Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Book Report
Harry Potter was just an ordinary boy, or so he thought. The only thing
even slightly different about him was the unusual lightning-shaped scar
on his forehead. His parents had died before he was even capable of
remembering them, and he was sent to live with his hateful Aunt and
Uncle and their spoiled son. It was not until Harry’s eleventh birthday
that his tedious life started to change for the better. Mysterious letters
arrived for him by owl messenger, inviting him to attend Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; of course Harry jumped at the
chance. He was amazed to discover the truth about his parents, wellknown and much-loved wizards of their time, and that he too was sure to
become one. Once at Hogwarts Harry makes two best friends, Ron and
Hermione, who stick by him through all his troubles. He also becomes an
expert in Quidditch, an airborne sport played on broomsticks. But life at
Hogwarts isn’t always fun, like when he discovers that the dark wizard
Voldemort, who murdered his parents, is after him next! Harry becomes
involved in a fight for survival with him, and comes very close to death.
Although originally ‘Harry Potter’ books were written for children, since
their release millions of adults and children alike have adored them.
There must be a certain way that J. K. Rowling writes that appeals to such
a vast following. The basic plot of the story is a very common one used in
the majority of children’s books, which is good against evil, Voldemort
being evil and Harry being good. “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
Stone”, however, is no ordinary book. J. K. Rowling has added every
detail she could think of to the story to make it have that extra-special
quality. The story is believable as it is not too far-fetched, but still seems
a completely different world. The pupils just look like ordinary people
until you discover that they have magical powers. The school seems like
an ordinary school until you learn that the classes they run are not English
and Math: they are defense against the dark arts and potions! The school
was enormous: “The entrance hall was so big you could have fitted the
whole of the Dursleys’ house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming
torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out,
and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.”
When reading this book I formed a picture in my head of what was
happening, as it is very well written. Every miniscule detail is explained,
from what they were wearing to what they were eating. Even simple
delivery of letters has been thought out. Instead of a postman, they send
their mail by owl! Before J. K. Rowling wrote this book, it seems obvious
to me she had planned the story thoroughly and knew exactly what was
going to happen and how .
Harry is a very lovable character, and women, when reading about all his
troubles, will feel sorry for him and want to mother him. My opinion is
that every adult has a child hidden in him or her just waiting to come out.
‘Harry Potter’ is a way of letting this child appear, without the book being
too childish. The novel has a way of making the readers feel that they are
really a part of the magical world, and could be a form of escapism for
busy or stressed adults. I believe also that this book could be a missing
link between parents and children: times have changed, and instead of
reading books like ‘The Adventures of Narnia’, which is very classical
and uses the same kind of characters (like dragons), children prefer to
read more modern books with a bit of an edge which they can relate to.
While reading ‘Harry Potter’ I felt a series of emotions. The strongest
was unhappiness, when Harry found the Mirror of Erised (Desire): “It
was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold
frame, standing on two clawed feet.” This mirror plays a significant part
in Harry’s understanding of his inner conflict. It is unlike any other
mirror. When you look into it you see what you most desire in the world.
In Harry’s case this was his parents. The engraving around it says, “I
show not your face but your heart’s desire”. Dumbledore warns Harry
about the mirror after catching him gazing in to the mirror for the second
night running, saying it “will give neither knowledge nor truth. Men have
wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen. Or been driven
mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.” He concludes
by saying “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”. The
mirror plays an important part in Harry’s fight against Voldemort. Other
emotions I experienced from this book were happiness, when Harry
finally was taken from the control of the Dursleys, and anger, when
Malfoy decided to pick on Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione at
school .
The main point that stood out for me after reading the novel was the
astounding imagination and thought put into it. Although some of it is
written to appeal to children, adults also appreciate it. My favorite bit was
near the beginning, when Harry was at King’s Cross Station and he was
told to get on a train at platform nine and three quarters, which he
attempted, only to discover there wasn’t such a thing. Mrs. Weasley,
Ron’s mother, noticed that Harry was looking puzzled, and guessed he
was a first year who didn’t know how to get on the train. She told him
then that he had to run through the metal barrier dividing platforms nine
and ten. He did so, and instead of banging into the barrier he ran straight
through it, ending up on platform nine and three quarters, where he saw
masses of pupils obviously going to the same place as him, Hogwarts .
Something else that I thought was amazing was the entrance to the House
common rooms. Instead of having ordinary doors, it was just a picture
frame on the wall. Picture frames in Hogwarts are, of course, not like
ours. They have moving people and objects in them, and to get into the
common room you have to tell them the password. They will then move
and let you in. Also, when the whole school was sitting down about to
have a meal, instead of waiters and waitresses coming over and serving
the food, it suddenly appeared on the tables in front of them. I thought
this was wonderful; I couldn’t help myself giggling at the imagination
shown. The teachers, of course, were not ordinary. How could they be in
the world of Harry Potter? They were animagus, meaning they could turn
into animals or humans, whatever they felt like! A humorous bit was
when Ron and Harry were late for class and, when relieved that Professor
McGonagal wasn’t there before them, were startled to find out that she
was, when the cat sitting in front of them suddenly turned into their
teacher !
I liked the way that the novel started by describing Harry’s life at the
Dursley house, leading a perfectly normal, if not dull, life as an ordinary
boy. The fantasy starts as he begins his first day at Hogwarts, and
gradually builds up to the peak of the magic at his meeting with
Voldemort. This creates suspense, as the meeting is quite near the end of
the book and the gradual build-up makes the book addictive. Putting the
book down was a struggle, as once one of his extraordinary adventures
had finished another was just beginning, especially at the end of chapters,
where the author was very fond of adding in cliff-hangers. There was
never a dull moment at Hogwarts! The last paragraph, with Harry back at
the Dursley house after his first year at Hogwarts, reflects on how
different his life had become. This dual setting, from real world to fantasy
world, is very common in fantasy books and has also been used in a lot of
other popular children’s novels such as “Peter Pan” and “The Lion, The
Witch and the Wardrobe.” Although the magical world isn’t another
world in Harry Potter, muggles (ordinary people with not even an ounce
of magic in them) are unaware that it exists.
The book is very humorous, employing the kind of humor which appeals
to all ages with its eccentric characters such as Nearly Headless Nick (the
ghost of Gryffindor House who was not quite beheaded!), Peeves (the
mischievous poltergeist who is always close when there is trouble) and
Professor Snape (Harry’s potions teacher whom Harry dislikes very
much, who goes out of his way to insult or embarrass Harry). Other
points which makes Harry Potter books so comical are the plays on words
and the amusing names J. K. Rowling gives people. Examples include
Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher: that is fairly obvious, but there
are also a lot of hidden meanings in some of the names, which you have
to dig a bit deeper to discover. Filch, the school janitor, is always
confiscating prohibited objects from pupils, and the word ‘filch’ means to
steal or pinch. Fluffy is the three-headed dog that guards the
Philosopher’s Stone. The name Fluffy brings a picture into the reader’s
head of a little dog who would not even hurt a fly, which is quite the
opposite of the Fluffy described in the novel as “a monstrous dog, a dog
which filled the whole space between the ceiling and the floor. It had
three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and
quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in
slippery ropes from yellowish fangs”.
In my opinion “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is one of the
best books I have ever read. Its mixture of unconventional characters,
courageous heroes, devious villains, intensely creative ideas and
breathtaking excitement is what makes “Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone” the enormously popular book it is today. It has
encouraged many children who are not fond of reading to pick up a book
instead of watching television. There are parts that are obviously written
for children, but also parts with hidden meanings which only adults
would be wise enough to understand, making it a book adored by all ages
around the world. It has added a different edge to fairytales for the
modern world.