Discrimination, Inequality, and Prejudice in the Wizarding World

In both fictional and non-fictional settings, civilizations are built upon stereotypes when it comes to the societal norms of gender roles in a society. As well as exactly what a male or female should portray. What Is meant by that is that society has strict rules an individual must follow to deemed as “normal” or the typical male or female. Both genders have specific characteristics that they should adhere to. In males those said characteristics would be; strength, intelligence,braveness, emotionless, etc. However women are expected to be lesser when compared to men in the exact same aspects.

In this day and age the phrases “be a man” or “act like a lady” are quite commonly told to individuals who don’t exactly follow the stereotypes assigned to their gender. When individuals break the gender barrier and do things that are usually done by the opposite gender they are born, which in many cases these individuals are often considered abnormal. Unfortunately, society would like for men and women to subdue to the stereotypes that adhere to their gender because of the “normality” and closed mindedness that lurks the world.

Rowling presented a rather complex, but insightful view of racism and discrimination throughout her critically acclaimed Harry Potter series. In all of the Potter books, racism and other social inequalities play a major role throughout the intense plot. Almost Immediately as Harry is introduced into the wizarding world, the different social classes become recognizable. A major observance of inequality throughout the series would be the hierchael presence of social class as well as social statuses. Rowling implementing this was a way to show readers of her series, in a more understandable way, how awful it can be for one set of individuals to feel as though they are better than another set of individuals. All based on wealth, intelligence, or any other materialistic idea. The social classes are as followed: Squibs, Muggle Borns, Half-Bloods and Pure-Bloods. As Harry soon realized, there is drama and hatred from each social class to another. An example of this would be the fact that the muggles are frowned upon by the Pure-Blooded wizards.

Despite the amount of kindness any characters could have presented. At one point all of them show some type of discrimination throughout the course of the series. By providing readers with this complex and fast-paced world, Rowling holds a mirror up on our own culture or society. In modern-day America even the best charactered individuals have built- in prejudices for a nationality, culture, or race. By first showing that racism is something to be fought against, and then by introducing her audience to a number of prejudices that characters aren’t as bothered by, J.K. Rowling asserts that discrimination, racism, and prejudice still exists in the modern world, and humans should become more aware of it and attempt to fight and stop it. J.K. Rowling examines the role of equality and racism in modern culture through her characters. In an interview published by BBC Rowling stated, ""The Potter books in general are a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry. And I think it's one of the reasons that some people don't like the books, but I think that's it's a very healthy message to pass on to younger people that you should question authority and you should not assume that the establishment or the press tells you all of the truth."" Which means that she simply just wanted to write a set of novels to teach the ideas of racism and discrimination to the younger generation, as a way for them to completely understand.

Throughout the duration of her Harry Potter series, Rowling presented readers with a real-life glimpse into the inequality and discrimination that lurks in Hogwarts and the Wizarding World. The most notable observation of discrimination in her series would be the idea of “Pure-Blood Supremacy,” which is the idea that witches and wizards whose families had no relation to muggles, being by marriage or blood. Were superior or supercilious of the individuals who have families that aren’t Pure-Blooded and have muggle relation. These supremacists often frowned-upon anyone who was beneath them in a hierarchical sense. They also felt as though they were “Top-of-the-Line” and that it didn’t get any better than them. The believers of this condescending ideology typically regard Muggle-born wizards as impure, unworthy of possessing magical ability, and often actively discriminate against them.

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