Themes Of Sacrifice In Harry Potter And Christianity

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In 1990, J.K. Rowling began to plan out the one of the most well-known series in modern literature. The Harry Potter books follow a young wizard by the name of Harry Potter and his journey to defeat the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. As Harry attends Hogwarts, he learns more about his destiny and what he must do in order to destroy Voldemort because “neither can live while the other survives.” These novels revolve around the theme of death, and there are many religious parallels that can be drawn to connect this story to the life of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the man sent from Heaven to save humanity from sin, much like how Harry is destined to save the wizarding community from Lord Voldemort. In the Harry Potter series, there are several references to Christian ideologies which help to reinforce the themes of death and sacrifice by mirroring the story of Jesus Christ. The series opens with the death of Harry’s parents …show more content…
A cloaked figure comes out from the shadows and begins to drink the dead unicorn’s blood. As it is explained to Harry by the centaur, Firenze, “The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips” (Looking for God 93). The cloaked figure drinking the unicorn blood is assumed to be Voldemort. At this point in the series, Voldemort is very vulnerable and he is looking for anyway to stay alive until he finds a permanent solution. The unicorn itself is a symbol of purity and innocence. It is a rare creature and it is quite elusive. In the Forbidden Forest scene, the unicorn was sacrificed to give life to another being, just as Christ sacrificed his life in order save the lives of others (Looking for God
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