Exploring Harry Potter
It is clear that J.K. Rowling took extraordinary care in crafting the first book in her Harry Potter series. Therefore, it appears that there must be some significance to the fact that Harry believed that his parents died in a car crash before learning that he was a wizard. In order to understand that significance, it is important to examine how Harry learned that his parents did not die in a car crash. Interestingly enough, no one in the wizarding world revealed the true nature of his parents' death, instead his aunt Petunia exploded about their deaths when Harry was approached by Hogwarts: "Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!""CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"
Petunia's disdain for wizarding makes it clear why she lied about the nature of Lily and James' death. However, it leaves the question: why say that they died in a car crash? After all, Petunia could have pretended that they died in a variety of different ways, and Harry would not have known the difference. As a result, it is important to understand Petunia's disdain for wizards and wizardry, in order to understand why she lied about the manner of James and Lily's death. These two elements are important, because they provide Harry with the foundation that he needs to face Voldemort. Second, the car crash lie did not give Harry any clue that his parents had been murdered; instead, it made him believe that his parents' death was a random event. Therefore, it seems likely that this disdain is at the root of their lies about the method of Lily and James' death. As a result, Harry is sensitized to comments made by Draco Malfoy maligning mudbloods. From the passage, it is clear that Petunia has a tremendous amount of disdain for wizards in general, and Harry in particular. Harry's desire for acceptance among his peers and for relationships with significant adults like Hagrid and Dumbledore is driven by his desire for love. Therefore, the Dursleys and their cruel treatment of Harry, present a more immediate problem to Harry than the specter of Voldemort. After all, at the beginning of the book, Harry Potter does not seem to feel that he deserves to be treated any better than the Dursleys have treated him. In fact, it was Lily's great capacity for maternal love that played the most significant part in the story of her death. First, the car crash lie did not give Harry any clues about wizarding.
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Acceptance Essays
