Harry Potter and the three F's of adolescence ... with Cami Nihipali
Were you ever an adolescent? Are you a Harry Potter fan? If you answered yes to the first question, read on. If you answered yes to both questions, this is your lucky day. Local writer and teacher Cami Nihipali is here to lead us through the three F's of adolescence and Harry Potter. Here's Cami!
"Remember adolescence? Now that you've moved past the shudder, think about it beyond the poor self-image, beyond the acne, beyond the confusion. What do you remember? There are three things that really stand out about being an adolescent for me: finding myself, friends, and first love. Here's a treat, most adolescent literature capitalizes on these three components of development. One in particular that comes to mind: the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
"One of the most important aspects of adolescence is the journey to find one's self. Harry Potter follows the quintessential hero's journey (see Joseph Campbell for our intellectual readers and Chris Vogler for fellow writers). It is on the journey through the seven novels of the series that Harry discovers who he is, what he believes, and how he relates to the world around him. He is pushed through a series of tasks, tests, and relationships to discover his role and his beliefs about himself. In adolescence, this is the purpose of this transition. Adolescence is the bridge between childhood and adulthood and the time in which to define self.
"Another of the aspects of adolescence is the pulling away from relying on the nuclear family unit toward seeking friendships outside of the family. There are a lot of developmental reasons for this (see a host of adolescent development books. One I especially like for its non-psychology talk is a title by Vanhoose, Strahan & L'Esperance called Promoting Harmony) the most prominent being that adolescence is the doorway into adulthood and relating to others is a crucial skill. Because Harry was never completely tied in a familial way to his Aunt and Uncle who raised him, his leaning toward his friends was prominent. The relationships he built with his friends at school, specifically Ron and Hermione, equated to Harry's family. These relationship became the basis for many of Harry's decisions and interactions with others, often seeking their approval above any others.
"Finally, and probably the most interesting to us as members of the human race, is the notion of attraction and love. Again, as adolescents begin to cross the bridge between childhood and adulthood, understanding sexual attraction and the emotions associated with it are a necessary shift in thinking. Rowling explores this theme with taste and elegance, teasing and building these feelings for Harry and his friends. Rowling captures the confusion, the giddiness of first kisses, and the pitter patter of the heart with new found attraction."
While most of us claim that we would rather jump into a bottomless pit than relive the angst and confusion of our adolescence, I think all of us would admit that our friends, our first feelings of love, and the opportunity to discover ourselves was a pretty darn good experience. This is one of the reasons I truly love adolescent literature, because through it I am able to recapture that beautiful rush of emotions that are often lost after we have crossed the bridge into adulthood.
Tags: Adolescence, Cami Nihipali, Harry Potter, Romance
