Harry Potter and the Search for an Alternate Reality

Like so many others my age, the Harry Potter series had a major impact on my childhood and early adult life.  Although I read and explored other books and forms of media as a child, few have had as lasting an impression as the Harry Potter series.  In these novels, J.K. Rowling establishes a new reality in which both young readers and adults alike can easily escape their worlds, bonding together through this experience.  I distinctly remember the series helping me deal with the loneliness of being an only child raised by a single mother.  I recall many nights reading the Harry Potter books as my mother worked late in the basement, with Harry and Hermione and Ron and the whole wizarding world to keep me company. 

I feel as if this is a common occurrence within the community of Harry Potter fans.  Harry himself is introduced as an abandoned child waiting for a home.  I’ve gathered that many people my age feel alienated by their status as millennials, or whatever we’re supposed to be called these days.  And though these realizations are establishing themselves later in our lives, as we struggle to relate to technology and as well as members of others generations whose daily lives differed so much from ours not so long ago, the foundations of this confusion rests in our childhoods.  The Harry Potter series offered an alternate world where kids could establish a safe space, feel included, and not worry about the failing romances of their parents or the immediate effects of a failing economy. 

I have noticed that my fondness for Harry Potter has faded throughout the years.  I’ve gone from re-reading every book three times to not even watching the final movie, as it was released during a transition of maturity in my life where I sought the solace the books gave me in other forms of art and literature.  However, I feel nostalgic as I reminisce about reading the books—even whilst writing this blog post, I’m texting a friend to see if she wants to watch one of the movies later tonight. I still maintain an understanding of just how powerful the world of Harry Potter can be to a child, young adult, or mature adult, as it profoundly affected my life in a positive way and taught me a great deal about human relationships and literature as a medium.