A/N: So this is the first of a couple essays I've written about the Harry Potter books. I love reading FanFiction but when it comes to writings I guess I'm more analytical. I love history and mythology and can spends hours researching origins and etymology. Bear with me because even though this isn't a story I really think it gets interesting. I used to run a Harry Potter fansite, RofPm, and for a time I had a bunch of writers publishing anything from stories to articles from others character's perspective but everything was based in this wonderful world. I used to write A LOT of HP riddles too. I took this Harry Potter english class and of course all the papers were about Harry Potter. I thought if there's one place I can share this and people might be interested, it's here. So I guess enjoy... and let me know what you think. =]
Into the Forest:
Throughout literature, the act of traversing into the forest is considered to be a transformation for a hero. Traditionally, a boy must travel into a forest and survive on his own to be considered a man; thus, in literature the use of the forest as a place of trials and tests is a common way for the hero to mature and come into his own. Throughout the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling uses this motif to help Harry mature and realize the ways of the world. She uses the Forbidden Forest as a permanent "test" on the Hogwarts grounds, and whenever Harry travels into the forest, he faces some sort of trial that helps him develop his personality, intuition, and helps him realize how important he is as a symbol of the "light". In every book there are moments where Harry faces a test in the forest. However, there are four significant instances that help facilitate his development.
"Harry suddenly understands: it was not his father he saw, it was himself. As the Dementors attack Black and the earlier Harry and Hermione, he casts the Patronus. A large animal bursts from his wand, and charging the Dementors, scatters them." - Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
In Book 3, The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry goes back in time with Hermione to save Sirius Black. While they are waiting in the forest he produces a corporeal Patronus to save Sirius, Hermione, and himself from the dementors. It is through this moment in the forest that Harry learns a few very important lessons about life and himself. He realizes that he must let go of impossible dreams and face the reality before him. Up until now he has been hesitant about casting a patronus because, even though the dementor's power was terrible, he sought refuge in the fact that he could finally hear his parent's voices in his nightmares. However, when he was facing all the dementors by the lake and realized that if he didn't act then Sirius, Hermione, and he would lose their souls, he finally cast the powerful patronus. He was able to set aside his own desires and fight for those in need. It was through this trial that Harry learned how to be selfless.
"The creatures, Hagrid explains, are Thestrals, and are only visible to people who have seen death. Now Harry understands: he sees them because he witnessed Cedric Diggory's murder during the Triwizard Tournament the previous year." - Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
During Hagrid's first Care of Magical Creatures class in Book 5, The Order of the Phoenix, they travel into the forest to learn about thestrals. Harry learns what a thestral is and why he is able to see them. This class was also being reviewed by Professor Umbridge and she attempts to make a fool of Hagrid. It is important that Harry understands why he is able to see the thestrals because it helps him comes to terms with Cedric's death and realizes that good can be found in every misfortune. It is also during this class that Harry learns to control his anger. Up until this moment, Harry continually talked back and fought with Umbridge, only to be punished for his short temper. He starts to learn that he must pick his battles and realizes when it is appropriate to back down. If Harry would have defended Hagrid and fought with Umbridge, he could have potentially cost Hagrid his job. He might have won that battle but he stood to lose more than what he would gain. This trial in the forest helps him start to notice that there is a bigger picture; that every cause has an effect and that effect might not come immediately.
"Harry takes the watch; he senses this night is different. In the twilight hours of impenetrable darkness, a bright silver light appears drifting soundlessly through the trees. Gliding closer, a silver-white doe steps out, gazes at Harry, then turns and walks away. Harry follows it deeper into the forest until it halts, then vanishes. Using Hermione's wand, Harry casts a light. A frozen pond becomes visible—the Sword of Gryffindor lies on the pond's bottom." - Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
There are two very important instances that occur in the forest during Book 7, The Deathly Hallows. The first is in the Forest of Dean after Ron abandoned Harry and Hermione. Harry is standing guard over the tent when he sees a silver doe beckon him into the forest. He chases the animal to a frozen pond where he sees the sword of Gryffindor. While trying to get the sword out of the pond, he starts to drown and suddenly Ron appears and pulls him and the sword out of the pond. He then proceeds to destroy the locket horcrux and faces his fears that the horcrux exploits. It is through this ordeal that Harry realizes what his friend was going through, puts aside his anger, and welcomes Ron back to the group. "they must be able to assess competing claims to moral solutions in light of the real-world problems confronting them and others in their lives, such as the conflicting demands of loyalty to friends" [The Wisdom of Harry Potter] Harry learns to forgive and he learns that he can't do everything by himself. He realizes that Dumbledore wanted him to trust Ron and Hermione because they need to work as a unit in order to defeat Voldemort. Through this trial Harry learns to accept people's mistakes and he understands what it is to be a part of a team.
"Dementors gliding around the forest's edge block Harry's path, and he lacks the strength to conjure another Patronus. Harry pulls the Snitch from his pouch. Remembering its inscription, "I open at the close," he realizes it refers to death. Pressing the Snitch to his lips, he whispers, "I am about to die."" - Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
The second, and most important, moment in the forest is when Harry accepts that he has to die in order to destroy all the horcruxes. Unarmed, he walks into the Forbidden Forest to face Voldemort and sacrifice himself to save the wizarding world. By doing so, he enacts the same ancient magic that his mother preformed whilst sacrificing herself to protect Harry. This magic then prevents any of Voldemort's spells preformed on his opponents to be binding. Through this trial, Harry learns a few of the most important lessons, one of them being that the hero doesn't always strike the final blow; perhaps he was meant to clear the path for another to succeed instead of doing everything by himself. He also realizes why it is always important to work as a team - once he sacrifices himself, he leaves behind others with the tools to prevail. Harry also learns that it was never only about him and that everything has a purpose. Harry can finally see that since the moment he discovered he was a wizard, everything has led up to this moment of self-sacrifice. The world had come full circle; his life started when his mother sacrificed herself so he could live and now he has done the same for the rest of the wizarding world.
"I was ready, and that was enough. I did the same thing as my mother. They are protected from you. Have not you noticed how easily they fold your spells? You can not torture them. You can not reach them." Harry Potter- Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
It is through these trials that Harry grows as a person and learns more about his sense of self. Harry learns the importance of selfless acts and how to put aside his desires for the sake of others. He is able to differentiate between what is right and wrong and he learns when to back down and when to fight. Harry learns how to forgive and the importance of never forgetting. And finally, he learns the importance of self-sacrifice. In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell explains that when crossing a threshold, the boy becomes the man and the hero emerges. "The folk mythologies populate with deceitful and dangerous presences every desert place outside the normal traffic of the village… the regions of the unknown [desert, jungle, deep sea, alien and, etc.] are free fields for the projection of the unconscious content." In the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling applies this idea in a broader way. Instead of one venture into the forest and Harry emerging the mature and knowledgeable hero, the entire series is full of moments in the forest and the lessons he learns build to him becoming the hero. Each time Harry enters and emerges from the forest he uses the lessons he learns to prepare him for the next trial. Although Harry is unarmed when he enters the Forbidden Forest the final time, he enters with the intent to sacrifice himself and never emerge again. It is because of his intent that he was armed with the knowledge and lessons he learned previously that helped him emerge the hero. Understanding self-sacrifice only came because he learned how to be selfless, when to pick his battles, and how to forgive. Without those lessons he would have never been able to come to terms with his fate and face his death valiantly. "I'm going to keep going until I succeed — or die. Don't think I don't know how this might end. I've known it for years." Harry Potter- Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Works Cited:
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. California: Novato, 2008. Print.
Colbert, David. The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends and Fascinating Facts. New York: Berkley, 2008. Print.
Kern, Edmund M. The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us about Moral Choices. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2003. Print.
Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Print.
Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print.