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Xuan Chau
Professor A. Morrow
EH 101
17 February 2016
Love, friendship, and courage of Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone is a great story that develops around the legend of
the Sorcerers Stone. In telling the story of the Sorcerers Stone, the novel also touches on many
universal themes, such as overcoming difficulties, dealing with conflict, relating to authority and
learning new ideas. Choosing just three themes to analyze from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers
Stone was a difficult task because so many themes are fully developed in the novel. However,
the three significant themes that I chose to explain from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerers
Stone novel are the power of love, the importance of friendship, and courage on the heros
journey.
The first important theme in the story is the power of love. In the first chapter, I find out
that Harrys parents are killed by Voldemort, but that their one-year-old sons life was spared.
Voldemort tried to kill Harry, but he was unable to and "when he couldn't kill Harry Potter,
Voldemort's power somehow broke." (Rowling 12). From that awful encounter with Voldemort,
Harry has a distinctive lightning scar that is a testament to Harrys escaping Voldemorts attempt
on his life. I learn it was love that protects Harry, when Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort
didnt realize love as powerful as your mothers for you leaves its own mark (Dumbledore
299). Dumbledore explained that to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who

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loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. (Dumbledore 299). As dark and awful as
Voldemort was, he could not overpower this protective force of love, and Harrys lightning scar
is a symbol of loves triumph over evil. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, love is the
luckiest charm and the most supernatural spell.
Friendship is another prevalent theme. In the novel I get to know the three main
protagonists, Harry, Ron and Hermione especially well through their dynamic relationship.
Harry, Ron and Hermione meet on the train ride to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
and are all placed in the Gryffindor House by the Sorting Hat. The three support each other in the
classroom, with homework, and during Quidditch matches, and they also compare ideas for
understanding exciting magical mysteries. They make decisions that test their friendships and in
some cases alienate them from their social group, such as when they lose points for Gryffindor,
and their House is in jeopardy of losing the House Cup. When Harry wants to take courageous
action to stop the Sorcerers Stone from being stolen, Ron and Hermione naturally support him
and go along. They work together, each one utilizing their own strengths and encouraging each
other.
Crafted from the history of alchemy, the story of the Sorcerers Stone is ancient and
captivating, and the story shows Harry courageously travelling on the heros journey to solve the
mystery. Harry is initiated into a magical world, struggles with his fate and makes tough
choices, and ultimately succeeds through his efforts and pure motive in finding the Sorcerers
Stone. To discover the secret of the Sorcerers Stone, Harry had to recognize what did not make
sense, cope with peer pressure, and contend with being chastised and even reprimanded for his
daring decisions. Harry was courageous in asking questions and continuing to pursue answers,

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even when it put his life or school future in jeopardy. In the end, Harry, as well as Ron and
Hermione, struggled together in order to solve the mystery and become heroes.
By modeling the positive actions and choices of the main characters, Harry, Ron and
Hermione, the novel uses the themes of love, friendship and the heros journey to entertain as
well as inspire us to deal with the events of our lives courageously.

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Works Cited
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1997.