Documente Academic
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Professor Hagemaster
Research Writing
20 September 2019
Review of Literature
Why do some of the wizards of Harry Potter place such value on purity of blood, and
how does this reflect society as we know it? As Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a book
by a British author, J. K. Rowling, and its movie adaptation reflects that, it is important to note
how the English Class System is taken from reality and reflected in these works. John O’
Sullivan writes that Britain is the kind of society that one would have great difficulty, even to an
impossible extent, to move to another class due to the solidarity of class barriers. (O’Sullivan
493). This is reflected in the Weasley’s and other families in the wizarding world as they are
poor and remain so for the entirety of the story. This also relates to the so-called mud bloods as
in the eyes of the pure blood wizards those with impure blood are less than themselves and will
claims that Britain is a class system predicated on accent, appearance, education, and people’s
interests. (O’Sullivan 495). This is also prevalent in Harry Potter as others are laughed upon for
looking ragged in appearance, and a lot of these people are mixed blood wizards who weren’t
aware of proper dress wear for wizard purposes. Which leads into those without direct wizard
ancestry not being taught informally before school, so those without pure blood often find
who states that similarly to the real world, issues take place in the wizarding world, including
segregation, and that this is often imposed by those in power (Scholz 125). This is clear as
characters with prejudice values claim positions of power and then mete out their warped views
on society. There is an argument to be made that this is originated in real world politics and
biases. Scholz goes on to say that some of the ruling class is increasingly preoccupied with social
status and family heritage, going as far as using slander such as mud blood and calling into
question those with mixed blood’s abilities (Scholz 125). This resonates with reality with biases
such as women not being able to perform the same tasks as men and vice versa to an extent. It
also reflects race relations as some people with more racist views would find error with someone
of differing race entering a position of power. Why is it that those in power whether in real life
Harry Potter and the discrimination of mixed blood wizards is also reminiscent of Hitler
and the hate the Jews receive. Voldemort is, after a fashion, the Hitler of the wizarding world. He
seeks to show that wizards are the superior beings and that all things should fall under his
purview. Joel F. Harrington writes that German officers were openly discussing genocide and
how they needed to secure the safety of the German people from the undesirables (Harrington
30). This is exactly the kind of talk the death eaters, Voldemort’s elite followers, say about
muggles, non-wizards, and mixed blood wizards. They speak of how they should eradicate them
from the world, especially those with no magic whatsoever. It’s also important to point out that
in Harry Potter there are houses and in Deathly Hallows all of Slytherin house, the house with
the most anti-mixed blood views, joined the death eaters in combat. This is indicative of those in
power influencing the views of others. Keep in mind that this is a school and those of Slytherin
house are kids, easily influenced by their elders. As is shown to be connected by all of the
authors I’ve noted so far, those in power play a large part in cementing the views of those around
them. So, I find it relevant to ask how much power do people allow those in places of influence
to wield and why? Furthermore, why do we allow those peoples who have a prejudice view on
others with different beliefs or heritages into power in the first place?
Once again, we will take a look at how the English Class System plays a pivotal role in J.
K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This time, however, I’d like to address how
it reinforces the wealthy and respected classes. Joey Cheng and Jessica Tracy write that there is
not much to refute that one’s social class plays an important role on how someone thinks and
acts (Cheng & Tracy 102). This helps strengthen the point that class is one of the reasons why
that so many people that are wealthy or from a respected family flock to Voldemort’s side as
death eaters. They are born or raised to believe that others are inferior, and as such, don’t view
the hate towards non-wizards, or wizards of mixed blood, as anything but natural. It’s the social
mindset of that class that lends such power to the rallying cry of Voldemort’s prejudice
campaign to wipe those considered undesirable off the face of the world. This is not unlike the
way that some upper crust persons in today’s society view people such as the impoverished or
the homeless. They would rather them be relocated or imprisoned then actually extend a helping
hand. In truth, it’s the disgust of those considered less than oneself that really resonates between
Another important topic that relates to Harry Potter is that women are second rate in the
movie. What I am looking at is their roles in the school of Hogwarts and various workplaces.
Additionally, I would like to present that none of the most powerful wizards are female. Karen
Jones and Jonathan Clifton express that men traditionally view women as weak and in need of
protection (Jones & Clifton 559). A number of women are presented, but none of them
encompass a lead role in any of the organizations. The male Dumbledore is the respected
headmaster of Hogwarts, despite their being the perfectly capable Professor McGonagall. She is
presented as the headmasters second in command, but never at any point in the story does she
fulfill the role Dumbledore resides in. Furthermore, Voldemort, a male antagonist, is the dark
lord and one of the most powerful wizards in the world. In point of fact, the two most powerful
wizards are Dumbledore and Voldemort, which as stated earlier, are not female. Also, consider
that Harry, the protagonist, is also male and the center of great, world changing events, whereas
Hermione, another protagonist, is simply a side character to Harry’s arc. This begs the question
of why a female Author such as Rowling wrote the characters this way? Robina Sharif and Gull
Hina say that one of the biggest hurdles for women is that it is male dominated (Sharif & Hina
69). Perhaps she knew that male readers wouldn’t except a female lead which this of course
leads us back to fiction reflecting reality as men are generally opposed to women having power,
at least over them, especially in the workplace. I do, however, find that this raises the question of
why men dislike the idea of women earning the same positions available to them?
To further capitalize on how bloodlines and purity of blood are considered potent sources
of influence, and are believed important, one can look to reality’s royal bloodlines. Royal
families and the society they lived in placed a high priority on the pureness of blood, not unlike
Lord Voldemort. In fact, they placed such a high approval on it that those of royal descent might
intermarry or have incestuous relations. David Dobbs notes that royal incest persists in societies
where those in power have no equals besides their gods and that since gods intermarry so to
should they (Dobbs 60). Lord Voldemort views himself as godlike and as such doesn’t want his
dominion tainted by those he deems impure. The royal and upper-class families didn’t approve
of marrying a peasant or lower-class citizen. Just like how if a pureblood wizard would find
themselves in a relationship with a non-wizard, they would be, after a fashion, ostracized. This
urges the question of why blood is important to society when the only differences between
O’Sullivan, John. “Peter Bauer and the English Call System, by John O’Sullivan.” Cato Journal,
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Scholz, and Victoria Lynne. “Other Muggles’ Children: Power and Oppression in Harry Potter.”
The Midwest Quarterly, Pittsburg State University – Midwest Quarterly, 1 Jan. 2018,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.indianatech.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=13&sid=35
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Jones, Karen, and Jonathan Clifton. Rendering Sexism Invisible in Workplace Narratives. A,
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Cheng, Joey, and Jessica Tracy. The Impact of Wealth on Prestige and Dominance Rank
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Dobbs, David. “The Risks and Rewards of Royal Incest.” National Geographic, 13 Sept. 2017,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.indianatech.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=15&sid=37cd3f76-
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Sharif, Robina, and Gull Hina. Participation of women in Politics: A Perceptive of Hurdles and
Challenges.
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