Uncle Vernon Character Analysis in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry's uncle; a large, often purple, and always angry man. He adores his son, Dudley, and loathes Harry. He and his wife, Petunia, took in Harry after Harry was orphaned and they abused Harry in the hope that doing so would get rid of his magical powers. During the summer before Harry's third year at Hogwarts, Vernon shuts Harry's school supplies away and forbids to send notes to his friends. When his sister, Aunt Marge, comes to visit, Vernon tells her that Harry is attending a school for "incurably criminal boys" and agrees to sign Harry's Hogsmeade permission form if he behaves and plays along. He doesn't follow through as Harry loses his temper and accidentally inflates Marge like a balloon.

Uncle Vernon Quotes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Vernon or refer to Uncle Vernon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

"No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his paper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"

Related Characters: Uncle Vernon (speaker), Harry Potter, Sirius Black

Page Number and Citation: 17

Explanation and Analysis:

Uncle Vernon Character Timeline in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The timeline below shows where the character Uncle Vernon appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...fourteenth-century witch hunts. As he works, he listens carefully for the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley are Harry's only relatives, but they're non-magical people (muggles) and hate magic. They'd... (full context)

Unfortunately, Harry is already on thin ice with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia: his best friend Ron tried to telephone early in the summer, but... (full context)

The next morning, Harry goes down to breakfast and finds Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley watching TV. Harry sits and helps himself to toast as a newscaster warns... (full context)

Uncle Vernon announces that he needs to go pick up Aunt Marge. Startled, Harry asks if Marge... (full context)

...Hedwig's cage away, Aunt Petunia yells for Harry to come downstairs. When they hear Uncle Vernon and Marge arrive, Harry opens the door. Marge, her bulldog Ripper tucked under her arm,... (full context)

...Dudley's "healthy" size and then calls Harry "runty." She insults Harry's parents and when Uncle Vernon says that James Potter was unemployed, Harry loses his temper. He tells her that his... (full context)

...heaves his trunk to the front door. As he fetches his things from upstairs, Uncle Vernon accosts Harry. He yells at Harry to fix Aunt Marge, but Harry refuses. His wand... (full context)

...back to normal and won't remember a thing, and then he kindly says that though Vernon and Petunia are angry, they'll still house Harry next summer as long as he doesn't... (full context)

Harry holds onto Sirius's letter until he arrives in King's Cross and greets Uncle Vernon. Vernon asks about the letter and refuses to sign another form, but Harry cheerfully says... (full context)