Why Harry Potter Works

Why is Harry Potter such a huge craze? Why do children and adults alike obsess about this young wizard boy? Why did hundreds of kids across the world paint lightening bolts on their heads last Halloween? Why did parents extend bedtimes on July 7 so that their kids could go to the nearest bookstore at midnight? Why does Harry Potter work?

There are so many reasons why.

Of course, most people who have read the books already know them. Or they don’t need to; they know that the books do work, almost magically, and that is good enough. But for those who haven’t read them and want to understand the spell they cast over millions, here is a list of the reasons I’ve found:

1) The magical setting of the books sparks the already blazing imaginations of kids and awakes the dormant imagination of adults. The desire to live in a magical world fills all of us. How nice would it be to cook and clean with a simple swish of a wand? How exciting if, instead of running around a field, you soared around on broomsticks for fun? How much better would school be if, despite mean teachers and lots of homework, you were learning potions and spells instead of history and math? In essence, the magical world would be more fun for all of us, and since we can’t live in it literally, feeling like we are for a couple of hours as we read the books is better than nothing.

2) The world that J. K. Rowling has created is not only amazing and completely thought out, but it exists in conjunction with the normal world. This is no alternate, impossible universe. For all we know, these wizards really could exist, and we could simply be the poor, unsuspecting muggles. This makes the fantasy even more exciting and enjoyable.

3) The characters that J. K. Rowling has created are totally complete. These are full characters, the good ones have flaws, the bad ones aren’t always pure evil. This makes them more three-dimensional, and easier to relate with. The main character, Harry Potter (duh), is a person we would all want to be. He’s brave, strong, kind, noble, and he fights for the side of good. But he isn’t perfect. His friend, Hermione, totally outstrips him scholastically. This makes the character much more interesting than if he could always do everything perfectly.

4) There is always a conflict. Sure, there’s the conflict of Harry vs. Voldemort, but that isn’t all. There are also ever-going conflicts with Snape and Malfoy, as well as the House Cup Championships, Quidditch games, and, recently, romantic concerns. Setting the books at a school, a place with constant conflict and also something that has been endured (or is being endured by) every one of her readers, was one of J. K. Rowling’s best ideas.

5) Although the books are fantastical and impossible, they are also true to life. The situations could never really happen, but the way the characters behave in these situations is exactly how real people would behave if they could be in them.

6) The books were not written for children. J. K. Rowling said in an interview that she wrote the books mostly for herself, and this is confirmed by the higher level vocabulary and complicated plots of the series. Many children, contrary to popular media belief, CAN handle more complicated books, they do not need to be dumbed down for. Thus they are able to enjoy books that are interesting enough for adults to enjoy as well. I think that if we stopped trying to simplify things for children, that they wouldn’t need things simplified for them.

7) The charm of the British. Britain has a history, a mythology that is much deeper than that of America. Our nation is a baby compared to them, a few hundred years in comparison with thousands. There are no castles in America. Plus, the British words for things are infinitely more exciting and magical. Headmaster instead of principal, for instance.

8) And then there is also the personality and care that J. K. Rowling has invested into them. She spent five years just inventing the world and plotlines before she even started writing. She put a bit of herself into each of the characters in some way or another, and you can tell she truly loves and cares for them.

It is all of these things combined that created the whirlwind of popularity that the Harry Potter books have suddenly found themselves in. It is no trick of advertising, no clever gimmick. J. K. Rowling has earned everything she has through the thought and effort she has put into the books, which have definitely inspired me to start writing. I can only hope I can find a recipe for stories as thrilling as hers.

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