Harry Potter Sociology

Summary
In 1997, Bloomsbury published the first of seven books in the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. In the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, we are introduced to eleven-year-old Harry Potter who lives with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon after the death of his parents when he was a year old. Throughout the first book, we follow Harry as he finds out he is a wizard, one who has been deemed famous and called the Boy-Who-Lived since the death of his parents and the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Through the seven book series we go along with Harry as he is introduced to a new world, makes friends, goes on adventures, and fights Dark Wizards. In this essay I will be looking at sociological concepts

He must go through a period of learn and confusion, not knowing how to navigate through this new world. Socialization is the learning of knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviors needed to be successful in society (------). Harry hasn’t been socialized in the Wizarding World, he is at a disadvantage in the society. He has to learn new things in order to become successful. Things that can help prepare us in ways to take our place in society are called agents of socialization. Agents of socialization can be family, peers, mass media, or other individuals or groups that influence the way we view the world (---). During the series, Harry goes through school and interacts with teachers, friends, peers, and even enemies. Through these interactions, he learns attitudes, behaviors, and values prevalent in the Wizarding World.

This theory is the belief that through interactions we form meanings to symbols and use those meanings to interpret interactions and respond accordingly (----). One of the first instances we can connect to this concept is Harry’s title as the Boy-Who-Lived. Despite having no memory of being in the Wizarding World, Harry already has expectation thrust upon him. Because people see the Boy-Who-Lived as their savior, having either been there when the terror was stopped because of him or having grown up listening to tales of his victory, people have already attached this meaning to the boy. Harry is seen as the savior and so people react by treating him as a hero. It is mentioned in the books several times that Harry wishes people would just see him for himself instead of the