Arete's Need for Unity

While I was plodding through part of my Greek bibliography reading today, I came across a quote that was truly beautiful. It succinctly expressed why I believe Plato was really on the something in his dialogues. I know he was far from perfect, but he made many true discoveries about the soul and the good life.

"I think it is very reasonable to impute to Plato the belief, in this sense, that the moral life is a unity, and that the point of entry into the understanding of it is a grasp of what things are truly rewarding to the man whose spiritual constitution approximates, as closely as that of an embodied soul can approximate, to the true nature of the soul. In that case it will be the pursuit of those things that will deserve the title 'living well', and no more concrete account of living well, can, in face of the variation and complexity of the human predicament, be given; that pursuit, and nothing but that pursuit will be arete."

~I. M. Crombie

Dark Night of Potter's Soul

Harry Potter is desperate for something, anything about what's going on in the wizarding world. And he's getting angry. Very angry.

Thus J. K. Rowling's multi-billion dollar character begins his fifth adventure as a young wizard. And he's not finding it an easy one - no indeed. In her fifth novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Rowling breaks completely new ground for her popular hero. She moves out of the black and white areas she has previously dwelt in and begins to ask questions far beyond the depth of her first four books and of most modern fiction.

This novel is the first where Harry looks inside his own soul and is frightened by what he sees. Harry realizes that Voldemort is not the only person who can be filled with evil; he sees that he himself can be just as destructive as the Dark Lord. In his anger, resentment, and confusion, Harry lashes out at everyone nearest him, whether it results in a detention from Dolores Umbridge or a wounded relationship with Ron and Hermione. Rowling does an excellent job of keeping her plot genuine, though. The tension in Phoenix is very real: has Harry defeated Lord Voldemort multiple times only to succumb to the evil within himself? And though Harry pulls through, it's a close enough call that it sobers readers.

In addition, Rowling throws a curve-ball with her portrayal of Harry's role models, particularly Sirius Black. Up to this point in the novel, they have been upheld unquestioningly. But in Order of the Phoenix, we see faults in all three of Harry's most respected heroes. His father, James Potter, was every bit the bully Severus Snape said. Dumbledore mistakenly distances himself from Harry, trying to help him, but merely weaking Harry's resolve. And Sirius Black acts almost as a mirror to Harry; he too is consumed by discontented anger and frustration. In many ways, he inflames Harry's fury and bitterness with his own. Rowling makes Harry and his faithful readers examine their motivations for doing things. Just because Sirius approves, Hermione warns Harry, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry learns to recognize the flaws in the men loves most and to act in accordance with his discoveries.

In short, despite a tacked-on flirtation between Harry and Cho Chang which was nothing more than an embarrassing waste of precious time, I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In it, Rowling moved into deeper waters and, I was a bit surprised to see, swam quite well.

And, as a teaser, I'll tell you now that her backstroke is quite engaging in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. :-)

Potter Grows Up: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth novel in J. K. Rowling's smash hit series, has a task as challenging as the Triwizard Tournament it describes. Up to this point, the books have had a strong episodic flavor. They do show some growth of character, but on the whole each tale tastes of Nancy Drew; mystery, adventure, ultimate success, friendships remain the same, enemies become more hateful, humorous characters stay comical. But in Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter, his friends, and his enemies really begin to develop and mature. The elusive Professor Snape is more perplexing than ever. Most telling of all, Professor Dumbledore no longer seems the perfect wizard he once did - he too makes mistakes which can prove fatal. This is the pubescent novel of the series. And like any other modern young teenager, it has quite a few struggles which it work through with moderate success.

To begin with, the novel definitely drags in spots. Twice the size of its predecessors, Goblet of Fire takes a little too much time to say what it wants to. The plot is definitely more complex, but some things - like Hermione's SPEW - tend to break down the dramatic unity of the story. Like many adolescents I know, Goblet struggles to communicate succinctly the ideas which are beginning to form inside itself.

And Goblet does begin to develop some really important ideas. Harry begins to face the major issue in his friendship with Ron Weasley: Harry's fame. Also, unlike the previous three, it really makes Harry face some of the realities of adult life. A good friend and excellent student at Hogwarts is murdered in front of Harry's own eyes, a traumatic event which drives the plot of the Order of the Phoenix. Lord Voldemort returns in the flesh and nearly kills Harry himself. And though the full weight of these adult cares has not yet fallen upon Harry, Rowling begins to place a more serious and mature burden upon her young hero.

There are, however, definitely some belabored plot threads. For instance, the numerous love triangles waste plot space and feel distinctly out of place. I know many people think my response to such "crushes" - or whatever you want to call them - is hard and unsympathetic. I crave their pardon for thinking it slightly nauseating that a 14 year-old boy can't focus because a girl has entered the room.

On the whole, I thought Rowling did a decent job of leading Harry Potter through adolescence. In the process, she created a book which went through the very same struggles its titular character did. Somewhat awkward, not quite mature but struggling to be so, a bit rambling but good-natured - these are the types of things which best describe Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.