The Letter of the Law vs. the Spirit of the Law

Harry breaks Madam HoochÂ’s order not to move in order to accomplish the higher good of saving NevilleÂ’s Remembrall. This isnÂ’t an epic decision but it touches on a very popular literary theme: the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law. The Ancient Greek play Antigone is a classic example of a piece of literature that incorporates this theme. Harry often breaks school rules, especially by roaming around at night when heÂ’s not supposed to, but he usually has good intentions.

DonÂ’t Be Afraid to Stand Against Popular Opinion

The crowds of students at Hogwarts seem awfully fickle. Harry’s fall in popularity from “one of the most popular and admired people at the school” to “the most hated” is a reoccurring theme in the series. In Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry loses popularity because he lost 150 from Gryffindor for sneaking out.

Warning: spoiler material ahead. In Chamber of Secrets, Harry becomes unpopular when he is suspected of being the Heir of Slytherin after speaking in Parsletoungue (snake- speak). In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is temporarily shunned because everyone expects him to be killed by Black. In Goblet of Fire, much of the school is angry with Harry for putting his name in the Goblet of Fire and thereby trying to take Cedric DiggoryÂ’s glory as HogwartsÂ’ Champion. Note that in none of these situations is HarryÂ’s fall from popularity his fault.

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