A Muggle's Lament

Not being immune to hype and fads and popular entertainment I fell for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books just like everybody else. I was as charmed as the rest of the reading public but, with each succeeding book, the child-heroes and heroines aged with each passing year and became teenagers, and not very nice ones at that. After reading the fourth installment I decided enough was enough; I was totally sick of the adolescent angst and problems of these kids and opted out of the series. Last year, however, guests arrived with volume five in hand and left it behind upon departure. At the time, being between reading material, I picked it up and read the first three chapters. Sure enough, the no-longer charming adolescent tone continued from volume four and I peckishly tossed it aside.

Recently, again between more worthy literary projects, and not being one to leave sleeping dogs slumber or books uncracked I reluctantly picked it up and started over again, this time prepared for the same negative response. I’m plowing through it now and, although I’m not quite halfway, it’s dawning on me that these books are practically immoral in a lot of ways.

First of all you need to know I’m a Muggle through and through and give little truck to unnatural phenomena as espoused in the Harry Potter books. But I’m willing to suspend disbelief for a good story…that’s what good fiction is, after all. Anyway, what has hit home this time is that the main characters have no moral center. They lie; they cheat; they blatantly break any and all rules and they give in to personal whims without regard to their own safety or the wellbeing of the innocents around them. And this time there are a set of twins, brothers of the principle character Ron Weasley, who are deliberately and blatantly pushing drugs! Oh, they have cute names (the drugs, not the twins) but they essentially put the health and welfare of their customers in jeopardy. This behavior is not only condoned but financed by Mr. Harry Potter himself! What’s up with this and why aren’t those “good” and all-knowing wizards all over this behavior? I don’t remember reading anything about this when this volume (HP and the Order of the Phoenix) first came out.

Harry himself, obviously a star teen-aged wizard, is so full of anger and rebellion that he can’t see past his own red-eyed behavior. He is lazy and a lousy student; he cheats on his homework; he indulges himself in whatever he wants (of course, wouldn’t you know, he’s also a star athelete) and doesn’t listen to or read anything put before him. He is so full of self-pity and angst you almost regret he doesn’t get smacked around more than he does. He mouths off sarcastically and then is amazed at his punishment. Maybe he should get thrown in Azkaban for six months or so; that’ll teach him what’s what. Oh, I know he will come out of volume five as heroically as one-through-four, but do I want more of the same in six? Unfortunately, those self-same guests that left me with volume five gave me volume six (in hardcover) as a parting gift. Egad.

I’m so glad I’m a Muggle and in the dark about all this witchcraft and stuff going on under my nose. Just keep my damn toilet from backing up, will you?