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Cooper Clark

Dr. Joyce

Final Draft

19 November 2010

Nazis vs. Death Eaters

Writers of literature often times find inspiration in historical events and in the writings

of others. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is no different. In her heptalogy about

the boy wizard, Rowling alludes to many classic works such as Emma by Jane Austen, and bases

key characters off of those in Arthurian Legend. However none of these inspirations were as

great, or as obvious as the comparison between Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters and Adolph

Hitler’s Nazi regime in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The comparisons even go further

to encompass not only the two powerful groups, but the entire real and fictional worlds in

which the stories took place. The wizarding world in Deathly Hallows is linked to Nazi Germany

in that key symbols, settings, and characters such as Lord Voldemort and Gellert Grindelwald

represent historical counterparts of the Holocaust era.

Symbolism is strong throughout the Harry Potter series. Not only is it prevalent in the

seventh book, but it also plays a part in the first six as well. One example is the fact that nearly

all members of the Weasley family are named after a figure in Arthurian Legend (Arthur is the

name of Ron’s father). This is said to allude to the family’s pure blood and noble hearts. J.K.

Rowling herself also said that she chose the surname “Weasley” to represent weasels, a

favorite animal of hers (Rowling). In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, much of the

symbolism compares the wizarding world to the real-world Holocaust era of the 1930’s and
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40’s. One such symbol is the Mark of the Deathly Hallows. Originally, the mark was created and

used to signify that one was a believer in the Deathly Hallows, and those who wore the mark

were on the “Quest” to find them (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 405). According to

character Viktor Krum who witnessed one of these believers wearing the mark, the “triangular-

eye” was the mark of the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Deathly Hallows 148). Grindelwald

was a coldblooded tyrant who killed many people in his attempt to gain power in northwestern

Europe. His twisting of a once, relatively peaceful symbol into a sign of evil is not uncommon in

real-world history.

According to Steven Heller (author of The Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption?), the

Swastika, “throughout much of its long history […] was relatively benign. Prior to its

transfiguration, it served as religious phylactery, occult talisman, [and] scientific symbol,” (4).

The Swastika embodies the real-world Mark of the Hallows. It was once a peaceful symbol that

Adolph Hitler turned into a sign of hatred and fear. Today, the trademarks of both dictators

share a stigma in their respective worlds. One shames religions and communities, while the

other discredits a group of believers and labels them crazy. Like with the Swastika, J.K. Rowling

also used historical sites to symbolize settings in Deathly Hallows. She utilized many places

consistent with the Holocaust era and set up a very dark mood.

One such site Rowling created is Nurmengard. Originally the monument to the Dark

Wizard Grindelwald and his 19th Century regime, it became his prison after his defeat in 1945

(Deathly Hallows 360). In reality, a town exists that strongly resembles this jail of sorts in not

only function, but name. Nuremberg, Germany, originally a place for Nazi rallies and

celebrations, became the home of Nazi war tribunals in the mid 20th Century (Shulte-Peevers
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354-355). It is also found that author JK Rowling combined Nuremberg and the suffix from

J.R.R. Tolkein’s “Isengard” (the suffix “gard” meaning enclosure or fortress) to create the

mashed-up name, Nurmengard. Furthermore, in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,

Isengard was said to be built by the people of Numenor, a possible allusion to Nuremberg. This

allusion is even more likely due to the fact that The Lord of the Rings trilogy was released in

1954, a mere nine years after Hitler’s defeat. Other historic sites such as concentration camps

can find their parallel in Deathly Hallows as well.

Malfoy Manor, or even the Ministry of Magic can be compared to work camps and

concentration camps. At these locations, muggle-borns (such as Hermione Granger, or Mary

Cattermole) found torture or fear via Bellatrix Lastrange or Dementors (Deathly Hallows). In

Malfoy Manor in particular, a muggle-born (witch born to non-magic parents), Hermione, was

subjected to torture and persecution. This is highly comparable to the treatment of Jews at

concentration camps. Also, at the Ministry of Magic under Death-Eater rule, Big Brother was

always watching. While people went about their everyday jobs, Ministry officials enforced strict

standards upon employees, and attempted to weed out the weak and un-pure (muggle-borns).

This treatment also parallels Nazi internment camps. Both used methods of fear and harsh

punishment on anyone who rebelled or fell among the unworthy. At the Ministry, Dementors

were used as a deterrent and execution method, while gas chambers and furnaces served the

same purpose in Holocaust era Europe. The treatment of the oppressed was no different,

whether fictional or not. The key to all this violence however, was those in charge. The

comparison of the tyrants of these two worlds is the catalyst. Finding similarities between Lord

Voldemort (along with Grindelwald) and Adolph Hitler sets off this entire debate. For the most
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part, many key characters in the Harry Potter series find a historical counterpart in Holocaust

history.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, known by all in the wizarding world as “You-Know-Who”, donned

the name Lord Voldemort when he began his quest for eternal life and total domination of the

wizarding world. He, like his counterpart Adolph Hitler, was born into poverty, but found

something he was extremely good at: being in control. When Adolph Hitler joined the military,

he found that he was an exceptional leader with powerful influence. Likewise, when Voldemort

entered Hogwarts School, he excelled at obtaining followers who were in awe of his magical

abilities. When both men came to power, they almost immediately revamped how their

respective governments worked. Both of their regimes required a register of all people whom

they deemed “impure” (Deathly Hallows 209). Hitler set out to create a perfect, Arian race and

wanted to rid the globe of Jews and gypsies, while Voldemort valued only pure, magical blood

and sought to weed out muggle-borns and half-breeds. It was his ultimate goal to dominate not

only the wizarding world, but to spread his reign over the muggles as well. This is comparable to

Hitler, who also wished to extend the boundaries of his rule beyond northern Europe. Both

began setting plans in motion to help them achieve these goals in the long term.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort (now in control of the Ministry of

Magic) makes attendance at Hogwarts compulsory for all young witches and wizards (210). This

was done to help single out muggle-born students, just like the register, but it also signified

something a little more sinister. Voldemort, like Hitler, wanted control over the youth in order

to control the future of the nation. Hitler once said, “I am beginning with the young. We older
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ones are used up. With them I can make a new world” (Rempel 1-2). A new world where fear is

key and the oppressed will obey quietly. If only Voldemort and Hitler had been so lucky.

Albus Dumbledore once said to Harry Potter that all tyrants fear those that they

oppress. He said, “…all of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure

to be one who rises against them and strikes back…” (Half-Blood Prince 477). This statement

was aimed mainly at Lord Voldemort, a man he knew to be full of fear. He was fearful of the

unknown and scared of his own demise. This fear of the oppressed can also be applied to

Adolph Hitler during his reign in Nazi Germany. He feared the Jewish people and those different

from him to the point he wanted them eradicated. According to Professor Jean-Paul Azam (at

the University of Toulouse), dictators fear reaction from the “minorities” that they oppress

because the minorities are often half of the population of the country (1). Dictators such as

Voldemort and Hitler fear the power of the people because they fear what one outspoken

person can spark: revolution.

One “spark” in particular is none other than the bespectacled protagonist himself, Harry

Potter. He started a revolt against Voldemort and the Death Eaters with “Dumbledore’s Army”

much like the Allied powers built up a resistance against Hitler’s Nazis. Those in revolt fought

for justice and sought to rid the world of the dictator’s symbols. The Allies (like Roosevelt and

Churchill) wanted the Swastika removed from Europe, just as the Order of the Phoenix and

Dumbledore’s Army wanted to erase the Dark Mark of Voldemort. Both groups also exerted

efforts to end the “pruning” of family trees in Europe; they sought to end the persecutions of

the minorities (Jews and muggle-borns). But why was there a need to end the pruning in the

first place? It has been found that both Voldemort and Hitler were related to those they
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oppressed; they were hypocrites. Voldemort had a muggle for a father, while Hitler was part

Jew on his grandmother’s side of the family. What led them to attempt eradication of these

particular minorities could have quite possibly been shame. They were brought up trying to be

special and trying to detach themselves from being lower class, yet they still had a shameful

and impure (in their eyes) heritage. Social class and another form of shame also play a large

role throughout the Harry Potter series, and cause other key characters to parallel people of the

holocaust era.

The Malfoy family was always rich and power-hungry. They were pure-bloods and

followed Voldemort without question. When things got hairy (no pun-intended) and they were

asked to carry out their so called beliefs, they did so reluctantly. However, in the eleventh hour

of the storyline, the family experienced a change of heart. They realized that none of

Voldemort’s power mattered; only their love for each other did. The Malfoy’s story parallels

that of reluctant German families or Nazi defectors. These men and women realized that no

amount of wealth and power was worth allowing the torture of Jews to continue and they

eventually ended their allegiance to Hitler.

Another turncoat to the Nazi name was Claus von Stauffenberg. Claus was the leader of

the men who carried out Operation Valkyrie, an attempt to assassinate Hitler (“Operation

Valkyrie”). Though he failed and subsequently lost his life for his actions, Claus felt he was doing

the right thing and he believed he was righting the wrong he had done as a Nazi soldier.

Severus Snape embodies the wizarding world counterpart to Stauffenberg. He felt shame for

setting Voldemort on the Potters (Harry’s parents) in the days when he was a Death Eater, and

sought to undermine the Dark Lord; defeat him. Like with Operation Valkyrie, his actions failed
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and he eventually died, but not before he gave Harry information to help finish the job. He was

a very dynamic character based on a real historical figure.

Writers and storytellers often complete their works with inspiration from the past. They

utilize classic texts and figures of historical importance to add mystique and entertainment

value to their works. While writing the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling created many

characters, settings, and symbols that alluded to classics and most notably in Harry Potter and

the Deathly Hallows, to Adolph Hitler’s Nazi regime. She even built up anticipation for this

comparison early on in her first book. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling briefly

mentioned that the Dark Wizard Grindelwald was defeated in 1945, the year in which fellow

dictator Adolph Hitler also met his demise (103). It was in the final installment of the widely

popular series that Rowling pulled out all the stops. She dropped subtle hints of the comparison

through the symbolism of dictators’ insignias, created places in her world that closely mirrored

Holocaust era reality, and tied nearly every major character to a key historical figure. J.K.

Rowling has truly created a masterful work of literature that many have come to enjoy. If

people would stop and take a closer look, they might just get a history lesson too.
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Works Cited

Azam, Jean-Paul. "Taming Oppressors : Aid v. Sanctions." (2001): 1. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.idei.fr/doc/wp/2001/oppressors.pdf>.

Heller, Steven. The Swastika: Symbol beyond Redemption? New York: Allworth, 2000. Print.

"Operation Valkyrie and the July Plot to Assassinate Hitler." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage.

Web. 27 Sept. 2010.

<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/julyplot.html>.

Rempel, Gerhard. Hitler's Children: the Hitler Youth and the SS. Chapel Hill: University of North

Carolina, 1989. Print.

Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York, NY: Arthur

A. Levine, 2007. Print.

Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. New York, NY: Arthur

A. Levine, 2005. Print.

Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic,

1999. Print.

Rowling, J. K. "J.K.Rowling Official Site." J.K.Rowling Official Site - Harry Potter and More. Web.

17 Nov. 2010. <http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=7>.

Schulte-Peevers, Andrea. Germany. Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet, 2007. Print.

Tolkien, J.R. R. The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. London: Harper Collins, 1954. Print.
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