Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
Rowling’s book describes every child’s tribulation they can go through in becoming an individual, learning loyalty, making choices that influence their lives, having a purpose for their lives and gaining respect from their peers. The story is based on a young boy whose transformation from a forgotten orphan into a distinguished individual and later into a hero represents the hopes of many children worldwide. There are several themes in the story, they are: humility, rebellion, love, choice, friendship. The most significant is love, humility and choice.
Harry is humble and it is one primary trait that differentiates him from other characters in the book. Despite his reputation as the boy who lived and won a Quidditch match for his team in his debut, he maintains his humility (Rowling). He maintains a modest personality throughout the novel. The attention he receives at school makes him uncomfortable and insecure and does not feel worthy enough to be worthy of such an esteemed reputation. His humility can be traced back to his neglected childhood while living with the Dursleys (Scarpins). He was always treated as an ordinary person and thus thought himself to be just ordinary. This is probably due to the fact that he grew up with normal folk, commonly referred to as muggles, without anything special that made them stand out. He grew up with the understanding that respect is earned. If he had grown up in a wizarding world he would have developed different virtues that could have made him proud and arrogant. The virtue of humility is significant in the end of the story when Harry is able to retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone from the Mirror of Erised, because he only thought of helping other people (Sparknotes).
Works cited
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Pottermore Limited, 2012. Internet source
Scarpins, R. Robert. The themes of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scarpnotes, 2013. Internet source. http://potter-scarpnotes.djmed.net/sorcerers/hpscarpthemes1.html
SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/harrypotter/themes.html>.
