Last night I was lucky to attend the premiere of the last Harry Potter movie with one of my closest friends, Jamison.* It was kismet for us, as almost ten years ago we were waiting for the 5th (was it the 5th?) Harry Potter book on the midnight line at Borders. I remember us sprawling out on the floor and reading both erotica and Nicholas Sparks aloud to pass the time. Incidentally, if you've never read a Nicholas Sparks sex scene, you are really missing out on...well, something.
But back to Harry Potter. A member of an early Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows test audience wrote the following on her comment card: "Goodbye childhood." Like many of the books and movies I loved best as a child, Harry Potter is at its heart, an allegory. Good and evil, Harry and Voldemort, battle it out in a cataclysmic storm of magic, both beautifully representing their respective binaries. Good must win out, just as it does in The Lord of the Rings, the original Star Wars trilogy, Narnia etc etc.
When you're a kid, you don't generally have a sense of the grey ethical areas that comprise human choices. The moral landscape looks, by and large, as black and white as an allegory. Maybe there are shifting allegiances, as in the case of Snape, but there's always a choice to be made between one side and the other. As most of us find out, life--real life--is rarely so simple. Human beings have an infinite capacity for both good and evil, however you define or circumscribe those concepts.
So my question is this: as we get older, do we like allegories more or less than we once did? Are they a comfort, or are they merely a reminder of the idealism we've lost on the way to adulthood? Feel free to opine in the comments.
*Names have been changed to protect the embarrassed.
Good question, Kayleigh! Love me some Good v. Evil drama where good triumphs. So many grays in reals life, it's nice to escape to a place where you're guaranteed a win.
Posted by: Annie | July 12, 2011 at 03:01 PM
When I take off those 3D classes I always replace them with rose colored specs. I vote for same.
Plus, give me HP book 3 and a cloudy day and I'm about as happy as I was the first time I cracked the spine twelve years ago. Although, now I couldn't stomach the gluteny graham crackers I'd have paired with the experience. ;)
Posted by: amberbop | July 12, 2011 at 05:17 PM
It's a difficult question to answer because each person may arrive at a different conclusion. When I was a wee lad, i loved the clear distinction between good and evil, and right and wrong. However, as I've aged, I rarely see things as an either or option. I'm constantly forced to think of a third, fourth or even fifth choice. As a result, this has had an effect in my preferred fantasy reading. Now, I try to engage in works that are less "simplistic" in only having a duality. Now my top series are those of Steven Eriksom, Ian Esselmont, and George R. R. Martin who offer only shades of grey.
I think that shades of grey is more reflective of reality in that we are all equally capable of great acts as well as acts of pettiness, cruelty and cowardice. Grey is the human condition.
I still enjoy a good allegorical story but sometimes I want the bad guy to win, because that's how it is in reality. Good doesn't always triumph.
That viewpoint would have been crushing to my younger self, however, I'm no longer him. So bring me an enjoyable occasional allegory as long as there exists an occasional story with shades of grey, tints of humor, and blemishes of triumphant baddies.
Posted by: C. Knight | July 12, 2011 at 08:18 PM
Welcome back!! All these books sound amazing. I'm a librarian & would love to get a copy of any or all of them. :-)
Posted by: Tory Burch Shoes | July 14, 2011 at 05:16 AM
Funnily, I enjoyed Harry Potter much more on the re-read now, than when I read them a few years back. At that time, I was slightly scornful about the good vs evil black and white aspect of the book. I am also not fond of allegory in general.
But now, I could appreciate more the writing and the detailed plotting than I did earlier. It helps I think when you read the books back to back without waiting months for the next book to release.
Posted by: Nishita | August 05, 2011 at 02:10 AM
Perhaps this is why Harry Potter is popular with many adults too. It is a reminder of the idealism of our youth. Great post. Also a Harry Potter fan!
Posted by: A. Librarian | August 11, 2011 at 12:44 PM
At that time, I was slightly scornful about the good vs evil black and white aspect of the book. I am also not fond of allegory in general.
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