The Rowling 10 Step Hero

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• The Rowling 10 Step Heros Journey
• From John Grangers book
• Harry Potters Bookshelf

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The Circular Adventure

• Harry follows in the path of great mythologies of
  the past
• Comparable to Odysseus, Aeneas, or Dantes
  adventures each follows the three steps
• Separation from the mundane to the mystical
  world
• Initiation there
• Divine return

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Step 1.Privet Drive (Separation)

• Every novel begins with Harry at Privet Drive
  being generally maltreated by his family
• Here Harry either has no connection, limited
  connection or no idea about the Wizarding World
• Harry doesnt feel he belongs or is understood in
  this world

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Step 2 Magical Escape (separation)

• Here the magical world intrudes in to Harrys
  mundane life
• Owls deliver messages, he accidentally performs
  magic, house-elves visit his home . . .
• His adventure begins with magical contact

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Step 3 Mystery (Initiation)

• Harry, Ron and Hermione seems to take on an
  extracurricular assignment each year
• The mystery comes to a head, and Harry chooses
  the right and difficult thing

Step 4 Crisis
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Step5 Underground

• Harry (and friends) must go underground to
  confront the evil to be overcome
• Book 1 Under Fluffys trapdoor
• Book 2 The Chamber of Secrets
• Book 3 Under the Whomping Willow
• Book4 The Graveyard (symbolic only)
• Book 5 Department of Mysteries on the lowest
  level
• Book 6 The Cave
• Book 7 Flush into the Ministry, Pool of the
  Forrest of Dean, Dungeon of Malfoy Mannor,
  Descent in to Gringotts, and the actual
  underground of Kings Cross Station

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Step 6 Battle

• Book 1 Quirrell
• Book 2 The Basilisk and Malfoy
• Book 3 Dementors
• Book4 Voldemort
• Book 5 Death Eaters, Possession
• Book 6 Inferi, Death Eaters, Snape
• Book 7 Voldemort

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Step 7 Loss and Death

• Harry suffers a figurative death or loss each
  year
• Book 1 Battle with Quirrell
• Book 2 Fanged by Basilisk
• Book 3 Dementors Kiss
• Book4 Sedrick and Torture
• Book 5 Sirius and Possessed
• Book 6 Inferi and Dumbledore
• Book 7 ???

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Step 8 Resurrection

• He rises from the dead - in the presence of a
  symbol of Christ
• Book 2, 4, 6 Fawkes the Phoenix
• Book 3, 7 The Stag
• Book 7 Christ like himself, Kings Cross Station

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Step 9 Dumbledore Document (Return)

• The Headmaster explains what Harry missed
• We miss this only in book 6 as we have
  Dumbledores funeral
• Dream like encounter with Dumbledore in Book 7
  and his Portrait encounter

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Step 10 King Cross

• Harry rides the Hogwarts Express back to the
  conjunction of his magical and Muggle lives

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The Most Magical Number

• Harry repeats the circular cycle 7 times.
• 7 is considered the most powerfully magical
  number
• 7 years of magical education
• 7 Quidditch Players
• 7 Horcruxes
• 7 Potter clones in The Deathly Hallows

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What Lessons are there in HP?
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Education

• Characters in the novels strive to do their very
  best (acknowledges History of Magic is boring)
• Teachers are valued but seem to have no life
  outside of school
• Consequences of not understanding a lesson are
  sometimes deadly

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Prejudice

• The Poor
• House Elves
• Goblins
• Centaurs
• Mudblood vs. Pure Blood
• Werewolves
• Giants
• Muggles

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Good and Evil Exists in us All

• Characters like Snape, Malfoy, Sirius, Lupin,
  Mundungus, Kreacher and Wormtail exhibit good and
  bad qualities based on their personal
  predicaments
• The world is not split between good people and
  death eaters

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Harry is Flawed

• Harry makes repeated mistakes, breaks rules and
  is selfish multiple times in the series, but he
  gets second chances, matures and eventually
  triumphs

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Good is not always Easy

• Harrys choices and many other heroic characters
  sacrifice themselves for others
• This idea of sacrifice plays an important role
  throughout the series as Harrys survival is
  directly related to his mothers sacrifice

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Comparison to LOTR

• Created an entire world complete with myth,
  history etc.
• Themes of Prophecy, Good vs. Evil and Sacrifice
• Similar Archetypes
• Unlikely Heroes