However, I was as “Petrificus Totalified” as Harry when it was Snape who cast that curse. I, for one, was prepared for the fact that Dumbledore was probably going to die in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and felt very smug and certain about my reasons why. Their possible strategies and motives could take the story in many directions and they are often used brilliantly to throw us off the track and confuse our various determined analyses.
However, there are some symbols that she has used so beautifully and clearly, and in a manner so consistent with their alchemical meanings, that those of us with an interest in these things busily look for more.Īny effort to analyze the roles of Voldemort, Snape, and Draco must, however, take into account the fact that Jo is also writing ripping good mystery yarns, and these characters, as Harry’s adversaries, have a function in that regard. It seems probable, therefore, that at least some of our speculation may have little or nothing to do with JKR’s intentions when writing the books. Additionally, there are a multitude of explanations about just what the Alchemical processes are, and they vary from culture to culture and from analysis to analysis. The hero’s journey is all over literature, as are the symbols of alchemy. Intelligent skeptics have asked, “But, aren’t these themes so universal that they appear everywhere? How can you be sure that JKR is using any particular system?” The query is valid. If you do, I suggest a butterbeer or a nice pumpkin juice while you read. If you don’t like long editorials, consider yourself warned.
It is not a small subject, and this is not a small editorial. This has proven to be a mare’s nest of maddening proportions. Well, I put my foot in it, and now I have to deliver, don’t I? In my recent editorial “Black, Albus… Rubeus?” I hinted at a piece that would explore the connections of the alchemical process to the Potter Bad Boys: Voldemort, Snape, and Draco.
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