In starting out Harry Potter for the week, something struck me. In all the other fantasy texts we've read, the "magical," "secondary" realm was accessed quickly and easily. Andonos follows a path out of his bedroom, Walter goes on a sea voyage, Bilbo steps out of Hobbiton, the Pevencie children step through a wardrobe, etc. With Harry Potter, though the wizarding world exists in close, though hidden proximity to the world of Muggles, for our protagonist, Harry, it is extremely difficult to access.
A good portion of the book is devoted solely to Harry's upbringing with the Dursleys, who take great pains to ensure that the world his parents belonged to doesn't break into the one they're trying to raise their son in. They keep a great deal from Harry, and indeed try to keep it from themselves.
Harry doesn't have the option of walking into a portal to enter the world in which he truly belongs; he has to fight for it. Luckily for him, however, the world seems to fight for him as well.
Though this is a simple observation, what effect does it have on the text itself? I think it works a great deal towards building the importance of Hogwarts and the support there in Harry's life. In other fantasy texts we've read as a class, protagonists will have their time in the realm beyond, and then return to an almost pre-adventure setting, if a bit altered along the way. With Harry, however, he knows the wizarding realm is where he truly belongs, forever. Hogwarts is his home.
I think this also plays a role in foreshadowing Harry's importance to the wizarding world. Though the fame of the Pevencie children was based on what they were yet to do, Harry's fame is based on what he's already done, as well as an expectancy for great things to come from him.
Throughout every book in the Harry Potter series, Harry has to fight for his world and his true home at Hogwarts. The elongated exposition of Sorcerer's Stone sets that up very nicely.
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