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#Post#: 3954--------------------------------------------------
Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: Hermes_The_Exile Date: September 2, 2011, 6:20 pm
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One of J.K. Rowling's biggest talents is her ability to lay a
groundwork for something — a character, an event, an object —
and obscure its final significance until the proper moment in
the story. She's also fond of returning to (perceived) minutiae
later on, and tying things together.
If you read the HP series enough, you'll perhaps start to think
of it as a bridge, with Stone, Chamber and Azkaban leading up,
Goblet as the level halfway point, and Phoenix, Prince and
Hallows leading down. More than that though, the six books
heading up and down each share a "twin core" on the opposing
side. It starts from the outside and works its way in, going
"up" and then going back "down."
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Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone and Deathly Hallows
The first book and the last one are both tied to the origins and
meaning of Harry and Voldemort's connection. They also delve
into the intangible power and nature of wands and their loyalty,
Harry's purpose in life and his reverence for (in Stone) and
disappointment in (in Hallows) Albus Dumbledore. One is about
Harry's childhood starting for real, and another is about it
ending for good.
This pairing, more than any other I think, makes use of distinct
framing. Hagrid drops Harry off at Number 4 Privet Drive in a
flying motorbike, and takes him away in it. Harry gains Hedwig,
and loses her. Harry gains his wand, and loses it. We learn
about how impregnable Gringotts is, only to see it breached.
Dumbledore uses his Deluminator, and so does Ron. Harry catches
his first Snitch and takes that same Snitch into the Forbidden
Forest. The effect is that of a pair of bookends, an opening and
a close, and it works beautifully.
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Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince
Rowling had combined and shifted a lot of material around in
both of these books, so it's not surprising that the thematic
pairing is probably the most obvious here. Chamber and Prince
both focus on two separate yet easily identifiable themes: Lord
Voldemort's origins and Harry's familial relationship with the
Weasleys and Ginny. On a deeper level, both books also pay
particular attention to dark objects (such as those in Borgin
and Burke's), blood status and the personal journey of Draco
Malfoy.
In Chamber, Tom Riddle is hidden in mystery until the very end,
but in Prince, we know exactly what he really is. Watching Harry
trace Riddle's moral disintegration is incredibly fascinating,
especially given how so much of the action happens in
flashbacks. Memory, you'll find, is also another powerful theme
here — its power and its manipulation.
Chamber finds Harry visiting the Burrow for the first time and
falling in love with it, and much of his off-school time in
Prince is spent there. Harry goes from being a guest to being a
surrogate son, and goes from seeing Ginny Weasley as his
friend's sister in need of rescue to seeing her as a potential
partner.
While neither of these books is my particular favorite, I do
admire the impressively interwoven elements that tie them
together.
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Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix
As a whole, this pair is my favorite in the series. While the
first pair focuses on destiny and identity, and the second
focuses on memory, personal journeys and love, the third pair
looks at friendship, fatherhood and choice. It is in these books
that Harry must confront some ugly truths about his father, that
he learns about Snape's relationship with his father, that he
discovers the ties that bind and ultimately destroy the
Marauders and that he desperately tries to forge a surrogate
father-son relationship with Sirius Black. This pair also
examines the self-fulfilling nature of prophecy.
Harry spent his first years at Hogwarts thinking his father was
a hero and beloved, only to find out from Snape that at times
he'd been a showoff and a bully. The elevation and subsequent
descent of idols is common in the books, but nowhere is it more
evident than here. Harry accepting his father's shortcomings is
an essential step on his road to adulthood.
We also see a close-knit group of friends, the Marauders, undone
by betrayal and mistrust. This tragedy is set against Harry's
growing reliance on Ron and Hermione, and then on Neville, Ginny
and Luna. This pair is also a study in generational foils, and
we can see how one group of friends disintegrated while another
only grew stronger.
Finally, we learn about prophecies and how a person's actions
may cause them to fulfill themselves. Harry is only the Chosen
One because Voldemort chose him, and Pettigrew only returned to
Voldemort because Harry let him go. This ties further into
Rowling's series-long statement that choice is ultimately what
matters.
So next time you reread the series, keep your eyes peeled and
see if you pick up some of these intricacies. I think they add
another layer to the books.
#Post#: 3956--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: kamikaze ginny Date: September 2, 2011, 6:25 pm
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BRAVO!!! If you post it to the tumblr it should link to facebook
and twitter, just post it as a link with a description.
I'd like to add that a) twin cores is such an awesome title for
this thread and b) You talk about dark objects in COS and HBP
and it's cool to notice that Harry finds Draco Malfoy examining
the Vanishing Cabinet in COS and then using the same cabinet in
HBP.
#Post#: 3957--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: howlieshavefedyourledgend Date: September 2, 2011, 6:34 pm
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Bravo, Hermes. That was great.
Later I'll post some more, I am going out now though. (This is
how I know this place is filling my IMDb void, I am checking
this minutes before I go out :D)
#Post#: 3959--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: JustCallMeTaylor Date: September 2, 2011, 6:43 pm
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That was great, Hermes! It always amazes me when I think of how
intricately linked all of these books are...
#Post#: 3961--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: VolguusZildrohar Date: September 2, 2011, 7:08 pm
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This was excellent! I really love the whole bridge concept. It
really adds a fascinating spin on the series as a whole and
shows just how intricate and detailed Jo made this series. Also,
something I've always found interesting (and you kind of touched
on it), in Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince, two of the
dark objects you mentioned were books that were, at first
glance, helpful and friendly and a source of comfort (Ginny in
her personal life, Harry in his Potions class). Both of these
books "turned" on their owners (Ginny becoming possessed and
manipulated by the diary, Harry using the Sectumsempra curse on
Draco (and feeling betrayed by the Half-Blood Prince) and then
finding out the Prince was Snape (who Harry thought of only as
Dumbledore's murderer)). This was another connection that Harry
and Ginny shared.
#Post#: 4013--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: StealYellowMen Date: September 2, 2011, 9:08 pm
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I've always loved this aspect of the series. It just proves how
well thought out, intricate, clever, and layered these books
are.
And I've always had a soft spot for both PoA and OotP. Which
always made sense to me. But now I wonder if most people's top
two are complimentary like that.
#Post#: 4026--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: kamikaze ginny Date: September 2, 2011, 9:19 pm
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I actually think you may be on to something because my top two
are CoS and HBP.
#Post#: 39544--------------------------------------------------
Re: Twin Cores: Thematic Pairings in the HP Series
By: sesamecharlie Date: February 5, 2013, 6:26 pm
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To add one thing to the SS/DH pairing:
I just recently read these two back to back for the first time
and noticed another little parallel that I thought was cool.
In "Through the Trapdoor," Hermione cries that there's no wood
to make a fire to escape the Devil's Snare, to which Ron yells,
"Are you a witch or not?"
And then in Deathly Hallows when they are trying to get to the
Shrieking Shack through the passage at the base of the Whomping
Willow, Ron says, "if we just had Crookshanks again" to touch
the trick spot, to which Hermione yells, "Crookshanks? Are you a
wizard or what?"
So it's not only a parallel, but a role reversal. Just thought
it was interesting and wondered if anyone else had noticed it.
:)
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