Literary Characters
OF THE BABY NAME HARRY
Hermione is the spirited young girl of the famous and beloved Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowland, making her debut in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published in 1997. Hermione is a scholarly little girl, a fellow student at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron, to whom efficiency and dependability are second nature. Well, she’s also a rather insufferable little know-it-all who goes about memorizing textbooks and outshining her classmates. We all know what’s beneath such a veneer – right – insecurity. Hermione has it in spades, but her heartfelt love for her friends, Harry and Ron, and her own inherent goodness, further her developing character and endear her to us over the years. Young English actress Emma Watson plays her to a tee in the movie series.
Harry Potter is arguably the most famous fictional boy in history, as J. K. Rowling’s young wizard in her best selling series of books, starting in 1997 and reaching seven in number finally. Young British actor Daniel Radcliffe is inextricably identified with him due to the film series. Harry is a true modern hero, whose story includes being orphaned, being raised in an unfriendly household, and taking his place at Hogwarts. Here his real story begins - magic, wizardry, mayhem, mystery and perhaps the biggest adventure of all – coming of age in the world. Harry weathers every storm, not because he is super-human, but because he is very much human, one of us, no matter his mystic origins. Throughout the series he grows, not only physically, but in those character traits that make for a good and upstanding man. Harry retains his initial modesty and good nature, while he strives for and attains courage and moral strength. And we’re just wild about Harry!
Harry Haller is the protagonist of German author Herman Hesse’s 1927 fantasy novel, Steppenwolf (the lone wolf of the steppes). Harry is a man divided against himself; on the one hand he realizes he is part of the restrictive bourgeois culture that he scorns, and on the other, he is part wolf, unrestrained and hedonistic. He embraces his creature comforts and despises himself for doing so; he gives in to his baser instincts and follows the path of the wolf. Conflicted and frustrated, it often seems that the only true course is out – by way of one’s own hand. The mystical deus-ex-machina of the novel takes over, and Harry is led on a mysterious journey into the very nether regions of his own heart and soul. Ultimately, Harry learns to accept what is, and to accept it wholeheartedly, with both love and laughter, for that is all he has. To opt in, not out, is the most courageous act of all. A movie of the same title was made in 1974, with Max von Sydow as Harry Haller – he is close to perfect in his capturing of the nuances of this tormented, but tenacious, soul.
Ron (along with Hermione) is Harry Potter's BFF at Hogwarts. He is the typical sidekick to Harry’s celebrity and Hermione’s brains often providing comic relief. Ronald is naturally insecure and intimidated by his famous family and others in the spot-light. He is fearful of not measuring up (even though he himself is a pureblood wizard). Yet Ron is smart and brave and always there for Harry. Hero himself? No, but it’s his loyalty to his friend that allows Harry to shine even more brightly as the hero.
Luna has a "knack for embarrassing honesty" – she is as offbeat and eccentric as her name, but Harry Potter still counts her among his good friends. Although she is not particularly popular, Luna never gives into peer pressure or pretends to be something she’s not. She is funky and different, and we love her for that. She is not afraid to say what she thinks. Even her famous author, J.K. Rowling, has a soft-spot in her heart for this ‘loony’ gal.
Amelia Bones is an accomplished witch and a fair judge in the popular series by J. K. Rowling. in her role as Head of the Department of Magical Law, she presides over Harry Potter’s disciplinary hearing and is instrumental in his being cleared of all charges. She is described as “one of the greatest witches” of all time. A serious person, most of whose family members have been killed by various enemies, she herself comes to her end at the hands of the evil Lord Valdemort, but not, it is said, without putting up a heroic fight for her life.
Lily Potter is Harry's mother in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series of popular books. She sacrificed herself to save Harry from Voldemort; Harry can hear her screams when Dementors are near. Lily was one of the brightest students of her time, and one of the "all-time favorite students" of Horace Slughorn. Horace describes her as vivacious, charming, brave, and "very funny." Lily had a natural and intuitive ability at Potions. She was named a prefect in her fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts, and became Head Girl in her seventh year.