Running Head: MAGIC & METAPHORS 1

Harry Potter: Magical Realism & Metaphors

Michael S. Castillo

California State University, Long Beach

COMM 301

Professor Cuomo

May 10th, 2017

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Introduction

Realism can break a writers, heart. The story of Harry Potter captivates

audiences with its magical wands, enchanted spell books, and candy that would make one wish

they were in Hogwarts, the truth, however, is without the magic in Harry Potter, the novel is a

small fiction story with elements of mystery and crime. Magical realism is the x-factor the

enables the J.K. Rowling to blend the story with magical elements and yet illustrated it to appear

real. Magical Realism is defined as a painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or

fantastic scenes or images, "a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that

incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction" (Merriam-Webster,

n.d.). C.S. Lewis from The Chronicles of Narnia and other numerous authors have resorted to

Magical Realism to tell their tales vividly. J.K. Rowling uses this element cohesively in her

books. It has enabled her readers to dive into a mystical land of Hippogriffs, witches, and

Dementors. So what provoked J.K. Rowling to write using magical realism instead of a

straight forward message concerning her purpose? Rowling uses metaphors and magical realism

to vividly portray topics prominent in our society such as power, friendship, love, discrimination,

ambition, hierarchy and teach moral lessons of the dangers those ideologies have in society when

in the wrong hands fictional or not (Dash, 2012). Post Harry Potter, Rowling continues her role

in expressing her anti-racism campaign. An example of this is during the 2016 U.S. Presidential

Elections going as far as comparing Donald Trump (who is seen as a racist due to his remarks

and actions) to Lord Voldemort (Time, n.d.). Finally, to understand the complexity and

metaphors in the novel, one must first analyze the magical components found in Harry Potter.

Therefore, in this essay, I will examine and reveal, through the use of metaphor criticism the

themes of magical realism in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, by answering the question
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of how metaphor criticism is used in the seventh novel to portray themes of magical realism?

Popular Articles

To contextualize our artifact, we must take into consideration popular articles and

determine the messages and feedback communicated through these items. Several messages

transmitted collectively is that the Harry Potter series revolves around religion. And then we

have the three unforgivable curses: Adava Kedavra (the death curse, this points to the sanctity of

life), Crucio (a torture curse about which John Granger says, This points to the fact that cruel

treatment of our fellow human beings translates to cruel treatment of God (Matthew 25:40).),

and Imperio (the curse of complete domination of thought and action, this points to the

importance of a person's free will). So, while the "magic" or "spells" or "power of language" is

neutral, it is not neutral to use it to destroy life, crucify our fellow human beings, or remove

their free will. (Mthope Chronicles, 2014).

Furthermore, Though some Christian organizations have attacked the author for

her handling of controversial issues, such as a positive portrayal of witchcraft and

homosexuality, other reviewers draw a strong parallel between Harrys story and that of Jesus

Christ. (Huffington Post, 2012). This idea is important for several reasons, the first being that

religion is recognized as a theme in the Harry Potter series from multiple sources, particularly in

the seventh book when Harry dies for everyone and is the ultimate savior when he returns from

his suppose death to defeat Voldemort once and for all. This idea is the second coming. of

Jesus Christ." Secondly, the popular articles seem to focus more on the artifact and the messages,

themes, allegories transmitted than the rhetoric itself. Lastly, these statements are becoming more

of a fact than an opinion with multiple sources stating commonalities between the Bible and the

novel.
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A finding in an article published by e-journals titled The Story behind Harry Potters

Magic discusses similarities in the characters of Harry Potter with J.K. Rowling's personal life.

J.K. Rowlings parents, like Harry, Ron & Hermione, met on a train traveling from Kings Cross

Station, London, to Arbroath in Scotland and were married at the age of nineteen" (e-journals,

n.d.). Another significant finding is that J.K. Rowlings mother's death deeply touched J.K.

Rowling, which led her to use that death as a symbol through various aspects of the book. One

the theme of love, another the topic of love and Harrys mothers protection vested on him (e-

journals, n.d.). In this article, we see the focus on characterizing the rhetoric by identifying her

personal experiences and translating them into characters or themes in the novel. This statement

is important because most authors one way or another turn their life stories or experiences into

their books which captivate in return mass audience as they can identify with these stories and

characters as a result of that familiarity.

Another popular article has a study the rhetoric in Harry Potter when Neville Longbottom

a character in the film uses his courage to speak up to the Death Eaters and Voldemort with

messages of hope, determination, and victory. The goal of Neville's speech is to rally the troops,

to make everyone keep fighting against the evil that's before them. As someone who never stands

up to speak, he is the only one who sees the need for a voice of reason in the time of doubt and

fear (Clemson English 852, 2012). Furthermore, Neville, the character whose speech I would

like to address, is a coward for much of the Harry Potter series. Though lovable, he is not the

brave soul many perceive Harry to be, which makes this moment even more impactful. His

speech is short and to the point and given under urgent circumstances, which is, according to

Poulakos, what compels speech (Clemson English 852, 2012). This point of view is significant

as Nevilles speech is being utilized to analyze the rhetoric behind his courage, is mentioned that
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his speech is a good example of rhetoric it's not rehearsed, and it contains no pre-memorized

notes and makes it authentic and genuine (Clemson English 852, 2012).

Scholarly Articles

Fantasy is a genre of literature that commonly employs supernatural elements as

the original plot or setting. It comprises of heart throbbing and penetrating influence. It

transcends a make-belief world with magical moments". Fantasy is the literature of unreality,

(Haider, 2017). This author, in particular, has concluded in this article that fantasy is easy for the

human mind to conceptualize different mental images that do not exist therefore making it

easier for the readers to relate to the story as they create their mental picture (Haider, 2017). In

another article, fantasy in writing is not always magical, sense of superiority shapes the

consciousness of the wizards belonging to the magical world who view Muggles or nonmagic

individuals as stupid and dumb. This point translates into a severe racist prejudice against the

nonmagical community (Yaqoob & Sayyid, 2014). In this article the author focuses on the

message of the artifact it is conveying, racism and prejudice are evident dangerously in Harry

Potter and seen on more than one occasion. Furthermore, it connects and shows Rowlings

original masterplan and inspiration for writing the novel which was the ideas of racism,

discrimination, and persecution (Yaqoob & Sayyid, 2014).

Continuing on the topic of fantasy, J.K. Rowling is praised for her

work and achievements for using magical realism and merging it with reality through language

to appeal to her audiences worldwide. "Observing the popularity and the appeal of the series, one

might question the explanations for such a colossal recognition. One of the possible answers to

such an inquiry would be the blend of magic and reality that Rowling has created through her

language. (Biswas, 2014). As a result of magic realism in her novels, fans have found her work
HARRY POTTER: MAGIC & METAPHORS 6

appealing and which in turn enable them to relate to the story and yet experience and entirely

new world unrelated to them (Biswas, 2014). Another article that shares this commonality also

contributes the success of Rowlings novels because magical realism is used to bring characters

out of reality into a mystifying magical world (Ramaswamy, 2014). J. K. Rowling, a Scottish

author of the Harry Potter books, is widely credited with having restored the reading habit among

children. Though originally conceived in the 1990s as children's fiction, the Harry Potter books

cut across age limits to form a readership which has reached important dimensions.

(Ramaswamy, 2014).

Lastly, one of the articles discusses the influence Harry Potter has had on modern

society. In particular, children whose families suffered losses during the 9/11 attacks. Therapists

used Harry Potter as a way to inspire and help children post trauma from the loss of their loved

ones, but faced challenges as the novel's themes turned darker (Nguyen, 2011). Magical realism

can be found in Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, among other cartoon and television

series such as in Family Guy. The rhetor discusses his confusion of a mysterious character in an

episode of the Family Guy, when a creature is introduced in a scene but with no introduction or

background, thus questioning the acceptance of whether the view is magical or not (Crawford,

2009).

Methodology

And suddenly you know its time to start something new and trust the

magic of beginnings. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the seventh and tragic installment

in J.K. Rowling's magical books have sold well over 450 million copies worldwide and has

become the symbol of magic and fantasy (USA Today, 2012). Lord Voldemort the epitome of

death, power, and evil is the darkest wizard during the 20th century, and through the course of
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the novel, impatiently awaits his return. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the antithesis of Lord

Voldemort, brave, courageous & bold, struggles to thwart his nemesis to come back and avenge

his parent's death at the hands of Voldemort. So why study and analyze the metaphors and impact

of magical realism in Harry Potter?

A reason why this is significant to study is that it has interested many researchers

through multiple topics and disciplines, such as Literature, Sociology, Religious Studies and

even Psychoanalysis (Philip, Bongelli, Canestrari, Riccioni, & Zuczkowski, 2013). Thus,

demonstrating the impact, it has in the realm of research and academia as well as the value and

wealth of research found from studying this text. In addition to the importance of analyzing this

artifact, it is important to understand why metaphor criticism is used as a method to analyze the

rhetoric in Harry Potter. Metaphor criticism allows us to breakdown metaphors into elements to

aid us in search of patterns or similar traits that the author uses to illustrate their themes or

central ideas.

The methodology that will be utilized to analyze the metaphors in our artifact is

Metaphor Criticism. Metaphor criticism is one school of rhetorical analysis used in English and

speech communication studies. Scholars employing metaphoric criticism analyze texts by

locating metaphors within texts and evaluating those metaphors in an effort to better understand

ways in which authors appeal to their audiences. (Google, n.d.). This method will allow us to of

tackle the question of how metaphor criticism is used in the seventh novel to portray themes of

magical realism?

Analysis

The first metaphor that I will analyze using our method of metaphor criticism is

the Expecto Patronum-the Patronus. Brief note a Patronus is a spell with takes form in an animal.
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The charm is produced reminiscing on the happiest memory in your life. For him? shouted

Snape. Expecto Patronus!, from the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the

office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched

her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of

tears. After all this time? Always, said Snape. (Deathly Hallows, 2007).

My claim here is that the Silvery Doe Patronus is one of the most important metaphors in

the novel. The evidence to support this assertion is that it appears not just during the last book

but the entire series. The exclamation here is that Harry Potters Mother who died for him had a

silvery doe as a Patronus. Harry Potter and His father both had stags as Patronuses, which is

male counterpart of a doe (Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999). The quote from the book of Harry Potter

and The Deathly Hallows was a scene in which Snape confesses his love for Harrys mother Lily

after all those years following her death Lily Potter is the Tenor, the subject in the metaphor and

the vehicle or source in which we use it lenses to understand the metaphor. He reveals in this

scene that his Patronus is also a silvery doe. Thus symbolically performing his love for her as she

represents everything that he believed she was which was grace, beauty, elegance, strength and

tranquility. The same characteristics which can be correlated to the animal the doe. More

sentimental is the fact that just as Lily is gone, the doe disappears immediately, symbolizing her

death.

This metaphor allows us to use magical realism to embrace the reality that Snape is in

love with Lily yet accept the magic beneath it that one minuscule spell from a wand, can

stimulate and release numerous emotions and feelings. As previously noted, magical realism has

to be seen together not independently. So the love that Snap has for Lily wouldnt be as

important or unique if it wasnt supported or decorated with the elements of magic which in this
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case is the Patronum spell and the silvery doe. The Patronuses are significant in the novel as it

mirrors the characters in the story and their personalities, strengths, and uniqueness but most

importantly their feelings towards one another. Just as our actions in our world define us and

mirror our thoughts and feelings Snape's Patronus was a doe,' said Harry, 'the same as my

mother's because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from when they were children. (Deathly

Hallows, 2007).

Our second metaphor are the Dementors. Dementors are best illustrated as among the

foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay

and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel

their presence, though they can't see them. (Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999). The tenor here are the

Dementors and the vehicle or the source depression itself. My claim is that Dementors are a

metaphor for mental issues and negativity . The evidence for that claim, is that Dementors

bring the worst of feelings to those in close approximation. They feast on sucking the souls of

their victims and leave them with the most terrifying memories and emotions. The exclamation

for this statement is Dementors thrive off sadness, negative thoughts, death, anxiety and

depression. Anyone in approximation can feel their negative presence even if they cant be

physically seen. They are the symbol of desperation and entrapment. They stand as guards in the

wizarding prison of Azkaban where they guard the prisoners. As a matter of fact, they dont have

walls or anything much to restrain the prisoners. However, the prisoners mind is so perturbed

from the feelings of depression and sadness from the Dementors presence that they are trapped

inside their own minds very much like depression. And excerpt from novel adds more to the

explanation They don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're trapped

inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought." Persecution of muggles and half
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magical witches and wizards in the seventh novel on orders of Voldemorts, serves as an allusion

to the atrocities of Hitler during World War Two. The Dementors which were crucial in

castigating the innocent in the novel can be also metaphors of the Nazi soldiers during the war.

They contributed to the persecution of non-purebloods by capturing them and sending them to

the ministry of magic to be convicted and stripped of their magical rights and freedom. They

killed the non-magical community by sucking their souls and leaving them worse than empty

shells. This whole notion contributes to the idea of depression and the feelings of loss and

deprivation of ones happiness. Magical realism allows us to view dementors as a real

monster cloaked figured that sucks on the happiness and souls from our bodies. Despite the fact

that in our world, it is a symbol of depression, loss for encouragement and a sign of distress.

Merging the two ideas together we have a dark figure that

produces feelings of exasperation and self-helplessness even when we read about them in the

novels. Although we dont have them lurking through the streets of our neighborhood in our

world, they can wonder from time to time in our heads and feel their presence in shape of

sadness and depression. Similar to how dementors can create a sense of despair when you are

close to it, those same feelings are reciprocated in our world when we are closed to a loved one

who suffers from depression. The dementors are significant as they represent the plague of

depression that affects our society and the effects it has around those around us and how we need

to take a stance against this mental illness that often goes unnoticed. It can also reflect Rowlings

state of depression during her mothers death shortly before starting to write the Harry Potter

Series. Our third metaphor are the Horcruxes in our artifact. The

Horcruxes are quote on quote Objects used by Voldemort to conceal parts of his soul and tether

him to life. They can only be created after committing murder. (Deathly Hallows, 2007).
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Voldemort in the artifact is revealed to have created seven Horcruxes, thats seven times he split

his soul and seven people he murdered to create them in order to store separately pieces of his

soul. The tenor in this metaphor or the object of study is Voldemort and the vehicle in which we

are analyzing him is the Horcrux. My claim my third metaphor is that Lord Voldemorts

Horcruxes symbolize his lack of confidence in quest for immortality or in other words his

insecurities. Well, you split your soul, you see, and hide part of it in an object outside the body.

Then, even if ones body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains

earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form . . . (Deathly Hallows,

2007). The evidence for my claim is that in Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows Lord Voldemort

works deliberately in his quest for immortality as he fears death. He creates seven Horcruxes and

stores a fragment of his soul in each to ensure longevity and become the master of death

(Deathly Hallows, 2007). The explanation as to why the Horcruxes is a metaphor of

Voldemorts insecurity is that he needed seven of them to ensure he would not be defeated or

killed. Every Horcrux created was the symbol of an object of rare power or historical symbol.

Depositing these fragments of his soul into them granted him peace and reassurance that he

would be able to be immortal. His quest for knowledge empowered him to not only create the

Horcruxes but to magically conceal them as well utilizing dark magic to his advantage. The

exception ironically was Harry Potter. Inadvertently Lord Voldemort turned Harry into a Horcrux

after killing his mother, ironically the same person who would eventually go on to kill him. Thus

strengthening his insecurities that would lead to his demise.

This metaphor through magical realism allows one

to see how even in the world of magic wands, spells and flying broomsticks, the notion of

insecurities, doubts, and self -confidence still exist. No spell or potion can strip a human being of
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their emotions in such a manner. Power still has to earned and is not automatically gained or

granted. Furthermore, this is metaphor is significant and contributes to magical realism in our

world because a Horcrux can masquerade itself in forms of monetary institutions or items such

as stocks or a bank. We place a part of ourselves on these things to attain more money, to be

more powerful and wealthier. Our insecurities of losing these items drive us to conceive these

things as worthy and drive us to think we need more of bank accounts or stocks to avoid our

death should any of those items be lost. Our final metaphor to analyze is Remus

Lupin. Remus Lupin is one of Harrys professors in Hogwarts. Earlier in his childhood he was

bitten by the infamous werewolf Fenrir Greyback therefore every full moon he turns into his

Werewolf counterpart (Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999). The tenor in this metaphor is the object of

concentration which is Remus Lupin meanwhile the vehicle to understand our metaphor will be

the infection that plagues him. My argument I would like to convey is that Remus Lupins wolf

bite/disease is a metaphor of HIV in the wizarding world. The evidence to support my claim is

that Lupins consistently needs treatment to treat his illness, he is often looked with disgust, and

people place this stigma around him as being contagious (Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999). My

exclamation, the disease that Lupin carries renders him incapable of finding a stable job as a

result, he fears persecution and prejudice and undergoes treatment with the wolfsbane potion to

reduce the effects of the virus within him, but has to live with the disease for the remainder of his

life. Similarly, as to how a person infected with HIV would be treated to reduce the

consequences of the illness and increase longevity. His persistent anti-social attitudes of non-

integration with the general wizarding population to avoid spreading his disease is a symbol of

the virus and its manifestation to control his body and limit him on his capabilities to fight illness

and live his life as a regular wizard. The theme of magical realism is
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portrayed in this metaphor primarily through the virus. J.K Rowling wanting to illuminate the

concept of realism in her novels, once again demonstrating that wizards & witches are not

immune to diseases and other pathologies. As readers we question the powers magical realism in

her novels as we conclude that with magic, problems and quarrels can be solved. In conjunction

with the process of the development of treatment for HIV in the 1980s, treatment for werewolf

bites in the novel took years to research and produce. As readers we learn to accept that

possessing magic or not, diseases, aging and death are inevitable. Yet through magical realism

we can relate to the characters more as we share and look at our commonalities versus the

differences. This is metaphor is exceptionally significant as a

minority percentage of childrens books use magic to metaphorically illustrate diseases like HIV.

Rowling does a phenomenal job in obscuring this from her young readers but plants the seed as

they revisit her stories and mature, and eventually are able to see those hidden messages.

Studying various patterns of metaphors for our analysis, several

reoccurring themes of disease, depression, love, insecurities and power are present throughout

her novel. These issues masquerade themselves behind the magic in Harry Potter which allow

readers to question the imperfections of these characters and accept that the setting might be

fiction but the lessons and stories portrayed in the novel are not. Rowling wanted us to

comprehend that storytelling through magic is an avenue to explain the issues and conflicts

within our society, allowing the audience to connect deeper with the stories and relate to the

characters as they share similar struggles and experiences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Harry Potter has revolutionized the way magical

realism merges in J.K. Rowlings novels. Through her portrayal and themes of depression, love,
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and power via using magical tools, readers have been able to relate to her story and have used as

inspiration while facing difficult times Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if

one only remembers to turn on the light. (Infoplease, 2017). In our analysis using metaphor

criticism has permitted themes of magical realism to be portrayed in such an animated way, that

readers question the acceptance of them.

Ultimately Scholars can mostly agree her work has changed the way magic is incorporate

in writing and yet maintain the reality of our world and its problems. This contributes

tremendously to rhetorical theory as studies on this topic generally favor stories heavy on fantasy

and magical elements rather than those of non-fiction. This can be a gateway to contribute more

towards the study of magical realism and shift it to perhaps artifacts solely based on social media

and the elements of magical realism being portrayed there and discover a new approach to

analyzing this rhetorical element.

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References

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