The Hidden Agenda Behind the Harry Potter Series

Most writers have meanful messages in the pages of their masterpieces. From Uncle Tom's Cabin to Star Trek, we can usually see the writer's intentions and thoughts on society. It seems unlikely then that Harry Potter would be an exception. But there seems little aside from entertainment in the pages of the Harry Potter series. Could it be that J.K. Rowling has no axes to grind? An examination of my own behavior provided the answer.

As I write this the two kittens I recently adopted are attempting to hijack my keyboard. When I adopted them I wondered, why was I suddenly compelled to go adopt stray animals? Then I realized that I'd recently been reading Harry Potter to my kids. Suddenly I knew the hidden message behind the entire series.

Rowling is in fact a champion of abandoned mongrels. Throughout the Harry Potter series, Muggle-born wizards represent hybrids who bring vitality to the population. Pure-bloods are the source of high-strung, nutty wizards, like Voldemort and Draco Malfoy. Those with mixed blood are sane and even-tempered (e.g. Harry and Hermione Granger). Pure-blooded Ron Weasley, while a good friend, isn't a very good wizard. He is perpetually botching his spells, such as when he attempted to curse Malfoy and ended up burping up slugs. And while all the characters struggle with adolescent angst, Ron seems to do so unduly. He's quick to jump to conclusions and angers easily. Hagrid, on the other hand, is the epitome of a hybrid: a cross between a giant and a human. Sure enough, he's also a powerful wizard and a good friend.

In an attempt to hide her agenda, Rowling makes Harry's pet non-mammalian: an owl named Hedwig. But don't be fooled. The next piece of evidence comes from Rowling's own household. According to a 2000 interveiw she said, "I have a very friendly guinea pig called Jasmine (not my fault, he was named when he came) and a mad and violent black rabbit called, very inappropriately, Jemima. I blame my daughter for that one. And I've got some great tropical fish."