Harry Potter, By J. K. Rowling

Babies are highly dependent at birth. They require both care and love if they are to grow both emotionally and mentally. A baby cries for its protector when it needs to be taken care of. It desires a basic human right, love. In the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling, the absence of a mothers love is a dominant factor to the expansion of the plot and character development. Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort) unfortunately grows up without a mother’s love. As a result, he had to endure the consequences of that hardship. J.K. Rowling uses the plot device of mother’s absence to show its effect on Lord Voldemort’s ability to love. Harry and Voldemort both lost a mother at a young age, but the circumstances of Voldemort’s loss had a greater

She explains that though Harry and Voldemort were both institutionalized, Voldemort never experienced the same love as Harry. His parents loved him, until the day they died. Voldemort never got the chance to love his depressed mother, or callous father. As a result, Voldemort’s inability to love can be blamed on his institutionalization. Furthermore, Voldemort’s inability to love can similarly be blamed on the way his mother conceived him Merope’s loveless conception of Voldemort had a large effect on his mentality, mainly his ability to love. She loved Voldemort’s father, but the feelings were never reciprocated. Dumbledore revealed this to Harry though a Pensieve; “’Personally, I am inclined to think that she used a love potion’ I am sure it would have seemed more romantic to her’” (Half Blood Prince 272). Dumbledore tells Harry of Voldemort’s sad past, so that Harry can understand Voldemort’s actions. He wants Harry to recognize the underlying cause of Voldemort’s inability to love. In the authors view; “It was a symbolic way of showing that he came from a loveless union – but of course, everything would have changed if Merope had survived and raised him herself and loved him.” (Rowling Interview-2007). Merope took the risk of conceiving her child under a love potion, but left Voldemort to deal with the consequences. If she had lived, and taught Tom how to live, then the conception would not have mattered. Merope Riddles loveless union with Tom’s father would eventually lead to Voldemort’s inability to