To Kill a Mockingbird and Harry Potter, An Examination of Character Development |
 Aug 17 2008, 02:25 PM
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Doctor Filibuster's Junior Assistant  Posts: 1,963 Joined: 8:57am March 12, 2005 Location: at Home or somewhere in between   |
Knowing the ending of a book often gives me a lot of opportunity to examine the motivations and actions of the characters before they get there. JK Rowling has said that she always knew what happened to Harry at the end, and for an author, my guess is that really frees you for filling in the "in-between" spaces with the messages which you are trying bring across.
In reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I've been more interested in how and why this book was listed as one of JKR's favorites. Her work with Amnesty International came to mind rather quickly, but it is my guess that her working for AI was highly influenced by reading this book. Seeing that injustice and prejudice is "alive and well" - even so many years after this book was published, indicates that we as people have a long way to go as Atticus predicts (to Jem) after Atticus lost his "slam dunk" case (page: 220 Grand Central Publishing paperback) QUOTE "Then go up to Montgomery and change the law." "You'd be surprised how hard that'd be. I won't live to see the law changed, and if you live to see it you'll be an old man. Earlier on, I started wondering if To Kill a Mockingbird wasn't the most influential books that gave birth, so to speak, to Harry Potter. When I came upon the following quote, I couldn't help but smile to myself and almost fell to the floor: (p 216) QUOTE "Well I'm gonna be a new kind of clown. I'm gonna stand in the middle of the ring and laugh at the folks. Just looka yonder," he pointed. "Every one of 'em ought to be ridin' broomsticks. Aunt Rachel already does." bold mineCould Rowling have taken that statement as a challenge?  As I started remembering back, this was something that Dill had already mentioned about his Aunt Rachel: (p. 214)QUOTE Dill sighed patiently. "I told her till I was blue in the face where I was goin' - she's seein' too many snakes in the closet. Bet that woman drinks a pint for breakfast every morning - know she drinks two glasses full. Seen her." Does this description sound like anyone familiar to the Harry Potterverse? I wonder - maybe I should consult my crystal ball  . Can you find any other vague or striking similarities between the characters that populate the Mockingbird and Potter Verses? Please limit each post to one short quotation and explanation so that everyone could get a turn and "have their say". 
This post has been edited by momwitch: Aug 17 2008, 02:26 PM -------------------- Avatar made with Poser 6 and Photoshop Elements
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