Essays

Prejudice
A Great Theme of the Books

"The wizards represent all that the true "muggle" most fears: They are plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is more unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed misfit!"
     -- J. K. Rowling, 
"Of Magic and Single Motherhood" (Interview with J. K. Rowling) by Margaret Weir ("Salon," March 31, 1999) (http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_022.htm)

" From the beginning of Philosopher's Stone, prejudice is a very strong theme. It is plausible that Harry enters the world wide-eyed: everything will be wonderful and it's the sort of place where injustices don't happen. Then he finds out that it does happen and it's a shock to him. He finds out that he is a half-blood: to a wizard like Lucius Malfoy, he will never be a true wizard, because his mother was of Muggle parentage. It's a very important theme."
     -- J. K. Rowling (Nr)

Prejudice against Muggles

• compared to the attitude of Arthur Weasley ("bless them")

• "Muggle-baiting" - the Shrinking Keys

• during the Voldemort years: Muggle killing and torturing

• at the Quidditch World Cup - Muggle torture, connected to Death Eaters

Prejudice against Muggle-borns (Mudbloods)

• Salazar Slytherin - argued with Godric Gryffindor about admitting Muggle-born students

• Lucius and Draco Malfoy

• Mr. Borgin

• Voldemort (as Tom Riddle) - carried on Salazar Slytherin's work

Prejudice against other races

• house-elves

• goblins

• giants

• werewolves

Prejudice as evidence of baser qualities

• Vernon Dursley

  • Japanese golfer joke, American plumber joke

  • motorcyclists

  • anyone different, including the people in cloaks

  • doesn't approve of imagination

• Gilderoy Lockhart

  • ugly old Armenian warlock ("No dress sense at all.")

  • witch with a harelip (changted to "hairy chin" in later editions)

Ethnic or gender prejudice at Hogwarts

• students of many ethnic backgrounds, accepted apparently without question

• girls play Quidditch (but not for Slytherin, interestingly enough)

• Hagrid's attitude toward foreign students, especially those from Durmstrang

  • "The less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can trust any of 'em." (GF28)

Dumbledore's non-prejudicial attitude

• gives second chances

  • Snape

  • Hagrid

• accepts anyone

  • Lupin, as a student and later as a professor

  • various speeches connected to Triwizard Tournament

• his attitude

  • is not accepted by everyone (e.g. Lucius, Fudge)

  • stark contrast to that of Vernon

    • Vernon is the epitome of mundane-ness

    • Dumbledore is the epitome of enlightened magic and the representative of Gryffindor

    • "Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome." upon his arrival in Privet Drive, PS1