Nerve Endings Firing Away

I finally finished reading through Potter’s first five chronicles and I must say I was pretty impressed with what I used to label “kiddie books”. MV must be mightily pleased that I have finally converted to Rowling’s religion after she herself read the series for the third time. Little bit of cursory analysis is definitely called for, as is after reading any significant written work.

The Potter series can definitely be divided into two distinct levels — the first three laid the foundation of the things to come and the final two raise the bar on a literary scale. The ensuing deaths of two people in close proximity of the protagonist separate this series from other seemingly utopian kid books. Death is a veritable and integral part of any individual’s life and no kid especially in these times of chaos and terror are far removed from the concept of death. Instead of shielding them from the obvious reality, Rowling is brave enough to push in your face aptly highlighting the worst fear of any person — death of a loved one.

The characters come of age only in book four — The Goblet of Fire, revealing layers of personality that make a complete human. No character, including the trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley is spared the luxury of hiding their insecurities and suffer from bouts of anger, jealousy, impatience and fear, just like any teenager in any part of the world would. The picture-perfect character of Dumbeldore also ultimately breaks down, admitting his own failings near the end of the fifth episode. The magnanimity of life’s tasks or duties is not masked by highlighting some average teenage predicament but rather the problems seem as real as they would to any adult. Grappling with the loss of loved ones, being bemused by the workings of the mind of the opposite sex, and being rendered helpless by inadequacies of your age are just one of the many mind games that we all have endured.

The success of the Potter mania is not in luring kids glued to the computer screen back to the crispy feel of a book but rather in the celebration of the fine art of storytelling. Any character, be it Shakespeare’s’ Macbeth, Dickens’ Oliver Twist, or Puzo’s Vito Corleone has always been the cornerstone of a tale well told. Screenplay Writing 101 definitely must have this advice upfront — etch out your characters first and then weave a story around them. This simple exercise separates the chaff from the grain.

I wouldn’t have admitted this a month back. But I am looking forward to the sixth book — Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. What do you love about Potter?