Blog Post #2

Two characters that have developed in some surprising ways are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The coming of age theme is definitely seen in Harry and Ron’s changing emotions and feelings. Each character drastically changes or matures from one book to the next as the story progresses. Harry’s default feeling is modesty. Ron’s default emotion is jealousy. They both start out with these emotions in the first book. In the second book, Harry develops more happiness with his friends and the rest of his family he has at Hogwarts. Ron develops trust in which Harry can confide in. In the third book, Harry discovers that Sirius Black is his Godfather in which he put much hope in as a future family. Hope is developed more in Harry Potter. Ron takes the fame received from his broken leg. Ron develops his confidence in himself. In the fourth book, the Triwizard Tournament develops Harry’s courage and bravery. These two feelings are needed for each task. Ron is tested by his confidentiality to keep a secret when he is taken and used in the tournament. Also he has developed feelings for Hermione once her beauty was shown at the Yule Ball and becomes jealous of Viktor Krum.

In the fifth book, this is like a midlife crisis for Harry and Ron but mostly Harry as Lord Voldemort becomes more powerful. Ron’s feelings develop more for Hermione and more courage is needed to fight off Death Eaters. Even though Ron has feelings for Hermione, they are subtle when around her. With the start of Voldemort’s return, it causes Harry emotionally and mentally to struggle with this challenge. He has just experienced the death of a friend, Cedric Diggory, due to Voldemort, and he’s very confused and angered by this whole experience. Harry, throughout the book, constantly feels frustration and anger. The worst part is that the mind connection between Voldemort and Harry has strengthened. Now instead of just feeling when Voldemort’s near or when he’s murderously angry, Harry feels everything, every emotion, happy or not. These emotions do not have to be enormous to feel them. For example, when Harry was in detention with Professor Umbridge, and she touches his hand and he feels a swooping sensation in his stomach. He does not realize at first but it is because of Voldemort, that he was feeling happy because Harry was feeling so miserable at the time. It is very hard for Harry to separate his emotions from Voldemort’s own. Voldemort is incapable of feeling love, and is usually in a murderous, angry or foul mood, and this really affects Harry throughout the book. Harry snaps at people for no reason, he gets angry all the time. Harry Potter is also more determined than he has been in previous books because he wants good and truth to prevail. This determination changes him forever and his whole outlook on life. He finds out in the end that it has to be him who kills Lord Voldemort. Then, if all that wasn`t enough, he`s also a teenager who's going through all those confusing emotions of a first love. Finally, his godfather is killed in the end and becomes depressed, angry, confused, mournful and abandoned. The fifth book is Harry going through this giant, wild emotional roller coaster. A lot of pressure gets put on Harry after the fifth book.

Emotions or feelings are the most dominant in the coming of age theme. Each book highlights Ron and Harry as something requires a new emotion or feeling out of them. Each change of emotion influences the coming of age theme to be reassessed whether triggered by a death or a love or a friend. The fifth book is the most prominent in the coming of age theme.