The Role Of Government In Henry David Thoreau's Harry Potter

Compared to the ideas of nature, solitude, and self-reliance that famous Transcendentalist authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau express in their many writings and essays, a children’s book such as the Harry Potter series seems like it doesn’t have much to offer in comparison. A 12 year old boy wizard facing magical homework and new, oddball friends and teachers frankly seems a little superficial when put next to Civil Disobedience, an essay exploring the purpose of government and the role of the citizens of that government through the time Thoreau spent in jail for not paying his taxes. However, while on a surface level, Harry Potter may seem like it offers little value outside of children’s entertainment, when examined

Even after learning he is a wizard, Harry is forced to repress that fact every summer when he must return to his aunt and uncle’s house to await the next school year. This forces Harry into a routine that is tedious, difficult, and borderline oppressive. While at his aunt and uncle’s house, Harry cannot act freely nor express his wishes, desires, or needs. Because of this situation, Harry is always glad to return to Hogwarts, breaking him out of his backbreaking routine and into a world that is ever changing and unpredictable. Here not only does Harry have an unprecedented level of independence, but he is not required to conform to what an uncaring authority figure thinks; the teachers at Hogwarts tend to be fairly forgiving of Harry’s behavior. This is very directly connected to the themes of Emerson’s Nature. After deciding that mainstream society is no longer working for him in the way he desires, Emerson moves to the woods, setting up a new house and a new life for himself. He spends his time observing nature, merely taking in that around him without worrying about societal expectations. While surrounded by nature, Emerson has no obligation to anyone but himself; no government watches over

Worried about recent reports from Harry himself that Voldemort has returned, the Ministry sends a new Ministry-approved teacher, Dolores Umbridge, to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. However, Umbridge soon begins to exceed the requirements of her job title, enforcing rules sent by the Ministry and using inhumane and painful punishments against students who attempt to disagree with her claims that they will never face a situation that requires defending themselves with magic. One of these students being Harry himself, the boy wizard organizes his friends and other interested students into a club he dubs “Dumbledore’s Army.” As the goal of the club is to teach students practical applications of defensive spells, Harry is going directly against the rules of the Ministry by setting it up. While attempts to hide the club from the view of school administrators is initially successful, Umbridge eventually discovers Dumbledore’s Army and punishes the students involved. While extremely displeased with being found out, Harry and the other members of Dumbledore’s Army continue to practice defensive spells and charms in secrecy, defying the Ministry and Umbridge. While the first goal of