Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by: J.K. Rowling

“I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

Has there ever been a mystery in your life that you just had to solve?  Throughout my 13 years of life, I have had multiple questions that had to be answered.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling takes place in Hogwarts the School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.  Throughout this book, the main characters, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, try to solve “the mystery of the year”.  After some snooping they discover that a secret chamber located inside the school had been opened.  They suspect that a dangerous creature that was supposedly living in the chamber, has been released.  Throughout this book, J.K. Rowling uses symbolic imagery to represent important traits and relationships that the characters have.

            One symbolic image J.K. Rowling uses is Harry’s broomstick.  For example, during a Quidditch match, Harry “fought” with Draco for the Golden Snitch.  The team that catches the Golden Snitch (a very small flying object) automatically get 150 points.  This shows how even though Draco constantly harasses Harry, Harry is very strong and as a result, he gets what he wants.  Also, during a Quidditch match, Harry risked his life even though a bludger was after him.  A bludger is a soccer ball sized object that tried to hit players as they compete to throw them off their broom.  This shows how brave Harry truly is.  Harry’s broomstick symbolizes great qualities that Harry has.

            Another symbolic image J.K. Rowling uses is Hermione’s hand mirror.  For example, the hand mirror symbolizes the great friendship she has with Harry.  She risked herself to help Harry solve the mystery.  She found out that a dangerous snake like creature was roaming around Hogwarts, putting everybody at risk.  Getting this information resulted in Hermione getting attacked by the creature.  Also, the hand mirror symbolizes the trust that Hermione has for Harry.  When Harry told her that he was hearing voices, she believed him and investigated.  Unlike most people, she didn’t declare him crazy.  Hermione’s hand mirror symbolizes the great friendship and trust between Harry and Hermione.

            The snake like creature symbolizes the trust Harry has for Hermione.  When Hermione “gave” Harry the information about the snake like creature that she discovered, he believe her completely.  He never questioned the information.  Also, the snake like creature symbolizes the friendship between Harry and Hagrid.  Hagrid is one of Harry’s greatest friend whom he met at Hogwarts.  Harry risked his own life by fighting the creature in order to prove Hagrid’s innocence.  Hagrid was thought to be responsible for the opening of the chamber.  The creature symbolizes the trust and friendship Harry has for others.

            In conclusion, J.K. Rowling uses a variety of images to symbolize relationships and traits throughout the book.  The symbols showed the great qualities that Harry and other characters have.  One of Harry’s most important qualities was his curiosity.  Without it, he wouldn’t be Harry Potter.