Nowadays television series have become the primary source of delivering different messages to the viewers, and they also leave 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 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, it is popular not only amongst kids but also among adults, who have liked the series very much; however, it contains many ethical dilemmas. In this study, the objective is to analyze the ethical dilemmas in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (Rowling, 2003).
A Fictional Conflict Built on Ethnic Othering
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 shows a school that is full of evil, and Harry is the one who will save the children who are somewhere totally against reality. The film is based on a 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 good and evil, the good characters are always Harry’s supporters and the evil characters follow Lord Voldemort and advocate principles which are based on racism.
Blood Categories and the Structure of Racial Difference
When concerned with the racial division, it becomes essential to specify the racial divisions in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the series, most of the issues are discussed among the human characters, which include non-magical persons known as Muggles; witches with magical abilities but whose parents are non-magical, known as Muggle-borns; witches who are not Muggles, known as Half-bloods; those with magical abilities, known as Purebloods; and non-magical children, known as Squibs. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, most of the characters subscribe to racist ideologies, which give the idea that racial differentiations are based on composition, blood, or genetics. 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 inconsistencies in blood-type stereotypes.
Pureblood Power and Fabricated Superiority
When analyzing the characters more deeply, then it becomes obvious that blood as a determining factor is just a fabricated feature used to differentiate between the characters in appearance, but it is characterized by racial groups. J. K. Rowling has shown purebloods, such as Draco Malfoy, exhibiting different magical abilities, showing that purebloods can be powerful and a person belonging to a weak background will remain weaker. However, this is totally against ethics because power is never transferred by pure blood, and pure-blooded people can never be proved as superior on the basis of their background, blood, or genetics.
Squibs Muggle-Borns and Social Hierarchy
Also, the pureblooded families may have blood relatives with nonmagical abilities, such as seen in characters at Hogwarts. Such nonmagical persons are shown as Squibs in the film. Also, the Muggle-borns are shown as the infected blood, which is again the symbol of racism. Such verbal abuse becomes physical violence. Similarly, the film shows that Muggle-borns are described as the talented ones. Who can prove that a person who belongs to a specific genetic group or family may or may not be talented? The motive of the racial categories in the film is basically to create a social hierarchy.
How the Film’s Hierarchy Shapes Young Viewers
However, racism is unethical. Because of such films, people get only one concept in mind: that the one who belongs to an important background is powerful. The film is seen not only by children but also by adults, and with the creation of such a movie, the writer has shown that magical power is just in the hands of those 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 characteristics who is considered to be a strong magician. This gives the impression to the children that the world is divided into groups: the real group and the negative group. Similarly, it also gives the idea that a great background gives a powerful and successful future to their generation, which can by no means be the truth.
Malfoy’s Hatred and the Normalization of Discrimination
The film also showed that a few characters, such as Malfoy, show great hatred toward those who are not pure-blooded. This also gives a message to the children that those with lower backgrounds are dirty and they deserve no respect in society. What kind of message is Ms. Rowling giving through this writing? Is she supporting racism or ethnicity, where the children are guided to respect the powerful ones and to hate the weak ones? Such things give rise to beliefs about racial differences and social separation. The harmful treatment towards the half-blood and Muggle-born characters is increasing discrimination amongst people.
The Ethical Cost of Blood-Based Divisions
In short, the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has so many ethical dilemmas, but we have just discussed one. Writers must take great care with 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 that may be harmful to society. Although Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a very beautiful film that is liked by several people, in actuality, the movie is all about racism, magic, ethnicity, group division, and blood relations. This film supports discrimination and racism in society. The study identifies how Rowling has grouped different characters by their blood, and the writer has shown power and magic as abilities of pure-blooded people. This may increase discrimination in society, and so it is entirely unethical (Anony, 2016).
Work Cited
Anony. (2016). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Potter 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 Criticism.
Walters, T. L. (2015). Not So Magical: Issues with Racism, Classism, and Ideology in Harry Potter. NMU Master’s Theses.
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