and distress for all parties involved. As such, Dumbledore and Flamel make the wise decision to destroy the stone, even if that means Flamel will die with it. Harry does not understand this decision at first, as he does not want Flamel to die. Dumbledore tries to explain to Harry that death is just a natural part of life itself, and that pursuing such a selfish aim at the expense of other's safety would constitute as a more unorganized strategy, similar to Voldemort's attempts to remain alive -- which are ultimately thwarted at the end of the first novel in the iconic series. Essentially, this means an ultimate death sentence for Flamel; yet, he is seen as having a more organized approach, and thus will be able to enter in to the next journey that is death. See, death is not something a good, honest individual should fear. Rather it is feared by those who are selfish, evil, and to those who refuse to accept the truth of their mortality. For them, death is a horror. Yet, for those who have lived a good life, it is just another journey along the road. Dumbledore is trying to reassure Harry that Flamel made the right decision and that he is not to be worried about because the rational nature of his decisions in life will lead him to have great adventures in death. This is starkly contrasted with the irrational image of Voldemort who holds such a grudge against Harry and the obsession with returning to life in his former glory. As Flamel accepts his own mortality in a healthy and rational manner, he is saved from the fate that befell Voldemort, to never be able to rest and to obsess to the point of insanity.

Death is a major theme throughout British literature, but becomes a positive image here in the closing chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Dumbledore tells Harry this after Harry has been saved from a dangerous battle he faced with Voldemort, the man who killed his parents, and who himself is a strange state in afterlife. The idea here is that death is a natural part of who we are as mortals. The whole novel is obsessed with the stone that is supposed to bring immortal life; however, this is clearly a breach of the natural order of things. Rowling brings in the image of a rational mind, a real individual who's intelligence was preserved, not through immortality, but rather through literature -- Nicolas Flamel. In real life, Flamel was a French alchemist and scribe. As a mere mortal, he perished…but his adventure continues on through text, and then through the success of the translation of the Harry Potter series into film. With this connotation, Rowling is showing how our lives and geniuses can take on new adventures after our deaths through texts.

Quote 2 Blake

"The community is not given; it is made by the abilities and activities of all its members -- by the incompetent Neville Longbottom as much as by heroic Harry. Harry Potter isn't just part of Hewison's museum culture; he is revolutionary, a symbolic figure of the past-in-future England which is in desperate need of such symbols," making Harry a transmedia character that will help bring English society into a more future and present oriented world (Blake 15-16). In his work, The Irresistible Rise of Harry Potter, Andrew Blake discusses how modern transmedia characters can help give England the push it needs to move beyond its past and into a more technology driven and innovative future. Blake discusses the importance of having symbols in film and literature that push English society forward, instead of holding it back, allowing the nation to compete in an ever-changing global market with new evolutions seen in technology daily.

In his work, Blake discusses how England is very much restrained from potential growth capabilities because of its incessant habit of living in the past. Despite the fact that the monarchy does not rule like it used to, English society still relishes in every event and story regarding the royal family, which is basically now just a symbolic form of leadership. Blake insists that this is occurring even still, when a modern world is demanding change from deep within English society in order to facilitate the spirit of innovation that will help England remain a competitor in the technology and communications fields. Foreign investment is often being scared off, and there is not a supportive enough environment for innovation when so much of an outdated past is held on to so tightly. Blake presents the idea that England "was stuck on its own past. Parliament's lords preserved the feudal system, and the monarchy preserved itself as a Victorian matriarchy despite te modernizing attempts of the young women who had married into it," (Blake 5). This entire obsession with the past was stunting England's abilities to adapt to a new and innovative future.