Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

There is not much I can say about the Harry Potter series that hasn’t already been said thousands of times by people much more eloquent than me. But, I still want to put down a few of my thoughts as anyone who knows me is familiar with the fact that how much this entire series by J.K. Rowling means to me.

The first book introduces both you and Harry Potter to a magical world for the first time in a very smooth and comfortable fashion gradually taking you deep into the realms of the magical world. Harry Potter’s life is miserable. He has lost his parents when he was only one year old and since then he is stuck with his mean-spirited relatives, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son Dudley, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs providing only the bare minimum requirements for survival. He has had a normal childhood, but strange things seem to happen to him at times. And then at the edge of his eleventh birthday, he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself which is known to everyone except for himself. A mysterious visitor named Rubeus Hagrid rescues him from his relatives and informs him that he is a wizard and that he has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Thus begins an adventure, in a new world away from the eyes of Muggles (non-magic folk), with new friends and rivals, and perhaps even an enemy Harry didn’t know he had made the moment he was born.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. Once he reaches Hogwarts, Harry realizes that even within the wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the wizarding world, only to vanish, powerless, after failing to kill Harry ten years ago. Amongst Harry’s first-year adventures are making new friends (Hagrid, Ron, and Hermione), standing up to the torments of school bully (Draco Malfoy), bearing unfair wrath of Potions Master Professor Snape who seems to hate him for reasons unknown, becoming a seeker in Quidditch team, coming across Mirror of Erised, exploring the mysterious rooms and hallways of the school, facing trolls and three-headed beast, etc.

Though Harry’s first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a Sorcerer’s stone (which has the power to turn things into gold and make humans immortal) hidden within the castle walls, and with a certain unavoidable chain of events, Harry finds himself along with Ron and Hermione unraveling its mystery and prevent it from falling into hands of Lord Voldemort (who is desperately searching for means to regain his strength and power). But doing so brings him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined. Of course, Harry wins and is able to save the stone, but Voldemort is not defeated forever.

Full of lively and relatable characters, wildly imaginative situations and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come. J.K. Rowling’s conversational and simple style of writing sparks the reader’s imagination and allow them to relate to the characters on a very impassioned level. Rowling sure has a good humor wit and will leave you chuckling on various pages. She makes up her world in your mind, and you just need to curl up inside and wish you never had to come out of it, ever.

 

Everyone, both younger and older readers, can find a message in this novel or a proof of its value as something more than just a magical tale for children.

And Rowling has indeed used the unreal magic to showcase the real magic that surrounds us all in our mundane lives. It makes you believe, for a split second, that there indeed is magic within us all. This book shows a few such instances. 

Like the love of a mother (that saved Harry from Lord Voldemort, not once, but twice).

“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 mother’s 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. It is in your very skin.”

Or the value of friendship.

“Me!” said Hermione. “Books and cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery.”

“There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

Or something that we all love and sometimes fail to appreciate its magic!

“Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!”

 Or a few words of wisdom.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”

There is definitely a lot that can be picked up from this book of magic and its world.

What does it mean to be true to yourself? What does it mean to be a friend? What does it mean to work hard for what you want? What does it mean to be kind, brave, and honest? Sometimes, as adults, we get so caught up in “adulting” that we forget these simple things. We feel the world owes us; we feel we know everything. Let me tell you, dear reader -- young or old, man or woman, black, brown or white -- Harry Potter can teach you a thing or two, if you let him. 

I have read Harry Potter as a kid, as a teen, and as an adult. And it has had its effect on me each time. It has always comforted me. It takes you on a dreamy journey full of adventures, great friends, great food, a spectacular castle for a school, and a few learnings along the way. Do give it a chance and I promise, you won’t be disappointed.