Blog Post 2

To me, it seems that one of the major themes that are being explored is that of having and feeling empathy for others. Of course, it is most noticed in the character of Harry Potter. When you first are introduced to Harry Potter, we see him as an 11 year old boy, who has been through so much neglect all throughout his life due to his relatives he is living with. However, even though he goes through this neglect, he does not shut down, like you would think most people would. Instead, he does the opposite and seems to radiate empathy towards others. This is seen in a variety of ways throughout the series.

Harry is this boy that you would think would really turn out to be a bully, instead he is the opposite and is kind of turned into a hero for those who are less fortunate. Those who are in need of acceptance, such as Neville or Luna, seem to gravitate towards Harry. Harry even shows empathy towards the professor who is always predicting his death. This is seen when Umbridge decides to try to throw her out of the school, and Harry feels very sorry for her. Next, he shows empathy a lot with Hagrid. Hagrid is a person who in many occasions could quite plainly be seen as very naïve and constantly puts his students at risk. Instead of looking at this side of Hagrid, Harry feels a lot of empathy for him regarding his past with his father and mother, his half-brother, and even when he has Norbert. Harry realizes how much these things affect Hagrid and how they make him feel, and so he relates to him.
The most shocking of Harry feeling empathy is not those that he feels for his friends, peers, or professors. Instead, it is the empathy he seems to feel for Lord Voldemort. Harry feels this when he is with Dumbledore and they are exploring the thoughts of those that used to “know” Voldemort. When Voldemort was known as Tom Riddle, as a young boy, Harry feels very sorry for him because of having a father who abandoned him and a mother who would not fight to stay alive for her son. Dumbledore even asks Harry if he could be feeling sorry for Voldemort. Harry quickly retracts and says no, but the reader knows better. It is very obvious that Harry does indeed feel sorry for him.

Empathy is a major theme in Harry Potter and it is a major trait that Harry has. To be able to understand Harry as a character, you must first be able to understand the empathy that he is able to feel towards others. The entire series kind of revolves around Harry and his empathy or the lack of empathy in others, as what is seen with Voldemort.