Throughout my adolescent life my
father never allowed anything portraying his version of ‘witchcraft.’ This
meant no Halloween, no magic, no star wars, and, yes, no Harry Potter. As I
heard the other students from my school discussing how they had all decided to
start the Harry Potter novels, I too wanted to revel in what seemed to be a new
world for which kids could expand their imagination. I brought the first book
home in fourth grade only to be scolded by my semi-religious father. He claimed
the novel was that of ‘witchcraft’ and that it was a sin to allow it to enter
into my thoughts. The next day I promptly returned the book and went about my
day until lunch time rolled around. Everyone, including my closest friends,
were all talking about and acting out scenes from these new stories everyone
now enjoyed. Over and over I was asked what my favorite parts were, but I had
none.
As a
result of the popularity of these novels, when the movies came out, all of my
friends went to see them. Not me. Dad still refused to allow such stories into
our imaginations even through high school. According to my closest friends,
they enjoyed the movies, but not nearly as much as they enjoyed the books. My
friends told me that reading the novels left more room for interpretation and
imagination, which, to them, were the best parts. Therefore, based on their
experiences and thoughts, and due to the lack of my own, I would have to say
that I lean more toward the novels than the movies.Now that I am an adult of sorts, I do plan on reading the novels in my spare time. I am currently reading another series, but once I finish those I will most likely start Harry Potter. Reading these adventures will hopefully help me better understand what the ‘fuss’ was about in fourth grade.
I love the formatting in this post, separating your personal story out allowed some nice transitioning that I doubt one would normally see in a short post.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to you and how you dad felt about you not being allowed to watch the movies or read the books. I have watched the movies with my family, but; my parents do not agree with the sorcery of the books. Do you still have the desire to watch/read Harry Potter as much as you did when you were younger?
ReplyDeleteMy best friend's parents have the same beliefs as your dad. I found it very hard to keep all my thoughts about Harry Potter in due to the fact that my whole family loved that series growing up. Did you ever feel any sort of resentment towards your dad? Or did you understand where he was coming from? Now that shes older her parents don't really care anymore, would your dad still be mad at you or since you're an adult now would he not care?
ReplyDelete