Everything Is Not As It Seems (blog post 1, prompt 2)

The Harry Potter book series is truly one of mystery and plenty of expectations.  Expectations can be a driving force in books.  They are what get you caught up in the story and get you wanting more.  There are many examples in which expectations are fulfilled and not fulfilled.  In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we think that Snape is trying to steal the sorcerer’s stone.  Harry hears Snape on multiple occasions threaten Professor Quirrell, and Snape even gets bitten by Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the stone.  All the signs point to Snape, but we later learn that it’s actually Professor Quirell and Voldemort that are trying to steal the stone.  Another example comes in which Harry and Ron are being sorted into houses.  We expect that Ron will be placed in Gryffindor because all of his brothers before him were in Gryffindor.  Soon enough Ron is placed in Gryffindor.  When Harry comes to be sorted into his house, we believe for a time that he might be placed in Slytherin.  However, since he beggs not to be placed in Slytherin the sorting hat places him in Gryffindor.  These are just a few of the many examples of expectations throughout the series. 

Expectations are found throughout the Harry Potter series, and there are plenty of examples in Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets.  When Harry and Ron get locked out of the platform and when Harry almost gets killed by a rogue bludger, we are not really sure who is behind the tactics.  Could it be Snape or Voldemort?  Snape and Voldemort are good guesses, but we learn that it’s actually Dobby that keeps trying to prevent Harry from staying at Hogwarts.  In addition, we think Tom Riddle is trying to help Harry learn about what is going on at school and why there are so many attacks.  However, we are surprised to learn that Tom Riddle is actually Lord Voldemort and is behind all the attacks.  All the examples above show how much expectations can drive these books.  They add a sense of mystery to the story and are what make us read them.  When our expectations are not fulfilled, it shocks us.  We think we have it all figured out, but the story can change in an instant.  Raising expectations is a great way to get the reader engaged in the story and have them wanting more. 

Erin Bepler