Blog #1, prompt 2

Good literature leads the reader to have certain expectations about the plot and characters. Some of those expectations are met, while others go unfulfilled. In order for a novel to be truly successful, it must constantly keep the reader guessing. If it fails to do this, the piece quickly becomes monotonous and static. The Harry Potter books function as mysteries, in that they constantly lead the reader to be convinced of an outcome, only to be proven wrong again and again. In Sorcerer’s Stone, the audience is introduced to a boy who is said to have extraordinary powers. As it turns out, the boy seems to be somewhat average at first glance except for the lightening shaped scar on his forehead. Little by little, he starts fulfilling the role of the hero we expect him to become, but it takes quite a bit of time and some hurdles along the way have to be overcome. For example, Harry does not excel at any subject at Hogwarts until he jumps on a broomstick and becomes the youngest player to be selected for a house quidditch team in a century. He does not even prove himself worthy of the fame and praise he receives due to his triumph over the Dark Lord as an infant until he reaches the last part of his journey through the dungeons to find the sorcerer’s stone, when he confronts Professor Quirrel by himself. Up until that point, Ron and Hermione were there to help him. When he takes on the remains of Voldemort alone, he proves that he is remarkable for reasons beyond pure luck. Finally, Harry asks Dumbledore at the end of the book why Voldemort wants to kill him and Dumbledore refuses to answer at that time. J.K. Rowling denies us this information in order to set up the rest of the series and keep the audience engaged in the story line. The reason expectations are not always met is because if one is rewarded with information too quickly, one will soon lose interest.   

In the second book, Chamber of Secrets, the reader is kept guessing as to who is the true heir of Slytherin and therefore the culprit behind the attacks at Hogwarts on “mudblood” students. Harry and Ron make several mistakes before they discover the true identity, and thus the reader is kept in the dark along the way. Several times, one finds himself questioning who is good and who is bad. This makes the reader reevaluate their preconceptions of certain characters and allows them to constantly reform opinions based on previous knowledge. In a series this tool is important so that the plot does not become mundane or redundant and the characters flat.