Thinking Outside the Box

In the array of literacy skills used by readers to comprehend what they read, literature analysis is one of the most deeply personal. Literature analysis asks the essential question of a work of fictional literature, "What does it mean?". For nonfiction the primary analytical question is "What is the point?" and requires a slightly different set of tools, such as knowledge of the writer and his/her possible biases as well as some background knowledge of the subject being discussed. Knowledge of the writer is also useful in analyzing fiction but not as essential.

The tools for analyzing fiction are various and subjective depending on the individual reader. Literature like visual art, speaks to each individual in a unique way. The reader may use any conceptual framework that he /she is familiar with as the starting point for beginning an exploration into the meaning of a work of literature.

I was introduced to this concept in a science fiction lit class by a professor who would analyze a work of sci-fi using various schools of psychology as his reference point. He would do a side-by-side analysis of a particular work using Freudian, Jungian, and Adlerian terminology and concepts. A religious scholar would have perhaps used the framework of one or more religions in their analysis, while a folklorist would take the culture of the writer and his/her subject into consideration, and a scientist might use their familiarity with scientific theories and paradigms to connect to the work.

There is no one way to analyze literature and if a work is strongly appealing to the reader it may lead the reader to explore multiple disciplines in order to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning. For example a work of historical fiction might move a reader to read actual historical accounts of the events depicted in the novel. The more "tools" (i.e. disciplines) readers are familiar with, the greater the opportunity for the reader to connect and connect more deeply to a work of literature. Looking at literature through an assortment of disciplinary lenses also helps a reader to connect to other readers and their takes on a work of fiction. Exploring different disciplines as they relate to a work of literature is also an excellent way to achieve the ultimate literacy goal: life-long learning.

For Harry Potter Afficianados Only - Spoiler Alert!

If you are not a fan of The Boy Who Lived, please skip this. If you have not read HP Books 1-6, please skip this, because I might just spoil the surprise if you do decide to read them.

First of all, I have to admit that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I won't detail the depth the my devotion, but it is pretty deep.

I recently listened to the audio of Book 2, The Chamber of Secrets, and I believe that Dobby knew that Riddle's diary was a horcrux and that is why he was so adament about keeping Harry from going back to Hogwarts. In Chapter 2, "Dobby's Warning", Dobby tells Harry that Lord Voldemort has "powers Dumbledore doesn't...powers no decent wizard..." I think Dobby is talking about horcruxes. JK Rowling said while writing Book 6, The Half-Blood Prince, that there was a connection between Book 2 and Book 6. Obviously there is a connection because in Book 6 it is revealed that Riddle's diary, which appeared in Book 2, was actually a horcrux.

The idea that Dobby knew the diary was a horcrux makes a lot of sense to me. It would explain his extreme agressiveness in trying to keep Harry away from Hogwarts. It also suggests to me that other house elves know about the horcruxes. One of the theories that I have seen bandied about on some of the HP websites is that Kreacher helped RAB (widely believed to be Regulus Black, Sirius' brother) obtain the real locket horcrux, which is actually at 12 Grimmauld Place (it appeared in Book 5, Order of the Phoenix, when Harry and the Weasleys were cleaning the drawing room in Chapter 6, "The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black"). If Kreacher helped Regulus obtain the locket horcrux and perhaps had to help drink the nasty green conconcotion that it was immersed in, it would explain why he is so crazy.

I believe the house elves know more than Harry and his friends realize. I also believe that they still have a role to play. The appearance of the fountain in the Ministry of Magic, with the golden figures of the wizard, the witch, the centaur, the house elf, and the goblin, and its destruction at the end of Book 5 seems to foreshadow the importance of all these creatures to the plot of series and the fact that their relationships will change by the end of the series. I believe that the house elves will all be freed at the end of the series.