Analytical Essay

The “Harry Potter” series, “Charlotte's Web” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” series all have something in common: they are beloved, classic books read by children throughout the world. But that’s not the only trait the novels share — they have also all been challenged by various schools and organizations for religious purposes. “Harry Potter” and "Charlotte's Web” have been deemed blasphemous by some devout religious followers — the former novel because it promotes witchcraft and the latter because it gives humanistic qualities to animals. But it is not only because a book can be viewed as sacrilegious that it gets challenged on the grounds of religion. Those who challenged “The Chronicles of Narnia” did so because of its strong ties to Christianity,

Throughout the series’ seven books, readers follow Harry and his friends on the journey to defeating the dark lord, Voldemort, and in the end, good prevails. As of 2014, more than 450 million copies of the books have been sold, and the series has been hailed for encouraging a new generation of readers (Pressman). In fact, adults who fell in love with the series as children are now throwing “Harry Potter”-themed weddings (I went to my cousin’s just two weeks ago). While “Harry Potter” is considered one of the most successful franchises ever created, it also tops the list of being the most challenged book in the past decade (Miller). And looking back a little further, in both 2001 and 2002, “Harry Potter” was the most challenged book of the year, according to the ALA, while in 2003, it was second most challenged book (“Top”).

According to challengers, “Harry Potter” promotes witchcraft among children and encourages them to follow Satan, going against God. One school in England banned teachers from using “Harry Potter” in the classroom because it went against the teachings of the Bible. In her explanation of the book’s ban at her school, St. Mary’s Island Church

The children are constantly in awe of the magic that surrounds them — especially Ron Weasley, who often says "wicked” in astonishment to a successful spell. Magic is also the thing that saves Harry from his abusive aunt and uncle, so in that way, it is seen as a positive, redeeming force. The fascination for magic that Harry gains, and in turn, that these devout Christians presume children gain, can especially be seen in “The Sorcerer’s Stone” when author J.K. Rowling writes, “(Hagrid) grinned at Harry’s amazement (of Diagon Alley).... Harry wished he had about eight more eyes (to take everything in) (71),” as well as, “A magic wand… that was what Harry had really been looking forward to” (81). The sentiment that Rockwood has on “Harry Potter’s” negative spiritual influence on children is shared by New Mexico’s Christ Community Church. In 2001, the church burned many of the series’ books in a mass bonfire. In his anti-Harry Potter sermon, the church’s pastor said that the character taught children to take up wizardry and that "Behind that innocent face is the power of satanic darkness. Harry Potter is the devil and he is destroying people" (“Satanic”). However, proponents of the book, as well as those who believe that adults should not restrict what children read, say that the series has only helped children to healthily build their