In J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the protagonist, Harry, is todays modern hero. The film of Harry Potter is the common tale of good vs. evil, with the good and evil in the story being completely obvious. Voldemort, Harrys adversary, intends to kill Harry because, as their prophecy, another element of mythology, foretold, `neither can live while the other survives.` However, when good meets evil (Harry meets Voldemort) in the novel, good prevails both times; which is a very cliche concept.
The need to find acceptance and a place where he belongs is a driving force for Harry. He has come to the realization that he is different, and that theres a possibility that there are people like him somewhere else in the world….
He then refuses this call when he tells Hagrid, `I think you must have made a mistake. I dont think I can be a wizard.` He receives supernatural aid from Hagrid, who is really just an extension of Dumbledore, the predetermined caretaker of Harry Potter when Harrys parents died. The death of Harrys parents actually becomes a symbol and extended metaphor. His mothers love becomes a form of protection for him, because she sacrificed herself for Harry, out of love; the same love that continues to protect Harry throughout the novel. Harry crosses the first threshold when he enters Diagon Alley for the first time. Diagon Alley is considered the root of the wizardry world, this is where every wizard keeps their money, buys the necessities for wizarding, and where everything that is associated with wizards is found. The Belly of the Whale stage is often seen as the `initiation` into the new world. Harrys initiation is when he first enters Hogwarts and is sorted into Gryffindor, one of the four houses at Hogwarts. In Harrys overall Journey, Harry learns the entire prophecy. This new knowledge transforms Harrys identity so that he now sees himself as a `marked man;` he feels separate and apart from the rest of Hogwarts (or the rest of the world, for that matter), and most…
However, Harrys trials arent in order with the steps of the heros journey, theyre closer to the end of the novel. Harrys trials are the enchantments that are guarding the Philosophers Stone. These consist of, Fluffy, the three-headed dog (another mythological archetype that will be discussed later in this essay), the `Devils Snare,` deathly vines that constrict like boa constrictors around its captors, which is symbolic for the hardships that Harry has been and will be going through in the future. Others include enchanted keys intended to kill anything that attempts to disrupt their purpose of guarding a door, and finally a life-size Wizards Chess board in which Harry and his two friends were to become actual players…
