My idea pertains to the struggle that I perceived when reading Harry Potter, the struggle between idealism and materialism. Just to give an overview of both systems of thought; I'm sure that most of you understand what they are but it helps my mind to write this all out.
My idea (haha) of idealism is that it is the philosophy that everything comes from an idea. Ideas are basically existentially pre-existent and all that we know flows out of said "ideas". Secondly we have materialism, which is basically the antithesis of idealism. Materialism, at least my understanding of it, is that materials exist first and ideas flow out of them. This is all of course incredibly reductive but it suits my purposes to be so.
That being said, how do these two systems of thought relate to Harry Potter? Well in my mind after re reading all of the books I see this sort of dichotomy that inherently exists between Harry and Voldemort. It may seem that I am stating the obvious but track with me for a second. Voldemort is the opposite, or antithesis, of all that Harry stands for. (It is interesting to note that Voldemort can be seen as allowing or unknowingly creating the circumstances for his own demise.) Anyway, if we see materialism and idealism as opposites, then how can we relate this to Harry and Voldy? Two actions taken by each character have given me this idea. First is Voldemort's creating the horcruxes. By doing this: letting his fear of death, (I believe that's why he created them, not because of his hunger for power, although that was part of it) take over him, he creates these horcruxes out of material objects and sees this as his way of escaping imminent death. I see this as representing materialism.
As for Harry, how does he represent idealism? I see him turning from materialism in the abandoning of the Elder Wand. There are all sorts of implications that this action insights, but for me this is most important. Now while I believe that this is an important conflict for all those involved with the struggle detailed in these books, I do not think that it is what constitutes the basis of the struggle. I just think that it was something interesting to note, let me know what you all think.
Anything else that I could say is wrapped up within this blog that I found while researching this idea. Read the whole thing if you're interested.
"Examining the Harry Potter series through the lens of existentialism reveals J.K. Rowling’s unmistakable ties to the philosophy, notably in the recurring theme of self-deception as a manner of avoiding one’s mortality. Rowling explores the role of materialism in self-deception and the fear of death. Her characters choose between material possessions and an authentic life, for it is precisely these belongings that create a false impression of happiness. Nicholas Flamel and Harry Potter both ponder material objects and eventually choose to give up their illusions in order to face the reality of death. Lord Voldemort, on the other hand, actually places pieces of his soul in his most prized possessions and never escapes from his anxiety about mortality. The author urges her readers to question their own fascination with making money and acquiring assets, for the characters who give up these belongings are shown in a positive light. Rowling’s novels display existential problems concerning material possessions: the Sorcerer’s Stone, Mirror of Erised, and Horcruxes all distract from the anxiety surrounding death by creating an illusion of happiness or success for their owners."
http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/163/162
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