Theme of Choice and Chance in Harry Potter series



             “It is our choice, that show what we truly are, for more than our abilities” says Dumbledore. By and large Harry Potter series has been worked on idea of choice or better to say it has emphasised on choice. We can see that from the very beginning, from sorting hat to the Harry going in to the forest. The choice is the one which matters. There are phases where chance work more than choice, but choice is the one who dominate the narrative.

             Voldemort has believed that his downfall is because of chance every time. He believed that it was chance that Harry happens to caught him or defeat him. But in the case of Harry it mostly a choice of Harry which had lead him to do, what he has able to do in the all series. May be Rowling wants to make magical world, which is not dominated by the fate. Things happens because people choose to act on them. If we talk about prophecies, then even it is not fate driven. Prophecies becomes true because characters choose to act according the prophecies. Harry’s mother choose to sacrifice her self for her son and that is why Harry is alive. Same way at the end Harry choose to sacrifice himself to protect the Hogwarts. Harry choose to let Voldemort apply killing charm on him. Because of that killing charm one horcrux which Voldemort has unknowingly left in inside Harry and that got destructed by Voldemort himself that was a chance. At some level chance is taking over choice. As in fourth part, “Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire” here name of Harry comes as pure chance and then he don’t even have choice to withdraw it. So here it is like one has to do something compulsory. But then in last two part Harry, Hermione and Ron choose to find every horcrux and destroy it, so here choice is more powerful then chance. This is how Harry Potter has theme of choice and chance.

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