Harry Potter:
Exploration of Virtue in the Face of Evil

The Rev. David Dearman
Headmaster, All Saints’ Episcopal School, Morristown
A recent Associated Press article described a New Jersey private school's decision to ban the best-selling "Harry Potter" books because, as the head of school put it, they "put supernatural powers ahead of God" (AP, 9/13/2001). This may be a sensitive subject. I know there are Christians in our own town, including parents in our own Church school, who object to the narrative context of the book, "The Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." Episcopal Schools would not likely ban these books. Episcopal schools are oriented to an Anglican ethos that holds Reason as an authority along with Scripture and Tradition. Most educators in our schools would find it unreasonable to ban these books.

J.K. Rowling is a gifted writer and her work has a moral message that our children need to hear. Fiction is enjoyed at multiple levels. To begin with, there is simply the story level. Our attention is grasped; the story becomes interesting in the way conflict is developed and resolved as the plot moves forward. But, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and the books that follow are more than well-crafted yarns. The books have an age-appropriate moral message as well. The setting of the books is a "vehicle" that carries the writer's message, but it is not the message. To this reader, the central idea in these books is the exploration of virtue in the face of evil. This is truly a message for our time!

Fantasy is always a story of good versus evil. The primary antagonist of the series is Lord Voldemort, or "he who must not be named." Voldemort's way is the path of power itself, and is reflected in the bullying and intimidation inflicted upon Harry and his friends. The way of the good, represented by Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, holds community to be of ultimate value. The good way "opposes ruthless violence and exploitation with the contrary powers of friendship and trust" (Wallace, Catherine M. Rowling as Moralist The Christian Century, July 18-25, pp. 18-19). In The Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, makes this observation: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Doesn't this bring to mind the "Parable of the Talents;" God is more interested in how we use our gifts than in how many gifts we have.

Nowadays, children must deal with bullies and, unfortunately, also with daily reports of terrorism, the term we use for bullying in the adult world. Stories are needed that mirror the real dangers of evil but affirm that good prevails in the face of it. Stories like this help us to grapple with our fears and give us hope.

Finally, let us remember that Jesus was a storyteller too. He made the detested Samaritans the good guys in some of his stories. Let's not close our hearts and minds to a story about love of neighbor simply because Harry is a wizard!

From the Op-Ed Page