So, I’m finally sitting down to write my blog for the
fourth book. I finished reading it a few weeks ago and have been holding back
from starting the next book. I’ve not been motivated much to read the fourth
book, nor to write my post for it. I think it’s because it is my least
favourite book of the series. Even before the series was complete, I didn’t
like book 4. It might be the “middle-child-syndrome” or in this case the
“middle-book-syndrome”. There are many elements in this book that I simply
don’t care for much. Let’s explore!
First off, Rowling deviates from her usual introduction.
This time we start with Voldy right off the bat. Here we learn of Voldemort’s
first killings, probably his parents, which ripped his soul a couple time and
allowed him to create two horcruxes. We also learn that Voldemort was surviving
off milk from Nagini, a rather odd fact that is also ironic seeing as he is
actually feeding off of one of his horcruxes. I guess we can say he put in
place some sort of insurance policy by using Nagini as a horcruxe. Again, this
is probably nothing important, but I simply read into it way too much. But you
never know!
We first encounter Harry in this book when he is awoken
from a very lifelike dream, depicting the exact seen we had witnessed with Voldemort.
This time Harry’s scar burns when Frank Bryce is murdered. Voldemort is gaining
strength; therefore his connection to Harry is only made stronger. Things are
getting real, and fast!
Let’s talk about Sirius. It is amazing how the previous
book’s “villain” has turned into a good guy that becomes an asset to the
protagonist. I guess Sirius has some major caching up on his god-fatherly
duties, seeing as Harry is already 14! Nonetheless, I think he’s off to a great
start in this book. It’s nice for Harry to have an outlet and a confident, of
sorts, that he can share his plans and questions with, no matter how
rule-breaking they might seem. Sirius is in a neutral position (not a teacher
or headmaster) with relation to Harry. He can therefore advise him, free of any
restraints brought on by his position.
Now, the inevitable, the Quiddich World Cup! I’m going to
steal a page from Mario’s book now and talk about world building. The vastness
of the Wizarding world dawns on Harry for the first time. Rowling really adds a
new dimension to the world she has created and expands it to the entire globe!
There are wizards in other countries and they have incredibly complex
gatherings. Even for the readers, this is quite the realization. Beforehand,
the wizarding world seemed somewhat limited to Hogwarts, the train and a few
wizarding households in England. I think the Quiddich World Cup was the perfect
event to allow the author to communicate the vastness of the wizarding
community and to show the reader just how similar some of their ways were to
those of Muggles, to a certain point, of course. Expanding a world, all while
making the reader feel more connected to this new world. Home run for J.K. on
that one! On a side note, I find it odd that Mrs. Weasley does not go to the
World Cup. I can’t think of any reason she stayed home, the entire family was
at the event. Surely she could have been portrayed as more than a housewife?
Another world-building element is the introduction of the
Dark Mark and the Death-Eaters. Now the author materializes the villain’s
surroundings. Like I said, things are getting real. Before hand, we had only
heard stories of what life was like when the Dark Lord was all-mighty, now we’re
getting a feel for it. Although it is not particularly enjoyable, it is every
bit necessary to the plot.
One of the most unnecessary elements of the book in my
opinion is Hermione’s House-elf Slavery activist activities. It seemed
pointless throughout, not to mention it didn’t solve nor lead to anything. I
find it odd that Hermione has never had any aversion to adapting to the
wizarding world, seeing as she seemed to always find an explanation for
everything. Was she unable to find any decent justification for the house-elves
enslavement? Can it really be called enslavement when the work is done
willingly? I just feel that this plot line was trying to mimic a sad page of
our own history and hoping to teach us a lesson on the topic. Unfortunately, I
feel that goal was unreached. The plot-line could have been developed more
thoroughly, but I still feel it was ill-placed in this series. Maybe Rowling
was trying to find a pet-project for Hermione, give her something to work on,
seeing as Moody and Sirius were more than helpful to Harry this year.
There was however a mystery Hermione was able to solve on
her own and that was the Rita Skeeter bugging! That Rita is quite the
character, not to mention meddler and instigator! She brings a touch of humour
to the story, all while serving as a great catalyst for many situations. She
sparks rumours and creates friction between characters. I see this as
preliminary tests of the trio’s friendship. They will be facing many more
trials, all more dangerous and threatening that those they will be put up
against in this book. In a way, Rita taught them to stick with one another, as
opposed to letting outside influences weaken their bonds. She was the
preliminary round.
So J.K. worked a lot on world expansion in this book.
After the Quidditch World Cup comes the Triwizard Tournament. This time, she
expands on a closer, more relatable fact. There is more than one magical
teaching institution, cementing the fact that wizards are all over the place.
The World Cup opened Harry’s eyes and mind to this fact, but now it must be sinking
in as there are physically students from other schools present at Hogwarts for
a legendary bonding event. I love how this event serves different purposes,
depending on the person. For Voldemort, it’s the perfect occasion to infiltrate
Hogwarts by means of a mole in the shape of Moody. Taking advantage of the fact
that the Defence Against the Dark Arts post has been most unsteady since he
first used it to get closer to Harry in his first year (Quirrel). For
Dumbledore, it is the perfect event to allow the students to forge ties with
the extended wizarding community. He often emphasizes the importance of working
together in this book. Does he sense something? Is he aware the Dark Lord is
gaining strength? If not, he sure accepts the facts and knows it is a
possibility. Ever so wise that Albus! Also, by expanding so much on the world
in this book, the author sets the scene for the remainder of the series. Things
will start happening on a greater scale and will not be limited to the confines
of Hogwarts.
Let’s talk about Moody. We are introduced to a new
Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, yet again. Right off the bat, we have
a feeling we will like this guy, seeing as Lupin was just as odd and turned out
to be a great guy. I mean Moody is an ex-auror, what more convincing do we
need? All throughout the book, he helps Harry and seems to be good. Boy were we
in for a surprise when the character we so loved turns out to be a fraud! Not
to mention the brilliantly simple way he used to fool everyone: Polyjuice potion,
a concoction not so mysterious to most and whose uses are endless. The author
nailed the Barty Crouch Jr. and Moody duality. She introduces two characters in
one, somewhat. We already know of Wormtail returning to his master, but surely
there is someone else helping Voldemort. Of course it is none other than one of
his most valiant servants. On a side note, Azkaban, which is supposedly the
most secure wizarding location, seems to be fairly easy to escape from: Sirius
and now Barty Crouch Jr. I’m just saying that it seems unconvincing that
Azkaban is the most secure. That’s twice that some of their top prisoners make
a run for it, and succeed! I think reinforcements might be needed... All that
to say that we fall in love with a character that we will actually only get to
know in subsequent books.
Moody teaches us about the unforgivable curses, taboo
topic in the curriculum. This is definitely a way J.K. uses to inform us that
too much of a good thing can be bad and that everything has its limits. Magic
seems all wonderful and it fools us into thinking nothing bad can come of it,
when in reality, like all things in life, magic has a dark side. To truly
understand and appreciate magic, one must be made aware of the downside, and
the unforgivable curses serve that purpose. It is only fitting that they are
presented to us by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It also reveals a lot about the
past. We learn of the spell that killed Harry’s parents and of the fate that
plagues Neville’s parents. This was a definite eye-opening lesson for the
students, not to mention a good dose of reality. Moody is right on one fact,
knowing about the curses better prepares the students to deal with them if they
are to ever be faced with them. Knowledge is power. For example, Harry learns
is has the ability of fighting the Impreius Curse. I’m sure that will come in
handy one day.
As well as the author succeeded in pinning Sirius as the
villain in the third book, the plan of painting Karkaroff as the villain in
this one did not really come through. Funny thing is, she uses Sirius to try
and convince Harry that Karkaroff is rotten. Ironic? In the end, Karkaroff
turns out to be a big wimp, and was not out to kill Harry after all, what do
you know?
Although we’ve always kind of knew it, is now confirmed
that Hagrid is a half giant. It only took another “big-boned” half-giant to get
the facts. I loved finding out more about Hagrid’s past! Even though it was
very interesting to hear those stories, this plot line will develop quite a bit
in the next book and it will be juicy!
Hagrid played a big part in the Triwizard Tournament. I
guess his game-keeping duties were expanded a bit. He grows the maze for the
last task, he raises blast-ended skrewts (who happen to be one of the obstacles
in the maze) and he knew of the dragons for the first task. I’m surprised he
didn’t help Harry more than for the first task. Then again, Harry got quite a
bit of help from, let’s see here, everyone! Hagrid for the dragons, Dobby and
Neville for the gillyweed, Myrtle and Cedric for the egg clue, not to mention
Hermione with everything else! Even Sirius tried to help him! Does this guy do
anything for himself? I guess you’re only as cool, strong and smart as your
entourage!
Let’s talk about the maze. Harry had to face many
obstacles, but it seems they were all things he had to face before or knew what
to do with. He’d helped Hagrid raise the skrewts all year, he’d practice his
patronus using a boggart with Lupin the year before, he was able to solve the
sphinx’s riddle (the answer was spider, a creature he was all too familiar
with). All in all, he was prepared for the maze, but we then learn that Moody
was filtering the obstacles Harry would have to face. Helped yet again!
Obviously, after the maze, one must address the meeting
with Voldemort. The ever so evil villain confirms Dumbledore's theory.
Voldemort was ripped from his body when he tried to kill Harry, creating
another horcrux in the process, even though it was not his intention. It was
painful, but he was still alive, even if he didn’t know what he was, because no
one else ever got as far as he did down the path to immortality. So there we
have it. At this point I think Dumbledore already knows that Harry is a
horcrux, especially since his scar seems to be a window into Voldemort's mind. This
is why Dumbledore reacted when Harry told him some of his own blood was used to
resurrect Voldemort. So kind of like living off the milk of Nagini, Voldemort
used another one of his horcruxes to get a bit of himself back.
At this point, the world as they know it will revert back
to the way it was when Voldemort reigned. Dumbledore knows it for a fact and
tries to warn Fudge. He advises him exactly on what actions to take. Dumbledore
had known this day would come and had some sort of contingency plan, like I
said, information is power. Instead of ignoring the facts, Dumbledore accepts
the situation and know he must prepare to deal with it right away. The sooner
they act, the better. As I mentioned in my first post, Dumbledore is better
suited to being Minister for Magic than Fudge.
Dumbledore lost no time at all. He kicked into action and
created the Order of the Phoenix! I believe this entire book's purpose was to
set the scene for the next books. It was all about major world building and
introducing new characters and plot lines that will be developed. Even if it is
not my favourite, I understand the need for it in the series.
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