Rating:
G
House:
HP InkPot
Genres:
Essay
Era:
Unspecified Era
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:
Published: 05/08/2007
Updated: 05/08/2007
Words: 2,405
Chapters: 1
Hits: 573

Of the Same Coin

kowaiyoukai

Story Summary:
This essay discusses the differences between Gryffindor and Slytherin, as well as the system of placing students into houses using the sorting hat.

Chapter 01

Posted:
05/08/2007
Hits:
573


Harry Potter is a complex book series that deals predominantly with explaining the life of Harry, a young wizard. Throughout the series, Harry must face various obstacles in order to defeat his nemesis, Voldemort. The first obstacle he must face, though, is one of the toughest choices any person must make. It's the Sorting Hat, which is the object used to sort the newest students into their respective houses. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. The books state various words in connection with each house, and those words are key to understanding the people in each house. The words used to describe Gryffindor in the books are brave, daring, nerve, chivalry, bold, just, and loyal. Ravenclaw is described as being wise, witty, able to learn, fair, clever, and having a ready mind. Those sorted into Hufflepuff are just, loyal, true, unafraid of toil, sweet, and hard workers. Finally, Slytherins are shrewd, power-hungry, ambitious, cunning, and they use any means to achieve their ends.

When Harry places the Sorting Hat on his head, the Hat tells him he would do well in Slytherin. However, Harry had heard awful things about Slytherin House, and so he told it to put him in Gryffindor. The Hat asked if he was sure, and Harry said he was. This is important because how the Sorting Hat chooses what House for each child remains mysterious. The only clue the reader gets of what goes on to sort people are the rather short scenes in the first, fourth, and fifth books. So what does the Sorting Hat do? Does it let each child decide?

The Hat wanted to put Harry in Slytherin, and Harry declined. So each child does have some sort of power over which house s/he will be in. The important thing to remember is that this is the first time Harry gets to choose anything in the books. He doesn't have any control over his parents' deaths, his childhood, or his schooling. Now, he gets to choose what kind of person he wants to be.

I think the Sorting Hat is just an alternative way of mapping out your life. Each of the four houses has a general personality that is attributed to it, thanks to the words Rowling uses to describe each of them. Gryffindors are all courageous. They are the type of people who will run into a burning building to save a kitten. They are also the type of people who will break school rules and get caught. If you're a Gryffindor, you can expect to be the kind of person that everyone wants to be friends with. Gryffindors remind me of the popular kids in high school. Then there's the Ravenclaws. Ravenclaws are all extremely intelligent, and they will go to any length to increase their knowledge. They love to learn, and they desperately want to make straight A's. Ravenclaws are the geeks in high school. The Hufflepuffs are all friendly and hard-working. They would rather make peace then fight with anyone, and they are not afraid to work hard for what they want. They would be the kids who don't stand out in high school. Slytherins are ambitious and cunning. They are under-handed, deceitful, intentionally cruel, and also misunderstood. However, unlike the Gryffindors, they never get caught breaking the rules. Slytherins are like the bullies and loners in high school.

So here we have Harry Potter, savior of the world, and the Sorting Hat wants to put him in Slytherin. Gasp and other noises of shock ensue from the audience. Harry can't be placed in Slytherin House because it's evil, and so Harry is placed instead in Gryffindor, where he belongs. I think there is a lot more going on here than what the reader is led to believe.

Gryffindor and Slytherin are the two houses that seem most at odds with each other. Why, then, are they the two houses that Harry is torn between? I believe Rowling is giving us an interesting look at a normal person's psyche. On the one hand, you have Gryffindor. It is the house of all things noble, brave, and good. It only makes sense that you would want your hero to be placed in Gryffindor. On the other hand, you have Slytherin. It is the house of sinners. Only those who lie, cheat, and steal in order to get what they want are placed there. It seems contrary to assume that half of Harry belongs in Gryffindor and half in Slytherin. Yet that's what Rowling wants us to believe.

I think there is a nice metaphor for the average person here. Most people would like to believe that they are inherently good. People like to think of themselves as being brave, kind, and willing to help out those in need. Regardless of their actual personalities, people do not want to think of themselves as being cunning and devious. Why is that? What is it about people that makes them fear being Slytherin?

Once again, the words used to describe Slytherin are shrewd, power-hungry, ambitious, cunning, and they use any means to achieve their ends. Shrewd people tend to be astute and insightful. They are able to quickly grasp any concept that is given to them, and they are also able to uncover any secrets being kept from them. This trait is the extremely similar to Ravenclaws. Power-hungry and ambitious both imply a person who is highly motivated to succeed in life. Cunning people are able to plan a way out of any situation that works to their own advantage. The last statement is that they use any means to achieve their ends. This suggests that they will always look out for themselves first, and pity the person who stands in their way. The overall impression of a Slytherin is someone who wants to do well in life, who is almost never tricked or deceived, and who is able to make even the worst situations work to their advantage. It seems to me that a being a Slytherin is not a flaw, but an asset. They look out for themselves first, true. Who can blame them in today's society? Slytherins are clearly a product of modern life. They are very hard to deceive, yet they are able to trick others. This seems to be a very useful talent to have, especially given the selfish nature of our world.

People tend to look down on this type behavior, even though it is beneficial to participate in and most people do act this way. A man who looks out only for himself is said to be selfish and unkind. Maybe he is. However, it stands to reason that factors in his life have made him that way. No one is born knowing how to lie to people well. It's a talent that takes years of practice. The fact that many children are sorted into Slytherin at age eleven is disturbing. How were these kids treated, if they are already so disillusioned with life? How is the home life of the average Slytherin? Rowling never lets the reader know. The closest we come to knowing a home life of a Slytherin is Draco Malfoy.

Draco is a rich, spoiled brat who is unbearably cruel to Harry. He torments everyone he can by using their weaknesses against them. The only thing we know of his home life is that his father, Lucius, is Voldemort's right-hand man. Even his mother, Narcissa, is a mystery. Draco is racist and cruel. He's also incredibly jealous of Harry, and would do anything to have as much power as Harry has. He sees in Harry everything that he lacks in himself, and he can't help but hate him. There are few other characters we know from Slytherin House. Pansy Parkinson is petty and enjoys feeling superior to others. Theodore Nott is a loner who never says anything. Also, he can see thestrals, which only happens if you have seen someone die. Blaise Zabini is a mystery, as well as most other Slytherin characters. The only two that have any sort of distinct personality are Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Yet their lives consist of fighting and eating. It seems that Rowling wants the reader to have a negative view of Slytherin House.

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum is Gryffindor House. The words used here were brave, daring, nerve, chivalry, bold, just, and loyal. Brave, bold, and daring people are the fearless, heroic types who save others in distress. Most courageous people run blindly into danger, without any thought for their own well-being. Nerve also describes the guts and spirit that Gryffindors are known for. Chivalry is, of course, the graciousness and good manners that come from being kind to others. Just and loyal are the only words that are repeated in another description, which is Hufflepuff. These people are trustworthy and steadfast. They're extremely devoted to their friends and family, and they always try to do the right thing in every situation. In short, Gryffindors tend to be people who are reckless, yet exceedingly loyal to their friends. They want everything to be fair in the world, and their goal is to make things that way.

This is the kind of behavior that people applaud. People want to see someone heroic doing something to make the world a better place. They like to think that they could also be courageous, if only given the chance to prove themselves. People also like to believe that they always try to do the right thing. Regardless of the circumstances, most people believe that the law is always right, and that justice must be served no matter what. The obvious example of a Gryffindor is Harry Potter, yet he is far from being the average Gryffindor.

Harry is the emotionally inept hero who only wants to be 'normal'. He tries to befriend people, yet his fame gets in the way of forming true friendships with anyone. The only two exceptions are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Hermione is an intelligent witch who should have been in Ravenclaw. She looks out for her friends and is always willing to help solve the latest problem. Ron is the youngest son in a series of six. He is constantly jealous of the attention Harry gets, but he also looks out for Harry and considers him to be his best friend. The view readers get of Gryffindor is that it is full of fun, excitement, and good friends.

Obviously, Rowling has put her own prejudices into the books when she created the houses. Gryffindor and Slytherin, in particular, are too often labeled as good and evil, instead of as two different personality types. However, at the beginning, she did have Harry caught between the two. I think that most people are caught between the two for a good portion of their life. You can try to do right, and yet you still end up being selfish. You can think you're brave until you're panicking during a fire. Similarly, people believe they are cunning until they are outwitted. You can want to succeed and still procrastinate. The point is that everyone has both sides in themselves, and it's only time and personal choices that make you who you are.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Harry and Draco are two halves of the same whole. You can't have one without the other. They complete each other. A person who only thinks about others is likely to wind up being used and abused by everyone he meets. Likewise, a person who only looks out for himself is going to end up old and alone. People who aren't able to see through lies will believe everything they hear. Yet people who are too shrewd will wind up not trusting anyone. A person who indulges too much in life's pleasures will not do anything worthwhile. Of course, a person who focuses too much on succeeding will miss out on all life has to offer. I think the only way a person can lead a fulfilling life is to combine all of these elements into a shade of gray, instead of the clear-cut black and white most people see by.

The fact that Rowling has her characters go through this choice at such a young age is an indicator of how she wants us to view each person. Yes, Harry would have done well in Slytherin. He still chose Gryffindor, didn't he? He wants to be a good person, just like everyone else. Yet the thought that he could have been in Slytherin, that the Sorting Hat wanted to place him in Slytherin, haunts him throughout all the books. He knows he is straddling the line of good and evil, and it scares him. Most people would be frightened if they let themselves think about how often they sacrificed what was right for others for what was convenient for their own sake. In fact, most people don't even let themselves think about it. They apologize and say they'll try to do better next time.

What if they can't do better next time? Is there really something wrong with that? I think that people are too focused on doing what's right. Not to say that people should break the law, but they should at least think before they act. There is nothing wrong with looking out for yourself, as long as no one else is severely injured by doing so. Certainly, it is only reasonable that if you don't look after yourself, no one else will either.

In closing, I do think that Slytherins are highly misunderstood. However, I think people misunderstand that part of themselves that Slytherin represents. Everyone likes to think of themselves as brave, intelligent, and friendly. No one wants to admit how selfish they can be. Yet Rowling has shown us aspects of ourselves that don't conflict with each other. They're meant to complement one another. If there was no Harry, Draco wouldn't have anything to measure himself against. If Draco didn't exist, Harry would have nothing to strive for. Likewise, a person cannot function as just a Gryffindor or a Slytherin. Both sides complete the picture of a normal, healthy, functioning human being. Everyone is ready to accept that they are a Gryffindor. Who's ready to accept that they're just as much a Slytherin?