Fate, Choice, and Identity Theme Analysis

As Harry grows up, both he and his peers struggle to understand his true identity: is Harry a real hero, destined to defeat Voldemort and the forces of evil? Is he the long-awaited Heir of Slytherin, fated to become a dark wizard? Or is he just a normal boy who was thrust into an extraordinary situation? In this book, Harry’s identity is primarily shaped through two aspects of his experience: his growing fame at school and his growing understanding of the connection he bears with Voldemort. To Harry, it often seems that his identity is fated. But Dumbledore’s final discussion with Harry at the end of the book emphasizes a key revelation about identity: one’s identity is not based solely on fate; it is also deeply reliant on one’s own choices and actions.

During Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, he finds that his identity is still largely shaped by the fact that Voldemort lost his powers after trying to kill Harry as a baby. Even as Harry longs to prove his worth in other ways, his identity is still that of a celebrity, and he is acknowledged more for his fame than for his accomplishments. Colin Creevey, a first-year in Gryffindor, becomes obsessed with the famous Harry Potter and constantly asks him to pose for pictures and sign them. Harry tries to be polite and obliges Colin, but Draco quickly picks up on this and makes fun of Harry for giving out signed photos. Despite the fact that Harry is incredibly humble at heart, he has to contend with the image that others build around him and feels that he has no control over his identity. The same thing happens with Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who continually assumes that Harry is looking for attention. When Lockhart sees Harry at the bookstore prior to the beginning of the school year, he pulls Harry in for a photo opportunity. When Harry arrives at school in a flying car (because he and Ron cannot get through the barrier at platform nine and three quarters), Lockhart assumes that he did so in order to be noticed, and to taste the same kind of fame that Lockhart himself enjoys. Harry, of course, sees Lockhart’s own fame and falseness as the antithesis of who he, Harry, wants to be These moments make Harry realize that he wants to be able to define his own identity, rather than being thought of as simply famous and arrogant.

Even more troubling to Harry is the way that he and Tom Riddle (the young version of Voldemort) share many qualities, seeming to imply that they could share similar fates. But ultimately Dumbledore assures Harry that it is his choices that define him, not just his inherent qualities. Harry sees a lot of similarities between himself and Tom Riddle. Riddle and Harry are both half-bloods (one parent from a wizarding family and one parent from a Muggle family), and they both are raised by Muggles in places they hate (Harry with the Dursleys, and Tom Riddle in an orphanage). They both love Hogwarts and would rather remain there than go home; Harry acknowledges, when there are discussions about closing Hogwarts, that he understands how Riddle felt at the prospect of going back to a Muggle orphanage. They both even have “jet-black hair,” and they both speak Parseltongue. When Riddle and Harry meet in the Chamber of Secrets, Riddle even acknowledges these similarities. The similarities cause Harry to worry that he is too much like Riddle, even though he doesn’t want to be. He expresses concern several times over the course of the novel that maybe he was meant to be in Slytherin because he can speak to snakes (like Slytherin’s founder), and because the Sorting Hat originally wanted to put him in that house. Harry is afraid that he will end up being very similar to Tom, once again believing that his own identity is out of his hands.

But despite the fact that Harry feels that his identity has been left to fate, Dumbledore assures him that he is “very different from Tom Riddle” because of the choices that he makes. Harry is concerned that he was supposed to be placed in Slytherin, but Dumbledore points out that he asked the Sorting Hat not to be in Slytherin, and that is why he was placed in Gryffindor. Thus, he chose to be in Gryffindor over Slytherin on his first day at Hogwarts, which demonstrated his values and in turn determined whom he became friends with and what experiences he had. Additionally, Harry actively chooses to protect and accept Muggle-born students. He becomes friends with Hermione in the first book, and in this book he tries to solve the mystery of the attacks in order to prevent more Muggle-born students from being harmed. This contrasts with Tom Riddle’s own choices, as Riddle decided to actively persecute Muggle-born students both during his own time at Hogwarts and in the present. Harry also chooses to be humble and self-sacrificing rather than power-hungry. While people try to build up his celebrity throughout the book, Harry is obstinate that he doesn’t want to be thought of as arrogant or needing attention. He also chooses to put his own life at risk in order to protect those around him. Voldemort, on the other hand, kills anyone who stands in the way of his quest to gain power and eternal life. It is these choices, Dumbledore affirms for Harry, that “show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Rowling illustrates that while identity may be shaped by many factors, individuals’ choices are ultimately what truly define them.