Ethan Persaud - Harry Potter and the Hero's Journey

One of my favorite book series that I have read is none other than Harry Potter. Looking back at the series with a different perspective that I have gained from this class made me relate it closely to Campbell’s idea of the hero’s journey that we have continued to discuss. What stood out to me the most is how clearly Potter’s story follows the structure of the hero’s journey. From the first call all the way to the return. Harry begins in a place of discomfort with his living situation, but it is a sense of familiarity. From there, he receives his first true call when he learns that he is a wizard and is invited to Hogwarts. This moment is extremely similar to the concept that Campbell discusses in that the hero is almost never ready when the call arrives. Harry does not initially understand who he is, but the journey itself becomes the process through which he discovers his identity. For me, this connected to our class discussions on archetypes because Harry represents more than just one fictional character. He reflects the universal hero archetype, someone forced to leave behind the known world and step into that uncertainty. Something I also found meaningful is that Harry’s growth happens gradually across the entire series rather than in one single moment. He moves through stages of fear, struggle, friendship, sacrifice, and eventual clarity. This was also similar to our discussions about biotransformative experiences because each challenge fundamentally changed the direction of his life. Even on a smaller scale this is relatable because that is how the first semester of college felt like. Just like Harry entering Hogwarts, coming to Christopher Newport forced me to leave behind familiarity and move into a new environment where I had to rediscover who I was. It felt like I was starting a whole new life from scratch, which I am sure that’s how Harry felt. Now with knowledge about the hero’s journey, it is crazy to me how many things resemble that concept to me.

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