The Life of Harry Potter: The Hero's Journey Explained (Video Essay / Theory Video)
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores the structure of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series through the lens of Joseph Campbell's 'Hero's Journey'. It outlines Harry's progression from his ordinary life to facing challenges and gaining allies in the Wizarding World. Key moments like receiving his Hogwarts letter, meeting Dumbledore, and overcoming internal and external conflicts are highlighted. The script also touches on Harry's ultimate sacrifice and rebirth, leading to his victory over Voldemort and a new life with his family.
Takeaways
- 📚 Harry Potter follows the 'Hero's Journey' narrative arc, a classic writing formula developed by Joseph Campbell.
- 🌐 The 'Hero's Journey' consists of twelve stages that describe the adventure of the hero, in this case, Harry Potter.
- 👶 Harry's ordinary world is the Muggle world, which sets the stage for his character and abilities.
- 📜 The call to adventure comes when Hagrid delivers Harry's Hogwarts letter, disrupting his ordinary life.
- 🤔 Harry experiences reluctance to accept his role as the hero, especially when faced with the prophecy.
- 🚪 Crossing the threshold signifies Harry's commitment to his journey as he enters the Wizarding World.
- 🧙♂️ Albus Dumbledore serves as Harry's mentor, providing guidance, training, and confidence throughout his journey.
- 🔮 Harry faces a series of tests, allies, and enemies, which challenge him and help him grow as a hero.
- 🏰 The approach to the inmost cave represents Harry's inner conflicts and the dangers he faces in his quest.
- 🔙 The road back signifies Harry's return to the ordinary world, now changed and ready to face his final challenges.
- 💀 The ordeal and resurrection stages reflect Harry's literal brush with death and his rebirth as a stronger hero.
- 🏆 The reward stage sees Harry emerge victorious with the Deathly Hallows, symbolizing his triumph over Voldemort.
- 👨👩👧👦 In the end, Harry's journey concludes with him starting a new life, having grown and learned from his experiences.
Q & A
What is the hero's journey?
-The hero's journey is a twelve-stage narrative arc that describes the typical adventure of the hero, which was originally constructed by Joseph Campbell.
How does the hero's journey relate to Harry Potter?
-J.K. Rowling followed the hero's journey formula in writing the Harry Potter series, which is evident in the way Harry's story unfolds across the books.
What is the ordinary world in Harry Potter?
-The ordinary world in Harry Potter is the muggle world where Harry lives with the Dursleys before he receives his Hogwarts letter.
What is the call to adventure for Harry?
-The call to adventure for Harry is when Hagrid arrives to deliver his Hogwarts letter, disrupting his ordinary life and presenting him with the quest to enter the Wizarding World.
What does the refusal of the call signify in Harry's journey?
-The refusal of the call signifies Harry's personal doubts and fears about whether he is capable or the right person to undertake the challenges that lie ahead.
Can you explain the crossing of the threshold in Harry's story?
-Crossing the threshold is when Harry decides to leave the Dursleys and the muggle world behind, entering the Wizarding World, which has unfamiliar rules and values.
Who is Harry's mentor figure in the series?
-Albus Dumbledore serves as Harry's mentor, providing him with guidance, wisdom, and support throughout his journey.
What challenges does Harry face in the 'tests, allies, and enemies' stage?
-Harry faces physical obstacles such as Quirrell and the basilisk, as well as internal obstacles like dealing with fame and the loss of his parents.
How does the approach to the inmost cave reflect Harry's inner conflict?
-The approach to the inmost cave reflects Harry's inner conflict as he grapples with his connection to Voldemort and the fear of following a similar path.
What is the significance of the road back step in Harry's journey?
-The road back signifies Harry's return to the ordinary world, in this case, going back to the Dursleys before his mission to find the Horcruxes, symbolizing the final step before his ultimate confrontation with Voldemort.
What does Harry gain from the ordeal and resurrection steps?
-In the ordeal, Harry faces death and is reborn with greater power and insight, which allows him to protect his allies during the Battle of Hogwarts in the resurrection.
What is the reward Harry receives after his journey?
-Harry's reward is the Deathly Hallows, which symbolize his victory over death and his growth as a hero. He becomes the master of death without taking on the mantle.
How does Harry's life change after completing his journey?
-After his journey, Harry becomes an Auror, gets married to Ginny, has children, and reconciles with former enemies, showing his transformation into a changed and mature individual.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to the Hero's Journey in Harry Potter
The script begins by discussing the immense popularity of the Harry Potter series and the author J.K. Rowling's use of the classic 'Hero's Journey' narrative structure, which was originally developed by Joseph Campbell. The narrator, a film student, expresses enthusiasm for this technique and plans to analyze how Rowling applied it to Harry's story. Instead of recounting Harry's entire life, the focus will be on the broader narrative arc that encompasses the entire series, with some deviation from the traditional twelve-step structure to fit the story better.
🧙♂️ Harry's Mentors and Allies
This section delves into the role of mentors and allies in Harry's journey. Dumbledore serves as the primary mentor, providing guidance, wisdom, and confidence to Harry throughout his adventures. Other mentors include Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, who also offer support and advice. The paragraph highlights the importance of allies like Ron, Hermione, and the members of Dumbledore's Army in Harry's battles against enemies such as Voldemort, Draco Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange. It also discusses Harry's internal struggles with fame and the constant reminder of his parents' death, as well as his physical challenges like facing Quirrell, the basilisk, and Dementors.
🏰 The Inmost Cave and the Road Back
The script describes the 'Approach to the Inmost Cave' as a point of intense internal conflict for Harry, where he grapples with his similarities to Voldemort and the fear of following a similar path. It also represents the dangerous quest for Horcruxes, which leads Harry away from the safety of Hogwarts. The 'Road Back' is marked by Harry's return to the Dursleys' before his mission to find the Horcruxes, signifying the end of his mother's protective enchantment and the increased danger he faces.
🛡 The Ordeal, Resurrection, and Reward
The script explains the 'Ordeal' and 'Resurrection' as Harry's literal brush with death, which leads to a metaphorical rebirth granting him the power to protect his allies during the Battle of Hogwarts. This self-sacrifice and the protective enchantment he casts are seen as his 'reward' for overcoming his journey's challenges. The final step, 'Return with the Elixir,' sees Harry emerge from the battle stronger, having attained the Deathly Hallows, and ready to start a new life.
🌟 Harry's Life Post-Journey
The final paragraph outlines Harry's life after his journey, including his career as an Auror, his rise to head of the Auror Office, and his marriage to Ginny Weasley with whom he has three children. It also mentions the resolution of rivalries with Draco Malfoy and Dudley Dursley, his support for Teddy Lupin, and the significance of his scar no longer hurting as a symbol of peace. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on Rowling's portrayal of Harry's story arc, emphasizing his selflessness, love for others, and the overarching theme that love conquers all.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Hero's Journey
💡Ordinary World
💡Call to Adventure
💡Refusal of the Call
💡Crossing the Threshold
💡Mentor
💡Tests, Allies, and Enemies
💡Approach to the Inmost Cave
💡Road Back
💡Resurrection
💡Reward
💡Return with Elixir
Highlights
JK Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the classic 'Hero's Journey' narrative arc.
The 'Hero's Journey' was originally constructed by Joseph Campbell.
The series applies the 'Hero's Journey' formula across all books, focusing on Harry's broader story.
Harry's ordinary world is the muggle world, revealing his true nature and early abilities.
The call to adventure comes when Hagrid delivers Harry's Hogwarts letter.
Harry initially refuses the call due to personal doubts about his identity and abilities.
Crossing the threshold is symbolized by Harry's departure from the Dursleys and entry into the Wizarding World.
Meeting the mentor involves Harry receiving his wand and meeting Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore provides Harry with wisdom, advice, and training throughout the series.
Harry faces tests, allies, and enemies, overcoming physical and internal obstacles.
Approach to the inmost cave involves Harry's inner conflict and facing terrible danger.
The road back signifies Harry's return to the Dursleys before his mission to find Horcruxes.
The ordeal and resurrection are represented by Harry's literal death and rebirth during the Battle of Hogwarts.
The reward is Harry attaining the Deathly Hallows and emerging stronger from the battle.
The final stage sees Harry starting a new life, becoming an Auror, and mending rivalries.
Harry's story arc is a perfect example of the 'Hero's Journey', showcasing love conquers all.
Transcripts
Harry Potter is one of the most popular series ever written JK
Rowling story is nearly flawless and is loved by so many, but how did Rowling write such a perfect story?
but one of the answers to that is that she followed one of the most classic and
Well-structured writing formulas the hero's journey, which was originally constructed by Joseph Campbell I myself from a film student in college
And I've taken multiple courses on script writing, and the hero's journey is by far my favorite writing technique
And I've been dying to make a video on it
I've done a lot of character origins and life stories for Harry Potter
Characters and a lot of you have asked me to do the same for Harry himself at first
I wasn't going to do this because if you've read the books or even seen the movies
You know a story, and it would probably be an hour long video however. I thought of a cool alternative
Which is a video where I'm still gonna? Go through Harry's life, but instead of telling his whole life story
I'm gonna break down Rowling's books and the writing formula that she used and explain the hero's journey for the boy who lived
So what is the hero's journey?
well
It's a twelve stage narrative arc that describes the typical
Adventure of the hero in this case Harry the hero in the journey is the one who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf
Of a group of people in this case The Wizarding World this structure can be found in each and every book in the series
But I'm going to look at the broader story and go over Harry's journey for the entire series
Because of this some of the things might be a bit out of order from the original twelve point instruction
But we're still gonna hit all twelve points
So let's get started the first step to the journey is the ordinary world this is where the story starts before the journey begins for
The hero for Harry the ordinary world is the muggle world?
It's here that we learn crucial details about our hero such as his true nature
Capabilities and outlook on life the first few chapters. We learn how his true nature
He's a kind and selfless person for his capabilities
We learned that Harry is capable of doing some odd things this includes ending up on rooftops while being chased by Dudley
Being able to make glass
Disappear at the zoo to make Dudley fall into the display and of course we learned about his ability to talk to snakes
Which plays a big role later on in the series?
The first step anchors the hero s human, just like the reader
And it makes it easier for us to identify with the hero which in turn makes us more invested in the character as he completes
The rest of his journey we can expect great things from you the second step is the call to adventure
This step interrupts the comfort of the hero's ordinary world and presents a challenge or quest that must be
Undertaken how ru receives his call to adventure when Hagrid comes to him and finally gives him his Hogwarts letter
it
Disrupts his ordinary muggle life and changes his whole view on the world it presents him with the quest the quest being to go to
Hogwarts and to enter the Wizarding World
The next step is the refusal to the call in this stage of the journey the hero might have second thoughts or fears or personal
Doubts as to whether he is up for the challenge or moreover if he's actually the right person to take on that challenge
harry has personal doubts that he actually is a wizard I
Can't bail
I mean, I'm just
Harry
Just Hari
He doesn't think that he's the right person to take on the task and doesn't think he's able to go to Hogwarts
Harry's afraid to take on the huge Wizarding World and for a second thinks about staying in the comfort of the muggle world
Unless you'd rather stay of course
This step could also be applied to something later on in the series, which is Harry taking on the prophecy the prophecy
Said one of us is gonna have to kill the other
in the end once again
He's reluctant to take on that challenge
And isn't sure that he's able to do it or even that he's the right person to do it
he jumps at the
Possibility that the prophecy could be about Neville - that's really clinging on to that
Hoping that he's not the one that has to take on that task
Unfortunately one more did Markham Isis equal so the prophecy is about him now as I said we might be going a little bit out
Of order so right now
We're gonna skip ahead to step five and then come back to step four Step five is called crossing the threshold
here the hero commits to leaving the ordinary world and entering a new region with unfamiliar rules and values this applies to Harry when he
decides to leave the Dursleys and go with Hagrid he then enters the region of the Wizarding World when he goes to Diagon Alley and
Later when he goes to Hogwarts Harry's actions of crossing the threshold
Signifies his commitment to his journey this makes the audience bond with Harry because just like him we're entering this new world
He doesn't know any of the rules
Creatures or anything to do with the Wizarding World and neither do we?
What exactly are these things her goblins hurry now
We go back to the fourth step
Which is meeting the mentor in this step the hero could be given an object of great importance?
Insight into a dilemma. He faces wise advice training or even
Self-confidence, this is a big step for Harry the first thing to address is that he gets an object of great importance his wands this
For Harry is even more significant because that object shares the same core as the wand owned by the man who murdered his parents
This is the first insight he gets into the truth of how his parents died and why he was orphaned as a baby but the
Main purpose of this step is meeting the actual mentor
Which in Harry's case is Albus Dumbledore throughout the series Dumbledore gave Harry all of the things
I mentioned earlier first insight into a dilemma examples of this could be helping Harry discover why he?
Survived the night that Voldemort tried to kill him. It was because of your mother
She sacrificed herself for you
Leaves a mark
No, this kind of Mark cannot be seen he lives and you're very skilled
Another thing is giving Harry along with Hermione the idea and
Permission to go back in time and save both Buckbeak and his Godfather Sirius Black second
He helped Harry overcome his internal dilemma
But he and Voldemort were very similar and told him why he had such a connection to him he transferred some of his powers
And even after Dumbledore's death he helped Harry overcome the dilemma of how it could kill Voldemort third
He gave Harry an object other than his wand which was his dad's invisibility cloak and there were of course many
Examples of Dumbledore giving Harry wise advice it does not do to dwell on dreams
Do not create the dead Harry
Pretty to living
And above all all those who live without love Dumbledore also trained Harry
However it might not have been in the most classic way how he learned most of his magic from his professors
Hermione and just through life and the dilemmas to be at the face, but Dumbledore gave him training in the half-blood Prince
He gave Harry lessons these lessons were meant to Train Harry on how to defeat Voldemort
how to find all of his Horcrux is based on the wealth of information that Dumbledore provided it which of course
Focused on holding warts early life in other words Dumbledore the mentor trained Harry the hero to defeat his greatest task
Lord Voldemort and the final part of meeting the mentor staff was the mentor giving the hero confidence Dumbledore does this a number of times?
All right
You're wonderful boy
Brave
Brave man he a source Harry that he is a true Gryffindor would take a true Gryffindor
To pull that out of the hat, and he gives Harry the confidence to fight off Baltimore when he's possessing Harry's body
It's
How it feels like he's on his own many times throughout the series
But Dumbledore assures him that he's not and gives Harry the confidence to move on and embrace his
Relationships rather than push them away. Not only giving him confidence, but also some more advice you have friends here
Not alone well Dumbledore was definitely the most prominent mentor some other mentors, include Remus
Lupin who helped Harry with his Patronus and also gave him great advice
Also another mentor was his Godfather Sirius Black. Who Harry often turned to you for advice
He also gave Harry great confidence when he assured Harry that he was a good person
At a time when Harry was doubting this you're not a band cus
You're a very good person who bad things have happened to
You honest not
The next step is tests allies and enemies
This is where the hero faces a series of challenges
They test them in a variety of ways how he faces many obstacles
Throughout the series each presenting him with a new set of skills this includes stopping Quirrell and subsequently Voldemort from getting the philosopher's stone
facing a basilisk
Facing his ultimate fear the Dementors and gaining the ability to produce a Patronus
While those are the physical obstacles that he faced he also faced some internal obstacles one is him dealing with being famous
Famous Harry Potter can't even out of a book so without making the front page mr.
New
What makes this internal conflict
Even worse is that he's famous for something that constantly reminds him of what he lost that night in Godric's Hollow there are multiple times
Where Harry is so close to his parents, but it just won't become a reality he reaches out to touch his mother
But every time he gets close. He can't do it
You've been so great if sweetheart
Now focusing on the allies and enemies part of this step the people in his life for him throughout his journey
He has allies and enemies
Ron and Hermione are of course his allies who we trust over everyone and later in the series
He has Ginny
Neville Luna and the rest of the DA along with the order of the Phoenix all of whom have his back
Dobby the house-elf is another huge ally who helps Harry in the Triwizard Tournament it ultimately gives his life to save Harry and the others
Two people his friend
After
Looking at the enemies part. It's clear that his greatest enemy is the man who shares more than just a rivalry with come on
Let's finish this the way we started
Another enemy he has is Draco Malfoy someone
He constantly goes head-to-head with throughout his time at Hogwarts other enemies include Dolores Umbridge Dudley Dursley
Bellatrix Lestrange the person who murdered both his Godfather Sirius and his friend Dobby and of course his enemies with other Death Eaters as well
Moving on to the seventh step the approach to the inmost cave this is where the hero faces an inner
Conflict or faces an actual location in which lies
Terrible danger the inner conflict part of this step could be applied to Harry at several points throughout the series
He goes through a lot of inner conflict thinking that he's just like Voldemort this connection between me and Oldman
but if the reason for it is that I am becoming more like him I
Just feel so angry all the time
He thinks that because they can both speak to snakes both. He grew up parentless
No, thought of Hogwarts hasn't escaped and both were half-blood that his path would follow and Voldemort's footsteps
He starts to question everything and thinks that he should have been in Slytherin
His fear manifests even more when he talks to the sorting hat
I was just wondering if he put me in the right house, but I stand by what I said last year
You would have done well in
Another inner conflict that Harry faces is when the whole Wizarding World turns on it doesn't believe him that Voldemort had returned
He isolates himself and blocks everyone out even Ron and Hermione. He don't stop
Help us tick
He feels extremely alone and sort of falls into a depression in spite of paying back aha boots
I feel more alone than ever the second part of this step is facing an actual
Location which lies terrible danger this could be applied to the final book where Harry leaves the comforts of Hogwarts and looks for Voldemort's Horcruxes
there on the run and
Constantly in danger the location of the journey has changed completely they went from being safe at Hogwarts to being in more danger than ever
before
Shrieks kiss listen now once again. I'm gonna. Go a bit out of order
We're gonna skip ahead to step 10 and come back to eight and nine step. 10 is the road back
This is where the hero returns back to the ordinary world waiting the final step of his journey
which is not yet over this step for Harry is going back to the Dursleys one last time before he goes on his mission to
Find the Horcruxes. This is even more significant for Harry because once he leaves that house and turned 17 which is days away
He will no longer have the protective
Enchantment his mother gave him when she sacrificed herself to save them when she did this her protection lived on in her sister
petunia who shared the same bloodline once Harry leaves between his house and turn 17 that protection goes away making danger closer than ever
For the next part
I'm actually going to combine steps 8 and 11 step 8 is called the ordeal and step 11 is called the resurrection
Step eight states only through some form of death can the hero be reborn
Experiencing a metaphorical resurrection that somehow grants him greater power or insight necessary in order to fulfill his destiny
this is quite obviously applied to Herod when he literally faced his death when he
Sacrifices his own life so that Voldemort can be defeated
He talks to his fallen mentor and is reborn this now ties him to step 11 the resurrection how he literally is
resurrected in the final battle in this case in the Battle of Hogwarts
Now in step eight that part that says grants him greater power for Harry
He grants greater power after he sacrifices himself. This is because he put a protective and shan't man on everyone fighting for him
Just as his mother had done for him this allows Harry and his friends and allies to win the battle once and for all
No one fighting for Harry can die because of what Harry had done giving them a huge advantage or granting them a greater power
now going back to step 9
This one's called the reward in this step the hero emerges from the battle as a stronger person comes out with the prize this is
Applied to Harry as he comes back from the Battle of Hogwarts stronger than ever the prize
He attains is the Deathly Hallows the three objects that make the owner of all of them the master of death
He is the rightful owner of the Elder Wand the most powerful wand ever made
It's knowing he has the resurrection stone well until he dropped it in the forest
But he used it to see his loved ones before he gave his life
And he has the cloak of invisibility the cloak that was passed down in his family
And eventually given to him by Dumbledore and although Harry doesn't take on the mantle of being the master of death
he still attained it from his many years of conquering his journey making it his prize or reward and
Finally the last step step 12. This is the final stage of the hero's journey. He comes out a changed man
He has grown as a person learned many things and faced many terrible dangers and even death
But now looks forward to the start of his new life
Harry does just that he starts his new life
So what happened to Harry after both his journey and the series ended Harry did not go back to Hogwarts for a seventh year
But instead became an order or a Dark Wizard catchin the career
He'd wanted to pursue for many years
And he eventually became head of the order office
Harry also got his name on a chocolate frog card something that is a great honor in the Wizarding World
He eventually got married to the love of his life Ginny Weasley and had three kids
Albus James and Lily he mended his rivalries with both Draco Malfoy and his cousin Dudley Dursley
He and Dudley got their kids together every once in a while Harry
also
Helped race Teddy Lupin the son of one of his dear friends and mentors
Remus Lupin and his wife Nymphadora Tonks who was also great friends with Harry after he defeated, Voldemort
His scar didn't paint him ever again as JK said all was well
Harry story arc is one that will go down in history as one of the best story arcs ever written
Rowling perfectly applied the hero's journey to her incredible book series and showed us
How kind and selfless the hero of our favorite story really is?
Harry always put others before him and never gave up on the ones he loved he cherished each and every one of his friendships and
relationships
Throughout his journey Harry discovered the key to life, and that is love conquers all
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