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| The Ultimate Good and The Ultimate Evil |
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| The theme of good vs. evil is central to all of the Harry Potter novels, and this battle is present between many characters in many different forms, but nowhere is the religious aspect to this theme more obvious than in the struggle of Harry and Dumbledore against Lord Voldemort. Although there are many other good and evil characters, it is these three that are truly ultimately good or ultimately evil. This is emphasized due to the fact that these characters reflect the three figures in Christianity that represent ultimate good and ultimate evil; Christ, God and the Devil. From a Christian stand point, there is no greater battle of good vs. evil than the one of Christ and God against the Devil, just as how the battle of Harry and Dumbledore against Voldemort is the epitome of good vs. evil in the Harry Potter series. |
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| Harry as a Christ Figure: The Ultimate Good |
| Upon examination of Harry's life, physical characteristics and personal attributes, a number of "Pro-Potter" Christians have made a comparison of Harry to Christ, and have put forward the argument that Harry being the ultimate good partially stems from these similarities. The major points of similarity mentioned are; - Both were raised in one world, yet descend from, and then returned to, another; Harry was born into the muggle world, yet he came from and then returned to the wizarding world, and Christ was raised on earth yet came from and then returned to heaven. -Both bare literal "marks of character"; Harry's lightening scar is a physical representation of his personal character and strength, and Christ's nail scars on his hands and feet are physical representation of his personal strength and sacrifice. -Both endure pain and sacrifice themselves for the good of others; Harry puts himself in harms way by facing Voldemort and endures the Cruciatus Curse for the salvation of others, and Christ suffered and died on the cross for the salvation of others. -Both have very powerful and evil enemies from birth; Harry and Voldemort, and Christ and the Devil. -Both follow the guidance of an all-knowing father figure; Harry is guided by Dumbledore, and Christ was guided by God the father. The fact that Harry mirrors Christ in many ways does contribute to his position as being the ultimate good, but his actions on their own speak for themselves. Even if a reader were to read the novels without knowing this association, they would very easily be able to determine that Harry was indeed the ultimate good based on his moral decisions and actions. |
| Dumbledore as God: The Ultimate Good |
| Like Harry, Dumbledore's position as an ultimately good character has caused parallels to be drawn between him and God from "Pro-Potter" Christians, which again is used to emphasize the fact that Dumbledore is the epitome of goodness. The major parallel that has been shown between the two is that both show forgiveness to those who have wronged them by serving the "Dark Lord". Instead of allowing Snape to be imprisoned for his actions as a Death Eater, Dumbledore forgives and accepts him as being one of the "good guys" and tells others to do the same. This forgiveness is much like Gods forgiveness and acceptance of repented sinners, saving them from hell and allowing them to be useful servants in the kingdom of heaven. A second parallel is that both guide destined individuals towards their ultimate purpose. Dumbledore, though not his father, guides Harry in his fight against Voldemort and helps keep him on the path to fulfilling his destiny, though it may cost them both their lives, which is demonstrated as he guides Harry to learn the truth about who betrayed his parents and save Sirius's life. This is quite similar to God placing his only son on earth and guiding him to fulfill his destiny, even though the outcome would cost him his life. Even though Dumbledore is well established as a good character without these parallels, they do serve in adding a further religious dimension to the good vs. evil struggle within the novels. |
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| Voldemort as the Devil: The Ultimate Evil |
| Just as Harry and Dumbledore have been associated with positive Christian figures to show that they are the ultimate good, "Pro-Potter" Christian have also readily compared Voldemort to the Devil, which again emphasizes his role as the ultimate evil. Some of the major parallels include; -Both are sworn enemies of divine and destined individuals, whom they try to tempt and destroy; Voldemort tries to lure Harry over to the side of Dark magic and has been trying to murder him since his birth, and the Devil tries to tempt Christ into sin and destroy his teachings. - Both are forced to possess others to do their evil deeds; Voldemort possesses both Professor Quirrell and Ginny Weasley in an attempt to bring himself back to power, and the Devil causes individuals to harm themselves or others by demonically possessing them. -Both act only out of greed or to cause harm; Voldemort is only concerned with gaining power, with which he will use to punish and kill muggles and non-pure blood wizards, and the Devil is only concerned with damning more souls to hell so that he too can gain power. As with Harry and Dumbledore, without these religious parallels, it is still obvious that Voldemort is the Ultimate evil in the Harry Potter world, but, by comparing him to the ultimate evil in the Christian world, his position as the epitome of evil is emphasized. |
| The Thin Line Bewteen Good and Evil |
| When considering even the ultimately good and ultimately evil characters, the issues of circumstance and morality must be taken into consideration, as they are the true determiners of good and evil. Good and evil are not inherent factors, no one is born evil, just as no one is born good, and it is because of this that the individual circumstances of a persons life and how they deal with them are truly what determines which side they choose. This is apparent as both Harry and Tom Riddle (Voldemort) grew up as orphans and were treated unfairly by muggles or non-pure bloods, yet Harry's personal morality prevented him from acting out in revenge, as he knew would have made him as bad as those who hurt him, while the same cannot be said for Tom Riddle. A number of "Pro-Potter" Christian authors have also equated villains such as Voldemort to fallen angels, having turned to evil once they had been wronged and their morality lost. This again points to the fact that good characters can do bad things, but it is when they lose their sense of morality that bad things turn into evil things, and good characters turn to evil. |
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