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Q&A Home > H > Harry Potter Why is Your Grace not in favor with all the classic Fairy tales, all of which do not have the elements that a caring parent would not allow their child to be exposed to?Black Magic - Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid, Something Wicked this way comes.
Magic - All of them but Oliver Twist
Children (or young adults) in peril - All of them
Children subject to cruelty from their caregivers - Cinderella, Snow White, Oliver Twist
Children overcoming evil with the caveat that the 'Where the Wild Things Are', the evil is the little boy's own bad behavior. This list of course does not include, but it could Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio and other stories by Hans Anderson and Brothers Grimm.
It seems to me that the main themes tying these books together are: Your choices have consequences that you may not predict, so be careful of the choices you make, since you will have to live with the outcome. Overwhelming evil can be resisted and overcome if one has faith in their convictions, does not give up, and/or is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to keep evil from spreading.
You are what you make yourself, blaming your shortcomings on circumstances of birth and rearing is a cop-out. Your inner strength and willingness to make your own opportunities will determine what you become, not where you were born, or how you were treated.
Keep in mind that most classic stories were originally told to children as teaching aids. They taught values, personal responsibility etc.
Like it or not, Harry Potter is already one of the new classics. And as a long, long time fan of children's classics, I assure you, it is not going to fade with time. There are NO elements in the series that have not been in classic children's literature for centuries.
Evil does exist in the world and witchcraft is present today; this is undeniable. However, the situation in Harry Potter is different. From the list of books you have mentioned I would exclude Oliver Twist; since it does not have magic nor witchcraft. Oliver Twist presents child abuse, which is, sad to say, a fact of life and unfortunately similar stories still happen today around the world.
As for the other examples you have mentioned, they mostly have magic portrayed legitimately as evil performed by some bad people. Unfortunately, the situation is reversed in Harry Potter, where the reader sympathizes with Harry, a wizard, and henceforth could be tricked into sympathizing with witchcraft. The sad part also is that ordinary human, “Muggles” who do not have any magical power are considered dull and portrayed as silly, narrow-minded, cruel and non-understanding. The outcome of this series of books is that wizards are the good guys who have morals and wisdom, and witchcraft is something good that every child should look forward to learning about!
Reading such books will desensitize readers and make the idea of good wizards and witches acceptable. Harry Potter goes to a school to learn magic and wizardry; while the Holy Bible teaches that no one should read or keep such books "Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all" (Acts 19:19).
I do agree with your statement “You are what you make yourself, blaming your shortcomings on circumstances of birth and rearing is a cop-out.” However, all child psychologists agree that childhood affects a whole person’s life and has a great effect on his personality. There is a famous poem you usually find posted in Pediatrics offices called “How a child learns” it says: If a child lives with criticism,
he learns to condemn.
If a Child lives with hostility,
she learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
she learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
she learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
she learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
she learns to like herself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
he learns to find love in the world. Parents should follow the commandments of the Holy Bible "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
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