Harry Potter's Appeal to the Muggles

Since the news first broke in our local paper that "Harry Has Returned!" Harry Potter has been hugely popular in my area and throughout the world. Children small enough to need to rest the giant tomes on their knees to be able to hold them up are devouring everything related to Harry Potter with gusto. Yesterday, we went to the local library and found that several Harry Potter inspired bands were playing, and adults were walking around dressed in full wizard garb. Clearly Harry Potter is meeting some critical need for people of all ages, but why?

The Everyman Theory

One pervasive theme in literature throughout the ages, from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain to the most recent Stephen King novel, is the fact that characters feel and think like the reader. As different as a character may be from the reader, there are inevitably some similarities. It is difficult to query your cohorts and friends to determine precisely what they are thinking or feeling, and you cannot guarantee truthfulness in their responses (in fact, one could counter that you can almost guarantee the opposite). So it is via literature that we determine that others have the same neuroses, the same feelings, the same insecurities, the same base experiences as we do.

Harry Potter proves no different. Adults consume the Harry Potter books because they remind them of what it was like to be a teenager. Even if your high school experiences didn't include giant basilisks or broomsticks, Harry Potter and his friends come across as very real, very typical teenagers. Amidst the rising of the Dark Lord, the children in Harry Potter are still worried about whether so-and-so has noticed them, or whether they'll get to go to the dance as a part of a couple. This is little different from teenagers of any era. Though there are certainly socially and culturally conscious teenagers, their worries about the plight of the elk in Alaska or the war in Iraq sometimes take backseat to first kisses and fights with friends. Adults like to be reminded of this. Teenagers like to know that their experiences are totally normal. If Harry Potter, Wizard Boy, with all of the power available to him, can have these concerns, their concerns seem considerably less absurd.

Fantastical World

Harry Potter's world is one that sits along side of the "real" world, hidden but always there, watching. People have always been fascinated with that which is not real. Just as much as people like to see the characters in literature going through the same issues that they are facing, they also like to step outside of their boring, humdrum lives. Science fiction and fantasy have been favorites of people since the dawn of time. It provides an escape for people whose lives all too often more closely resemble that of the Dursleys than that of Harry Potter and friends. When your entertainment consists of pushing papers and watching parakeets ski on the evening news, flying horses and trees that fight back seem a bit more exciting, even if they come alongside of instant-kill spells and painful potions.

The Little Guy

Whether you're the janitor or a CEO, there's always someone in a position of authority over you, and that person might not always be the greatest or nicest person in the world. There are lots of ills in society, and it's hard not to want to beat the system sometimes, especially when the system seems particularly absurd or cruel. Harry Potter is in the unique situation of being able to do something about these problems, and people who have always wanted to take a stand against something bigger and meaner than they are stood up to cheer Harry Potter on. When Harry Potter, despite insurmountable odds, is able to overcome all levels of adversity. From his aunt and uncle, to bullies, to evildoers bent on taking over the world, Harry Potter wins. He might lose a lot in the process, but he has the guts and the wherewithal to stand up for himself, which is something that almost everyone wishes that they were able to do better.

Overview

Harry Potter and his band of wizard friends meet a lot of psychological needs for people, and his popularity has skyrocketed as a result. Although he's just like you or me, or anyone we meet in the streets, he has the power and drive necessary to make things work for him. He lives in a fantastical world, so different from our own, yet sitting right beside it. It's little wonder that the Harry Potter series was able to rise through the ranks to become the superstar of the new century.