Trent Geraty
Dr. Norton
English 201 Summer Online
7/17/16
Major Paper
In a world of magic and mystery under siege by dark forces, one boy is called
upon to stand against it all. The story of Harry Potter begins as a boy who is orphaned by
an evil wizard and is dropped off on his extended family’s doorstep, The Durselys. The
Durselys mistreat him throughout his young life and do not even acknowledge him as a
member of the household. On Harry’s eleventh birthday he gets a letter from the school
of wizardry and witchcraft, Hogwarts, inviting him to attend school. He jumps at the
chance to escape his miserable life and embarks on a journey only to find out he is the
center of a magical war between good and evil. He meets some close friends and
overcomes challenging obstacles for other people’s benefit. The reader can learn a great
deal from the young Harry Potter about how to be a hero by sacrificing oneself to help
others. In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter is
someone that others should strive to become like because of his willingness to sacrifice
himself for others.
In the Harry Potter series, the reader can see a reoccurring theme of Harry ready
to sacrifice him for others. Harry’s life started off with a sacrifice when an evil wizard
named Voldemort came into his house and murdered his parents. In the chaos, his mother
ran into his room and placed him in his crib preparing her to defend her helpless child. As
Voldemort took her life, she sacrificed herself to protect her child by casting a protection
charm using her love for him. When Voldemort turns to murder Harry, his spell was
repelled because of his mother’s sacrifice but engraves his forehead with a lightning bolt
scar. “Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it
is love. “He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mothers for you leaves its own
mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person
who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.” (241). The sentence was
spoken by Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, to remind Harry of his mother’s love
for him.
After Harry Potter’s family was murdered, he is given to the Durselys where he
was repeatedly mistreated. In all those years that Harry endured that punishment, he
refrained from lashing back with hatred or anger for he was happy enough to have a
