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Tristyn Marouk
ENG 091
Williams
7 April 2015

Life is a Maze
J. K. Rowling has had quite a bit of success with her Harry Potter series,
yet Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire was the top selling book out of the series. In
this book Harry is in his fourth year at Hogwarts, this is also the year the
wizarding world is bringing the Tri- Wizard competition back. The competition
consists of three challenges, with competitors from each of the three-wizarding
school. Although this competition went a little different; there were four
competitors with two from Hogwarts: Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. This is
also the first time the Goblet had chose four students and what is even stranger
is that Harry did not enter himself to compete. For the first task they each had to
get past a dragon to collect the golden egg it was protecting, the egg would give
them a clue for the second task. All the students passed the dragon using a
different technique and moved onto the next task. The second task was were the
students had to go into the lake and find something they would miss forever if
they did not locate it within the allotted time. It just so happened that the missed
item would be a loved one and they each had to pass merpeople to save them.
Everyone was rescued, except Harry, he actually rescued another competitors
loved one in addition to his own, believing that they wouldnt make it in time.

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There was no clue to be given to the competitors after the second task; however
they did meet about a month before the final task on the Quidditch field to see
what the task was. They found out it was a maze. Mazes have many symbolic
meaning throughout history; Labyrinths have a lot to do with getting through the
tasks, and also have a lot to do with J.K. Rowlings life.
Mazes can be found almost anywhere. They are a confusing, intricate
network of winding pathways; specifically with one or more blind alleys
according to Websters Dictionary. The reason J.K Rowling may have chose a
maze as the third task is because they can represent a spiritual journey and
show that no one has to followed a single path. Everyone has their own direction
in life and path to follow, especially Harry. This is why she didnt use a Labyrinth
instead. There needed to be blind spots and traps because that is what Harry
has gone through in the series. He gets faced with many unexpected situations
and has to come up with a way to get past it and redirect himself. This is why she
added the challenges of the Skrewt, the demeantor, the yellow fog, and the
Sphinx. It was a decision the competitors had to make, they could backtrack and
not deal with whatever challenge they were handed or they could defeat it and
move forward on their journey to the goal. The goal for this competition was to be
the first to make it to the Cup and touch it. However it couldnt be that easy of
course, not for Harry. When he and Cedric touched the cup at the same time it
was actually a port key. This is another reason why she chose a maze, many
people often reserve the thought that mazes and labyrinths are interchangeable.

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Labyrinth is quite similar to a maze however it was made before mazes
even existed. The difference is a Labyrinth does not have any blind alleys. It is a
single path to the center. In Greek mythology the labyrinth was designed to hold
the Minotaur eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Knowing this history is the
reason why J. K. Rowling did not make it as simple to complete the competition,
there had to be something to defeat. This is why the cup was a port key. It
brought Harry and Cedric to Hangleton where Lord Voldemort, Harrys enemy,
was trying yet again to kill him. He had another challenge and had to defeat
Voldemort once again. Much like J.K. Rowling had to over come her own
triumphs in life.
Rowling had not had the easiest life herself. According to one source she
was a true rags to riches story. Her childhood was fairly normal she lived with
her mother, father, and younger sister. However, as she grew older her life began
to get more complicated. She had a estranged relationship with her father, who
she no longer talks to and her mother was diagnosed with sclerosis. Yet she did
continue her education with excellent grades, held down a job and went to
college. This is how her life relates to a mazes, she has hit quite a few mishaps
and unfortunate events yet continued to push through. As she got older she
married and had a child, sadly the marriage didnt last long and she was now
living on state benefits in poverty with her daughter. She was on a train on her
way to London when she came up with the idea of Harry Potter. J.K was writing
the book and everything seemed to be going well, just like in the maze Harry was
right next to the ending about to take the cup when he had to face what he

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thought was his last challenge just like Rowling had too. After fighting multiple
sclerosis, her mother had passed away. Thankfully she did not let this stop her
but inspire her more. She continued to write and after being turned done for her
book she did not give up she fought and it has brought her tremendous success.
There are many reasons why Rowling chose a maze as the third task. She
wanted the book to be relatable to her readers. A maze was one of the best ways
to end the Tri-wizard competition not only because it made one want to continue
to read more but also because of what a maze represents. The maze shows that
there is no one direction, everyone gets stumped or stuck. That unlike having a
race or to test each individuals magic skills separately it was all in one, it let the
competitors use their best skills and knowledge to their advantage. Even though
the port key was an unexpected twist is was also how life was for her and for
humanity in general. One may expect something, like to win a competition when
all the tasks are complete, but is the challenge really ever over?