Nowadays television series have become the primary source of delivering different messages to the viewers, and it also leaves a very deep impact on the audience. That is why it is essential that all television series must be ethically acceptable and must deliver a very positive message to the viewers. In this study, I will discuss the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which is written by J. K. Rowling. Although many people have given very positive reviews about the series and the series is not only popular amongst the kids but also the adults have liked the series so much, but it contain so many ethical dilemmas in it. In this study, the objective is to analyze the ethical dilemmas in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a television series which gives a very different impression of the World in which the limitations and the lines between good and bad are well defined and a young hero, Harry, is the one who can fight with all evils and the dark wizards. In this film, J. K. Rowling has shown a school which is full of evils and Harry is the one who will save the children who are somewhere totally against the reality. The film is based on the fictional world where imagination reveals a society with ethnic othering . If we take a deep analysis of the film, then it will be easier to reveal that the film is entirely constructed on race-based principles. Although the fight between the characters is actually between the good and evil but the good characters are always Harry supporters, and evil characters follow the Lord Voldemort and advocates principles, which is based on the racism.
When concerned with the race division then it becomes essential to specify the racial divisions in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the series, most of the issues are discussed between the human character which includes non-magical persons known as Muggles, witches with magical abilities but whose parents are non-magical are known as Muggle-borns, witches who are not Muggle born are known as Half-bloods, the ones with magical abilities are known as Pureblood, and a non-magical child is known as Squibs. In the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, most of the characters subscribe to the racist ideologies which give the idea that race differentiations are based on the composition, blood, or genetic. The film shows that the person’s magical abilities are based on the blood categories, but this concept is entirely based on the physical fact which, somewhere, distracts from the blood type stereotypes inconsistencies .
When analyzing the characters more deeply, then it becomes obvious that blood as a determining factor is just fabricated feature used to differentiate between the characters in appearance, but it is characterized in racial groups. J. K. Rowling has shown purebloods, such as Draco Malfoy, exhibit different magical abilities are showing that pure-blooded can be powerful and the person belonging to weak background will remain weaker. However, this is totally against the ethics because the power is never transferred by pure blood and pure-blooded can never be proved as superior on the base of his background, blood, or genetic.
Also, the pureblooded families may have blood relatives with nonmagical abilities, such as seen in characters Hogwarts. Such nonmagical persons are shows as Squibs in the film. Also, the Muggles-borns show as the infected blood which is again the symbol of racism. Such verbal abuse becomes the physical violence. Similarly, the film shows that a Muggle-borns are described as the talented ones. Who can prove that the person who belongs to specific genetic or the family may or may not be talented? The motive of the race categories in the film is basically to create a social hierarchy.
However, the racism is unethical. Because of such films, the people get only one concept in mind that the one who belongs to the important background is powerful. The film is seen not only by the children but also by the adults and with the creation of such movie the writer has shown that the magical power is just in the hands who are pure blooded and the ones who are not pure-blooded are different and will remain different because they belong to different blood. Harry is the one with the positive or good characters who are considered to be strong and magicians. This gives an impression to the children that the world is divided into the groups, real group, and the negative group. Similarly, it also gives an idea that the great background gives a powerful and successful future to their generation which can, no mean, be the truth .
The film also showed that few characters, such as Malfoy, show a great hate to the ones who are not pure-blooded this also gives a message to the children that the ones with lower background are dirty and they deserve no respect in the society. What kind of message is Mr. Rowling giving by this writing? Is he supporting to the racism or ethnicity where the children are guided to respect the powerful ones and to hate the weak ones? Such things give rise to the beliefs about the race differences and social separation. The harmful treatment towards the half-blood and Muggle-born characters are increasing the discrimination amongst the people.
In short, the film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is having so many ethical dilemmas but we have just discussed the only one. The writers must very much care about the content when writing anything regarding any society or any topic. Nowadays television series and films are leaving a very deep impact on the thinking of the people, and one must not publish anything which may be harmful to the society. Although Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a very beautiful film which is liked by several people in actual the movie is all about racism, magic, ethnicity, group division, and blood relations. This film is supporting the discrimination and racism in the society. The study identifies that how the Rowling has grouped different characters by their blood and the writer has shown the power and magic as the abilities of the pure-blooded people. This may increase the discrimination in the society, and so it is entirely unethical .
Work Cited
Anony. (2016). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. HarryPotter Series Wiki .
Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. David Heyman.
Steveker, L. (2016). Heroism in the Harry Potter Series. Literary Critisism .
Walters, T. L. (2015). Not So Magical: Issues with Racism, Classism, and Ideology in Harry Potter. NMU Master’s Theses .
