Harry Potter Hero's Journey

Imagine the life of a soldier, police officer, or firefighter; each occupation launches a person into a “new world”, and their individual jobs each give them experiences much like a hero might have during a hero’s journey. For example, when firefighters go to work, they are put in situations unlike those of others in the workforce. Firefighters have assistance from tools, such as a water hose, as well as from their colleagues. The hero’s journey is an archetype of the common expedition of a character. There are steps in a hero’s journey that must be taken by a character in order for it to be considered this archetype. There are multiple examples of the hero’s journey archetype in literature and film. A perfect example of a hero’s journey is …show more content…
Harry Potter is the series’ hero and main protagonist, and he goes through the stages of the hero’s journey archetype. Harry lives in a normal world, and he goes to school just like any other kid that he knows. This is the foundation for the first step of the hero’s journey, the ordinary world. In the ordinary world, a character or hero generally sticks out from a crowd, because he or she differs in some way from those around him or her. Harry is unique, because he displays inexplicable abilities. Harry is introduced to a special world when he finds out that he is indeed unlike those around him, and Hagrid, the keeper of keys at a school, Hogwarts, brings Harry a letter. The message states that Harry has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and it helps reveal that Harry Potter is a wizard. Hagrid is surprised to find out that Harry does not have prior knowledge about the wizarding world, so, once Harry expresses his confusion, Hagrid explains what he means when he says Harry knows nothing by saying, “About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer [sic] parents’ world.” In this statement, “our world” refers to the wizarding world. This introduction into Harry’s “parents’ world” is Harry’s second step of the hero’s journey, the call to adventure. Harry Potter’s call to adventure leads him …show more content…
A hero’s ordeal is predominantly characterized by him or her facing death and overcoming it. Harry’s supreme ordeal transpires when he enters the Forbidden Forest in order to find Voldemort. Harry does not resist when Voldemort attempts to kill him, because Harry believes that he must sacrifice himself in order for Voldemort to be defeated. To the surprise of both the protagonist and the antagonist, Harry is in a way resurrected. Harry Potter’s reward is ultimately shared with the entire wizarding world. Harry kills Voldemort, and evil is kept at bay for the whole world to have peace. Although it is quite simple, Harry’s reward can be summarized with the last three words of the epilogue: “All was well.” Harry’s life after the battle against Voldemort was filled with peace, and “all” aspects of his new life with a wife and kids went relatively