In the Light of CAA Protests & #BlackLivesMatter, Harry Potter’s world resembles our own
Life hasn’t been easy since December 2019. There has been an air of fear every time we step out of our homes. A fear we have become accustomed to. Before we were asked to wear masks and wash our hands regularly, our nation was rocked with widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Some protests (pro CAA and anti-CAA) turned violent, vandalizing houses, vehicles and shops. A group of people thought it was alright, the right thing to thwart away the persons, who followed a certain religious belief. The other group stood up against the ridiculousness of that thought. And the battle would carry on for umpteen more years.
The story seemed all too familiar when I read the Harry Potter series. The ‘Boy Who Lived’ took up the responsibility of finishing the devil, who believed that only purebloods (equal to upper class in our world) should live in their fantasy world. Harry Potter, who had no idea of this fantasy world for eleven years, suddenly found himself in a strange situation. It was only him, who could do the job required for people to live in an inclusive world.
‘You shall have it,’ said Voldemort. ‘And in your family, so in the world … we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain.
Our globe is filled with societal clubs. Upper class, Upper-middle-class, Middle class, Lower class, Poor, Blacks, Whites, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Indians, Americans, Brahmins, Dalits, Shias, Sunnis, Catholics, Protestants, Sikhs, the list goes on. We are addicted to hierarchy and love the feeling of being above somebody else.
The fact that you can have a better house than somebody else is a sense of pride, the fact that you can live in a certain area, while the other cannot, makes you feel superior. Makes you feel that you are better than a certain group.
JK Rowling takes the divide we have created amongst ourselves and weaves one of the most beautiful stories you will ever come across. While Harry Potter triumphs in the end, he didn’t get to victory just by finishing off the evil — Voldemort.
Since he didn’t spend his formative years in the fantasy world, Harry questioned everything once he got on the Hogwarts Express. He didn’t understand why a house elf (home servant) wore tattered clothes and couldn’t leave his master’s home even though he was treated in the most horrific manner.
Harry, Kreacher doesn’t think like that. He’s a slave; house-elves are used to bad, even brutal treatment; what Voldemort did to Kreacher wasn’t that far out of the common way. What do wizard wars mean to an elf like Kreacher? He’s loyal to people who are kind to him… I’ve said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did… and so did Sirius.
Harry goes on to befriend Hagrid, without the slightest knowledge of the fact that Hagrid hails from the half-giant breed. Half-giants were heavily discriminated against and perceived as aggressive and stupid. However, Harry just saw the golden heart of Hagrid and it didn’t matter who he was or what he was.
Harry enjoyed the company of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger without knowing that Ron hails from a family of blood traitors (people who are open to associating with non-magical families) and Hermione is seen to be in a lower class because her parents don’t possess magical skills. It made no difference to Harry once he was told about the different societal clubs. For him — Ron, Hermione and everyone else remained the same.
If Harry grew up in a pureblood family and was taught from childhood that he should only mingle with his kind, the story could have been slightly different. However, JK Rowling shows us through various characters in the series that an individual can be brought up with certain ideas put into his head, but a grown-up can always set values for oneself.
Imagine if we didn’t know who follows which religion or belongs to which race, wouldn’t we treat everyone the same.
“If there was a wizard of whom I would believe that they did not seek personal gain,” said Griphook finally, “it would be you, Harry Potter. Goblins and elves are not used to the protection, or the respect, that you have shown this night. Not from wand-carriers.”
Harry couldn’t have defeated Voldemort without the help of house-elves, half-giants, mudbloods, blood traitors, werewolf, centaurs and every creature who was being discriminated against before he moved to the magical world. So before you go to the next protest or post a comment on social media, take a minute and think about whether you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter which class they are from and no matter which religion they follow.
‘And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be “wizards first”?’ asked Lee. ‘I’d say that it’s one short step from “wizards first” to “purebloods first”, and then to “Death Eaters”,’ replied Kingsley. ‘We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.’
If the answer is yes, then it makes sense for you to raise your voice against a prejudiced government. If the answer is no, then you are fighting a lone battle, a battle with no significance.
*It’s disturbing and disappointing to read recent comments by JK Rowling on gender identity. However, we can always choose to learn from Harry Potter.