Harry and Kierkegaard

So I’m going to look into Harry and Voldemort as they are portrayed in Harry Potter series, on the basis of existential philosophy. I’ve seen a few blogs that argue the outlook of this branch of philosophy provides a thorough framework for the interpretation of characters and objects in the world of Harry Potter. Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort are not only the protagonist and antagonist of the series, but also represent two sides of the spectrum of existential struggle. By mainly focusing on death, love, and free will Harry and Voldemort’s attempts to fulfill their true potential can be explored and analyzed from a very in depth existential outlook. While they share similar backgrounds and qualities, Harry is argued to represent the ideal being, possessing additional qualities that Voldemort does not. Because of these Harry’s actions and choices concerning his existence prove to be very different from Voldemort’s. While Voldemort’s sole purpose in life appears to be to overcome nonbeing: to achieve immortality, Harry accepts his existence for what it is, he accepts his freedom and free will, his impending nonbeing, and does not attempt to overcome it, and he therefore also accepts his anxiety. Harry is consequently argued to act as, and become, an ideal being, while Voldemort succumbs to his anxiety in his attempt to overpower death, and is ultimately destroyed by it, indicating that his actions are not those of a complete being. Hence, Harry and Voldemort’s actions appear to represent the two sides of existential psychology: the human awareness of existence affects the individual’s choices, and actions. Harry symbolizes the ideal being, while Voldemort is the deterrent example of how not to act if one wishes to fulfill one’s potentials, and preserve one’s being. In Rowling’s portrayal of Harry and Voldemort both Harry and Voldemort lost their parents at a young age, providing them with an awareness of the impending loss of their existence, or mortality. This suggests that their awareness of existence is enhanced: they have experienced nonbeing, through the deaths of others, and are therefore more aware of what it means to exist. In addition to sharing similar qualities, they share similar pasts, and an awareness of death. This indicates that they have rather equivalent foundations on which to build their selves. They therefore serve as prime examples of how an individual can succeed and fail in the attempt to develop, and preserve, his/her being. However, while their backgrounds are similar, their actions, and the motives behind these, reveal significant differences. Within Rowling’s fictional world, the protagonist Harry is here argued to represent the ideal being, while Voldemort, as antagonist, represents the unsuccessful attempt to fulfill one’s potential.