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Essay for Harry Potter class ...

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Biblical Allusions in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Biblical allusions are very present in the novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. By using characters that are similar to those from the Bible, the most widely read book on Earth, we can identify the characters we come across in other works like Prisoner of Azkaban, and see a commonality, or continuous thread in western literature. When we use the Bible as a reference point for other literature, it can help us connect them to each other, and gain meaning and knowledge through these connections. The parallels between the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Holy Bible are numerous. Whether or not J.K. Rowling purposefully created this parallel, many characters resemble those of biblical stories. These are resemblances though, not representations. There are also many instances where characters are wrongly accused in the novel, a small form of betrayal. Although many similarities can be seen between the Bible and The Prisoner of Azkaban, the two only resemble each other, owing to many differences that can be found between the two. The New Testament begins with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and includes Jesus’ early life and works. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus proclaims the good word and teaches of the power of God. Jesus chooses his 12 disciples and spreads the Gospel, performing miracles and preaching God’s word. Jesus’ death comes toward the end of the Gospel, where in each book, Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus. Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, hands Jesus over to the High Priest in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus is then crucified for proclaiming to be the Son of Man. This betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot can mirror the plot of The Prisoner of Azkaban. The easiest and most evident case of betrayal in the Prisoner of Azkaban is the betrayal of Peter Pettigrew to his closest friends, James and Lily Potter. Peter, knowing the location of the

Potters, gives this information to Voldemort. Voldemort then kills Lily and James, though failing to kill the infant, Harry. Harry loses his parents at the hands of Pettigrew, and lives the first part of his life very alone because of this. The betrayal of Peter to his friends parallels the story of Jesus Christ being betrayed by Judas. Reflecting the Gospel story, Peter Pettigrew is Judas, betraying his best friends. Peter is threatened by Voldemort, at the sake of his own life, to turn over the Potters to him. Peter explains, “Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord…you have no idea…he has weapons you can’t imagine…I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus…He would have killed me Sirius” (374). Peter betrays his friends, like Judas, but for different reasons. In the Gospel, Judas simply goes to the High Priest asking how much money he would receive for turning Jesus over to them. Judas acts on his own free will, where Peter Pettigrew is actually threatened by Voldemort. In contrast, Sirius Black, who like Peter was also best friends with James and Lily, takes a more honorable path stating, “Died rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you!” (375). This betrayal of Peter to Lily and James directly reflects the betrayal of Judas to Jesus in the Gospels. While Peter Pettigrew resembles Judas Iscariot, Peter is only betraying the Potters and their friends, whereas Judas betrayed the Son of God. While Peter’s actions are still reprehensible, Judas committed a crime on a much larger scale, betraying God. While the parallel between the Bible and the novel is evident, Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban is not a representation, but a resemblance to the Bible due to the dissimilarities between the two. Sirius Black, like many characters throughout the novel, is wrongly accused, and punished in place of Pettigrew. Throughout the entire series, there are occurrences of characters being wrongly accused for crimes they did not commit. In The Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry suspects Professor Snape as trying to steal the stone, while really it was Professor Quirrell. In The Chamber of Secrets,

Hagrid is falsely accused of opening the chamber, while Harry is falsely accused of being the Heir of Slytherin. In the Prisoner of Azkaban many characters are wrongfully accused as criminals, some even being betrayed. Sirius Black is framed by Peter Pettigrew, accused of murdering hundreds of muggles, and betraying his friends, Lily and James Potter. Although Sirius is innocent, Harry does not now this truth for the majority of the novel. Neville Longbottom is accused of misplacing the passwords to the common room, when really it was Crookshanks. Professor Lupin is suspected of helping Sirius Black into the castle, when in reality, Lupin has no contact with Sirius at all. Ron accuses Hermione’s cat of killing Scabbers, which we discover is Peter Pettigrew in disguise. Looking forward, there are many more wrongful accusations throughout the rest of the series as well, such as the loyalty of Snape being questioned in every novel, for example. These inaccurate accusations also reflect back to the betrayal of Jesus, where he was crucified for proclaiming he was the Son of God, which he is. GK Chesterton’s “Faultless Felons” discusses the innocence of people being accused of crimes. He calls Jesus “the supreme faultless felon,” where Jesus dies to save the world from sin. Throughout The Prisoner of Azkaban, there are many “faultless felons.” Readers are led to believe one thing, while the truth lies in something else. Not everything is what it appears to be in the Harry Potter series, as we are constantly learning the truth and uncovering the reality. The parallels between Harry Potter and the Holy Bible are vast and profound. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, the most prevalent parallel is that of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas to the betrayal of Peter Pettigrew to James and Lily Potter. Biblical themes are reflected throughout the Harry Potter series, but the Harry Potter series is not a representation of these themes, due to other contrasts between the two. The biblical allusions are used as a connection to the Bible, where we can gain meaning, but the allusions are not meant to be a representation of the Bible.

Not everything is as it seems in the Harry Potter series. Although many characters are wrongfully accused in the novel, in the end, the truth is discovered. As the series progresses, J.K. Rowling keeps the reader guessing-constantly uncovering new truths and details of the story of Harry Potter....