Is Harry Jesus?

[aberforths_goat]

Not long after HBP was published, Rowling answered a question about the religious weight of her books with a typical one-liner, "But Dumbledore is not Jesus." (You can say a lot about Rowling's flaby prose, but she has one of the best left jabs in the business.) Fair enough. No resurrections there.

But how about Harry? Harry drinks the cup of death

Comments

[sageofgodalming]

More or less my thoughts. I think the Christian thinking (of *course* not according to some formal doctrinal structure) is more evident in the last few chapters than anywhere else in the series. Harry and Dumbledore could be Eustace and Aslan.

The book burners won't really like it as I think they tend to like their eschatology neat.

I'd be interested in your thinking about generations, too: the old generation (with the exception of Lily) is flawed, and often falls when tested. The young generation passes the test: look at Xenophilus and Luna.

[aberforths_goat]

the old generation (with the exception of Lily) is flawed, and often falls when tested. The young generation passes the test:

Oh! That's a very interesting thought.

Classic Christianity sees history not as a turning wheel but a flying arrow. Rowling, perhaps, is somewhere in between: the wheel turns, but the road tilts upward.

Hegel would be pleased.

[alhewison]

Perhaps a kind of Jesus.

One of the aspects of the Potterverse that I have loved is that Harry isn't perfect. He's good at Quidditch and good at DADA. But he is flawed. He hated Snape, he did use the crucio. So I see Harry as a very human-Jesus figure.