Rowling Along?
Harry is back - older and ganglier than before, and facing darker dangers.
With his return, Christian critics and parents are once again faced with the question of whether the books are, or are not, to be read. Some will no doubt retain the view that their setting in a school of witches and wizards and the apparent affirmation of white magic puts them beyond the pale. Other will conclude that magic in Rowling's work is simply a metaphor for power and that Harry's benevolent use of magic is no more likely to turn children to real magic than Aslan's use of magic in the Narnia Chronicles.
Certainly, the key to Harry's success and survival in the books has not been his prowess with a wand but the quality and strength of his character and the loyalty, love and courage of others. There is much to commend and Philippians 4:8-9 comes to mind.
But there is also something to be wary of. Not everyone is affected by art in the same way. Some people can watch horror films, enjoy the thrill of fear and never lose a wink of sleep. I can't, and gave up all such movies after a harrowing experience at the first Alien film - hardly strong stuff by most standards, but more than enough for me.
J. K. Rowling may be no Ridley Scott but some parents have reported an increase in nightmares while their kids have been reading the Potter books. So have some teachers. This doesn't make the stories satanic, and it doesn't mean that they are bad for all kids. But it does serve to remind us that art works on many levels and that some children are more sensitive than others.
Making decisions about what to read and what not to read is not just a question of whether it edifies morally or whether we have the intellectual capacity to refute any errant ideology. It is also a question of how the material affects us emotionally and spiritually. And that will change from child to child and also, lest we kid ourselves, from adult to adult.
Mark Greene
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.
