Rules, Rebellion, and Doing the Right Thing Theme Analysis

In The Chamber of Secrets, Harry is subject not only to the rules at Hogwarts, but also the rules of the wizarding world as a whole. Just like in his first year, Harry has no hesitation breaking rules when he believes that following them is in conflict with doing what is right. In his second year, Harry understands further that some of the rules at Hogwarts, as well as some of those laid down by the Ministry of Magic (the wizarding world’s governing body), are not always in line with morality. Rather, those in positions of authority care more about giving the appearance of maintaining order and justice than actually doing so. In contrast, Rowling shows that Harry cares little for appearances and is far more interested in actually doing the right thing. Throughout, Rowling indicates that it is more effective to prioritize morality—like Harry does—than it is to follow rules and keep up appearances.

As quickly as Harry and his friends are introduced to rules in the wizarding world, they break them when they feel that it is necessary to help others. They don’t bother with appearing to do the right thing by following the rules; instead they focus on actually doing the right thing, regardless of what it entails. After the attacks begin on Muggle-borns at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione want to discover whether Draco is the person responsible. Hermione presents a solution: they should use Polyjuice Potion, which can transform them into other students in Slytherin so they can talk to Malfoy and get information about the attacks. This entails sneaking into the Restricted Section of the library, stealing ingredients from Snape’s store, and breaking into the Slytherin common room. That even rule-loving Hermione is willing to take these risks shows how important it can be to set aside rules in favor of pursuing truth and justice. After Hermione herself is petrified, Harry and Ron continue to break rules in order to do what they believe is right. First, sneak out after dark to Hagrid’s hut, as Riddle’s diary has led them to believe that he is in fact the person who had opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years earlier. In order to avoid detection, they use the Invisibility Cloak, which allows them to break the rules without getting caught. Then, they use the Cloak again to sneak out to the fittingly named Forbidden Forest in order to find more information about the Chamber monster, knowing that it is imperative to break the rules and do what is “forbidden” in order to prevent more attacks. Lastly, at the end of the novel, when Professor McGonagall announces that all students should go back to their dormitories because Ginny has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron skirt the rules by hiding within a wardrobe in the staff room in order to find out what’s happened. When it becomes clear that Gilderoy Lockhart, who has been selected to go to the Chamber, plans to run away in fear, Harry and Ron take charge of the mission and break into the Chamber of Secrets themselves. In the process, Harry and Ron break about “a hundred school rules,” as McGonagall says, but if they had not done so, they would not have defeated Riddle, slain the basilisk, saved Ginny, and protected the rest of the students.

In addition to demonstrating that sometimes breaking rules is necessary, Rowling also demonstrates that often people or institutions create nonsensical rules, enforce them in unfair ways, or simply try to give the appearance of maintaining order because it is easier than trying to do what is right. Harry is not supposed to use magic at home, and so when Dobby uses magic at his house, Harry receives a letter from the Ministry notifying him that if he performs any more spells outside of school, he could be expelled from Hogwarts. But their inability to detect that Dobby, and not Harry, actually conjured the spell (in order to frame Harry and prevent him from going back to Hogwarts), immediately sets up the Ministry as either unjust or simply ignorant. Perhaps the largest misuse of power by the Ministry and other authorities is near the end of the book. After Hogwarts has been subjected to several attacks on Muggle-born students, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, arrives in order to take Hagrid away, because Hagrid had been expelled for opening the Chamber of Secrets fifty years prior. Fudge reveals that he’s “under a lot of pressure” from the school governors; even if Hagrid didn’t do it, Fudge argues, the Ministry has “got to be seen to be doing something.” Fudge thus seems less interested in finding the true culprit than in giving the appearance of trying to find a solution. Similarly, on the same night that Fudge takes Hagrid off to the wizard prison of Azkaban, Lucius Malfoy (one of the governors of Hogwarts) comes to suspend Dumbledore because of the attacks—even against Fudge’s alarm that Dumbledore’s suspension is the last thing that the school needs. But just like Fudge, the governors want to appear to be taking actions to stop the attacks, in this case by removing Dumbledore, even though Lucius knows that this is not actually the most effective action to take (particularly because Lucius himself knows what’s really causing the attacks).

Rowling demonstrates again and again that it’s unproductive and unhelpful to merely keep up the appearance of doing the right thing. This idea is best embodied by Fudge, who is just bumbling around and trying to look busy while avoiding the real problem at hand. Through Harry’s arc in the book, she also demonstrates that it’s far more difficult—and sometimes even dangerous—to actually do the right thing and take meaningful action, as Harry does by trying to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and stop the attacks.