The Use of Symbolism in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The word symbol derives from the Greek verb symballein, a verb in Greek, which
means to throw together. The noun for symballein in Greek is symbolon which
means mark, emblem, token or sign. A symbol is, thus, an object, animate or
inanimate, which represents or stands for something else1. A literary symbol
combines an image with a concept. Symbolism is a distinctive feature of this book
that is used very artistically to make the book an interesting read.

Harrys scar on the forehead in the shape of lightning is caused by Voldemorts

failed attempt to kill Harry. Harrys scar reminds us the famous scar of Odysseus in
Homers epic poem the Odyssey. This scar is a symbol of victory of the good forces
over the dark, and evil forces, represented by Voldemort, in the past as well as it
foreshadows the coming fight between Voldemort and Harry. This symbol is a kind of
stamp that confirms Harrys past as well as the future plans that mother nature has
for him.

Moreover, the symbol, a live scar, is directly connected with the emotional and
psychological health of Harry. When Harry is hated, attacked, belittled or scorned in
any way, he feels pain in the scar. It seems as the negative feelings does not go with
the symbol which also symbolizes the maternal love of Harrys mother when she dies
for the sake of her son.

The Mirror of Erised is another example of using an object that has a real existence
to symbolize a concept. The word Erised is the word desire spelled backwards.
Anyone looking into the mirror sees a reflection of one's desires which may suggest
that our desires shape our future course of action. All desires are not attainable and,
therefore, we must analyze them (as Harry does by looking at his desires in the
mirror of Erised) and control the unattainable desire and focus on life and attainable
goals. The Mirror of Erised and his discussion with Albus about the mirror helps
Harry looks inward, ponder about what he really desires, and concentrate on desires
that raises above the personal level in order to help all the students at Hogwarts and
the whole universe by not letting voldemort get hold of the Stone and become
eternal. That is why the next time Harry looks into the mirror he sees the Stone in his
pocket instead of his parents. Harrys desire of meeting with parents is noble but not
attainable and a bit selfish but through his personal growth and character
development caused by reflection makes him a selfless human being.

Actions and gestures are also symbolic. A very common example of a symbolic
action or gesture in common life is the raising of both arms/hands which symbolizes

1
The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Fourth Edition) by J.A. Cuddon
defeat and surrender. The game of Quidditch is an example of symbolic action in
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It is not only an entertaining sport for the
youngsters at Hogwarts but also an opportunity for the learners to show their metal
and heroism.

The skills learnt in Quidditch are actually used in practical life by Harry for the pursuit
of his ulterior motives i.e., thwarting Voldemort's efforts to get the Sorcerers stone.
Using his skills of flying using the broom, harry catches the keys to open the door to
come one step closer to the room where the ultimate battle between the protagonist
and the antagonist is fought. Similarly, Harrys practice of Quidditch with the team
captain and playing against the other teams trains him in team work which is
inevitable for the final mission as it is not possible to clear all the obstacles alone and
get the stone.

We can see that team members in the game of Quidditch has different roles
(chasers, beaters, keeper, seeker) and that no one alone can make his/her team win
the game. The play requires cooperation and teamwork from the team members to
win the match and beat the opponents.

Similarly, there are other symbolic actions and events in the story in which Ron,
Hermione and Harry carries out small tasks e.g., helping Hogards to transport the
little dragon from Hogwarts, to develop team spirit and cement the bond of
friendship, trust and cooperation before the big final mission of fighting with
Voldemort.

Some other symbols that the author uses in the book are given below:
Hagrid symbolizes the importance of generosity, simplicity, friendship, naivety,
hospitality and affection. His characters shows that emotional support,
encouragement, and love given by close friends are also important to reach
ones target in life apart from teamwork and brains.
Dursleys symbolizes the Muggle world in which haughtiness, greed,
oppression, snobbery, prevails and everyone is obsessed with looking
normal and forcing others to conform to their way of life.
The points system practiced at Hogwart symbolizes the need for a careful
accounting of ones actions. A careless action has its consequences often in
the form of some loss. The earning of points by following the rules and
behaving in a desirable manner is not the only way to earn points at
Hogwarts. Points are earned by showing athletic skills in the game of
Quidditch too. But the points awarded by Albus at the end of the book shows
that decisive role is played by points earned through the display of moral
courage, selflessness, cooperation and teamwork rather than the athletic skill
displayed by slytherins by winning the Quidditch cup.
 Harrys buying a wand is an event that symbolizes the reality of life that we
can not pick and chose always. Harry is destined to fight the evil Voldemort
and therefore, a magic wand has been chosen for him and Harry or the
shopkeeper can not help change his destiny. The shopkeeper tells him that it
is not you who is going to chose the wand rather the wand is going to choose
you. Thus the wand becomes a symbol of his new identity that Harry
needs to grow up to so that he can fight the evil and stop the world from
destruction. The fact that Harrys wand is a twin of Voldemorts wand
foreshadows the climactic standoff between good and evil in the book. In this
sense we can say that the wand is a symbol of Harrys new hero status as
opposed to his earlier life where he was an unknown boy living in a room
under the stairs.
Hagrids dragon is a symbol of bad consequences that come from bad
choices made in life even if one has good intentions. Kindness, naivety and
goodness of heart are not sufficient to avoid the dangers inherent in most
seeming harmless situations and people in real life.
The unicorn is a symbol of innocence and purity and its murder is
something that shows that the evil is trying to conquer the goodness and that
something is really wrong with Hogwart (the world).
The cloak given by Albus to Harry is a symbol of trust that Albus has on
Harry as Albus knows that Harry will use it wisely. Although Harry uses it for
some naughty actions but even then and Albus, being a wise person knows
this, but he still gives it back to him when Harry forgets it.
The use of colours to mark different houses in Hogwarts.

To conclude, we can say that Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is a book
that is rich in symbolism and, therefore, it is a work of art that works on many
different levels. On its surface, the story appears as a fantasy book for children but
on a deeper level it could be read and perceived by different readers in a different
ways. The power of symbolism gives the book many shades and, thus, it can be
read as a gothic fiction, detective novel, a tale of the importance of faith presenting
Harry Potter as a saviour, a story that shows the power of maternal love and that
love conquers hatred, or may be a school story in which a poor, common boy makes
it up to join a school for the elite class. Other readers might see the school as a
school that gives a chance to students coming even from different backgrounds i.e,
students from a muggle family (Hermione Granger), snobs (Draco Malfoy), poor
(Ronald Weasley) and traditionally know wizard families.