Last Sunday, NBC’s Meredith Vieira conducted an interview with Harry Potter’s creator, J. K. Rowling. (Transcript
here.) Amidst the tidbits about her life and the writing of the Potter finale was this exchange:
Young voice: Voldemort's killing of Muggle-borns, it
sounds a lot like ethnic cleansing. How much of the series is a
political metaphor?
J.K. Rowling: Well, it is a political metaphor. But… I didn't
sit down and think, "I want to recreate Nazi Germany," in the— in the
wizarding world. Because — although there are— quite consciously
overtones of Nazi Germany, there are also associations with other
political situations. So I can't really single one out.
Young voice: Harry's also referred to as the chosen one. So are there religious—
Rowling: Well, there— there clearly is a religious— undertone.
And— it's always been difficult to talk about that because until we
reached Book Seven, views of what happens after death and so on, it
would give away a lot of what was coming. So… yes, my belief and my
struggling with religious belief and so on I think is quite apparent in
this book.
Vieira: And what is the struggle?
Rowling: Well my struggle really is to keep believing.
Vieira: To keep believing?
Rowling: Yes.
Given the anti-authoritarian, almost libertarian themes in
Order of the Phoenix,
Rowling’s continued focus on opposition to a repressive political order
was both welcome and unsurprising. “Other political situations” could
refer to a lot of different things, but perhaps Rowling is
less-then-thrilled with the growing British police state. High time
someone with influence said something about that swelling tyranny.
Perhaps a few of those millions of readers of her books will
incorporate at least a portion of those ideas into their own lives. The
better for freedom if future societal leaders retain skepticism of
those who seek to control others “for their own good.” Time will tell.
Almost as significant (to me) was Rowling’s statement about her
religious beliefs (or lack thereof). Vieira dropped that subject like a
hot poker, but given the disdain that atheism has in most cultures,
perhaps if Rowling ceases her struggle “to keep believing” and instead
embraces the impossibility and destructiveness of a belief in god or
gods, others will be more inclined to follow her lead.
While it is obvious that atheism
per se is no panacea (
e.g.,
communism), rejection of the supernatural is a logical (and as Ayn Rand
pointed out, secondary) conclusion of a reality-based philosophy
dedicated to reason and objectivity. And in the long-term, liberty can
only survive on the basis of rational thought, a fact that excludes
religious belief of any stripe. Rowling’s disappointing inclusion in
the
Deathly Hallows of self-sacrifice as a worthy action perhaps reflects her struggle against traditional Christianity.
Maybe one day Rowling will realize that the greatest heroes are those who
reject self-immolation and embrace their values and their lives against any and all opposition.
One can only hope.
(from
Don't Get Me Started!, 7-31-07)
