Do Houses Shape Moral Character In The Sorcerer's Stone

Do houses shape moral character? Or does being around like-minded people simply bring out the qualities that are already inherent in the characters of Harry Potter? This question draws back to an age old question of social behavior: does nature or nurture matter more in determining who people will be throughout their lives? The best character to explore this question with is Neville Longbottom, one of the bravest characters throughout the series who was also sorted into the bravest house. Where does Neville’s need to be brave come from? Neville seems to act in the name of goodness. His origin of courage is especially evident in The Sorcerer’s Stone, when he stands up to the golden trio when he sees them doing something wrong. Neville would gain nothing from this interaction: instead he had a lot to lose. However, he is able to put his fear aside and do what is truly right in this situation. Neville was 11 years old when he made this decision, and had only been at Hogwarts for a brief few months, hardly enough time to attribute his strength solely to his sorting, but to a …show more content…
Sirius Black comes from a much different family history. The first Black not to be sorted into Slytherin, Sirius must have been born with quality that would allow him to handle this separation from his clan, a certain kind of bravery in this sense. He still retained a lot of his familial baggage, exemplified by his cruelty toward house elves and sense of superiority that underscore some of his actions. But there’s no denying that Sirius was also a brave wizard. However, we see that his bravery comes not from a place of goodness, but in from a need to defend himself. Indeed, Sirius only acts bravely when he feels like he is personally threatened, or if someone close to him is in danger, like when he defies his family name or fights in the ministry of magic in The Order of the