國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
perspectives affect the concept of the other in the Potterverse, since this concept often relates to the “gaze of the others” and the “process of the gaze” according to Foucault’s study of madness (488). The first section deals with the shifting idea of the other from both Wizarding and Non-Magical perspectives. The second section explores the otherness in Wizarding world as observable in internal narrative conflicts.
2.1 Wizarding and Non-Magical Societies:
Their Similarity, Difference, and Interwoven relationship
The complicated relationship between the Wizarding and Non-Magical societies in the Potterverse can be divided into three main kinds: mirroring, segregate, and interwoven relationship. First, the Wizarding world has a remarkably similar social structure to the Non-Magical world. In the Wizarding society, wizards have their political and economic system. Magical elements are everywhere in these Wizarding social systems, which creates a world that takes witchcraft, sorcery, and the supernatural as common aspect of daily life.
The mirroring relationship between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical societies arouses a familiar feeling yet still maintains elements of the fantasy. Secondly, the principle demand for Wizardkind to keep itself secret from the Non-Magical Other leads to the segregation between these two societies. The application of Foucault’s concept of the gap between the Same and the other highlights this segregation while illustrating the imbalance in power relationship of the Wizarding and Non-Magical communities. Lastly, the Wizarding and the Non-Magical societies can communicate or cooperate with each other in specific
circumstances despite the segregation between them. The connection between these two societies often offers different perspectives of the same event. Their interwoven relationship reflects complicated external conflicts for the Wizarding world, which provides innovative opinions of the fluid concept of the other in the Potterverse.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
2.1.1 Mirroring Relation: Politics, Economy, and Culture
The mirroring relationship between the Magical and Non-Magical societies is mainly presented by their similar yet different political systems, economic systems, and cultures. These social structures and ideologies in the Magical society reflect these systems in the Non-Magical society. Rowling compares and contrasts these two, vividly drawing the line between these two communities but also creating a lively and humorous atmosphere in the Potterverse. As Natov observes, “Rowling ingeniously enhances and amplifies the vitality of ordinary object” (129). She points out that Rowling’s magical world is “created by and rooted in the details of everyday life,” unlike in most popular children’s fantasies in which the Magical world is entirely separate from daily life and represents “a refuge, an alternative to the real world” (128-9). The mirroring and intersubjectivity of the Magical and Non-Magical worlds lead to multiple layers in the Potterverse and blur the concept of normality in these two realms. I will analyze the similarity and difference between these two worlds from the aspect of social structure and everyday life in the Potterverse.
The political system in the Wizarding world can be at one level interrogated as representative of the Non-Magical world, and then further as Rowling uses to satirize the government in the real world. The Ministry of Magic shares a similar structure with the British government, while the structure of the Magical Congress of the United States of American (MACUSA) reflects the American system of rule. Here I will only focus on the function and the weakness of these Magical governments, and leave the dissimilarity and connection of the political systems in different nations to the next section “Foreigners as the other: The International Structure of Magical Society.”
The political systems portrayed in the Potterverse reflects the discussion of the power of the state in our reality. The government in the Magical society acts as the shadow of the Muggle government, yet the Ministry of Magic overpowers the Non-Magical
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Ministry. The Muggle government is rather more passive than the Ministry of Magic.
Therefore, my discussion about the power of the states in the Potterverse mainly focuses on the function of the Ministry of Magic. Inspired by Barratt’s ethical questions of punishment in the Magical world: why a dementor’s kiss is acceptable while an Unforgivable Curses is not accepted? We can find that these settings are one of representation of the power of the state in the Magical world. The reason that the Unforgivable Curses are forbidden is that the government does not approve. Wizards and witches can kill others easily by casting some spell.
On the contrary, it causes more labour and mental pressure is required for the Non-Magical people to murder someone. Under this situation, the Non-Magical government needs to take over the right of killing by the restriction of the Unforgivable Curses. That is to say, what the Magical government disapproves of is not the Unforgivable Curses, but the unauthorized killing activity by individuals. In The Goblet of Fire, Rowling offers us a historical background highlighting when the Unforgivable Curses were once approved by Crouch. Sirius Black tells Harry about the history when Voldemort is powerful,
Times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others.
Crouch’s principle might’ve been good in the beginning —- I wouldn’t know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measure against Voldemort’s supporters. The Aurors were given new powers — the power to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn’t the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. (527)
This setting reflects the power of the state in the Wizarding world. Although the
government in the Wizarding world puts forth so many efforts to ensure the power of the
‧
state, the power is mainly performed by the prominent individual instead of the
government. In the Potterverse, these influential individuals overpower the Government, such as Albus Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, and Harry Potter. Each of them represents the particular ideology and leads those who share the same idea. I will further discuss the effect of these powerful individuals and their relation with ideology and identity in the Wizarding society in the next chapter. Corrupt aristocrats and governors also exist in the Wizarding community, which is vividly portrayed in The Order of the Phoenix, such as the Malfoys and Dolores Umbridge. Cornelius Fudge, former the Minister for Magic, is not involved in the dark force but utterly incompetent in his job. One can easily project upon these
characters some politicians or celebrities in our daily life.
Secondly, international relation in the Potterverse are centered on Britain, an obvious reflection of both politics and economy in our reality. Rowling extends her illustration of the Potterverse through two major international activities in The Goblet of Fire: the Quidditch6 World Cup and The Triwizard Tournament.7 Both games are like the global sports activities in our reality. Through the description of these two events, Rowling provides us with an outline of the wizarding international relationship and reveals plenty of technical problems that challenge any who would undertake the organizing of these
activities. She subtly inserts the relation of the Wizarding and Non-Magical communities when describing these operations. Here I leave aside the discussion of international bond for the next section “Foreigners as the other: The International Structure of Magical Society,” and focus on the technical problems facing the Ministry of Magic.
6A Wizarding sport similar to soccer in the Muggle world which played in the air by wizards and witches on broomsticks (The Sorcerer’s Stone 79).
7“A friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host in every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities — until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued” (The Goblet of Fire 187).
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Arthur Weasley explains the massive organizational problem during the Quidditch World Cup. “It’s just that it’s very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggles’ attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of time, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup” (The Goblet of Fire 68). “There are places Muggles can’t penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible” (69). The Ministry of Magic arrives at the solution of dividing and rerouting attendees. This
description of the Wizarding government’s work is similar to what organizations do in our daily life when organizing international activities, such as the Olympics.
Another thing that must be taken care of in the World Cup is that Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of the gigantic stadium that holds the competition. “Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they’ve suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again …bless them” (95). Arthur Weasley’s lines show his compassion for Muggles that they are easily affected by Wizardkind. Since people
“suddenly remembered urgent appointments” is common in our experience, Rowling here again combines phenomena in daily life with a magical explanation.
Rowling extensively describes the economic system in the Wizarding world, yet the description of the Wizarding banking system and business activities are unavoidable in her story. We can peek at the economic issue of the Wizarding world in Rowling’s narration about Gringotts — a wizarding bank run by goblins. Wizards have their own currency system built upon the Galleon, Sickle, and Knut, which are gold, silver, bronze, respectively. Rowling does not mention any other currency from other countries; we assume the banking system in the Wizarding world is international and the trouble of exchange of currency is vanishing in the Wizarding world. A wizard’s financial state can
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
still affect his or her social position. Jennifer Sterling-Folker and Brian Folker argue that,
“the magicals also share the muggle expectation that those with [a] lower-paying job will have lower standards of living” (107). For instance, Arthur Weasley’s relatively
unimportant position in the Ministry of Magic earns him a lower salary. The first time Draco Malfoy met Ron Weasley, Malfoy immediately sasses Ron that “No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford” (The Sorcerer’s Stone 108). This scene provides a hint of the Weasley’s status in the Wizarding society. Their poverty somehow affects the Weasley boys
negatively, for instance, Ron lacks of confidence; Percy gains too much ambition. Natov states that “Rowling draws these opposing realms so seamlessly that they appear to have always been there, side by side, the event and its meaning exquisitely illuminated” (134).
The political and economic systems in the Wizarding world are mirroring the social
structure in the Non-Magical world, and the involvement of magic becomes ordinary in the Potterverse.
Another mirroring relationship between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical worlds is that these two societies share a common historical and cultural context in the Potterverse.
We can find many familiar legendary and historical events in the Wizarding society, such as the legend of Merlin and the history of Salem witch hunting. The folklore in the Wizarding world also has a similar structure of the stories in the Non-Magical world. Rowling’s Introduction in The Tales of Beedle the Bard suggests that these tales are much like Non-Magical folklore and stories, such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The most blatant difference between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical fairy tales is the role of witchcraft.
“In Muggle fairy tales,” Rowling remarks, “magic tends to lie at the root of the hero or heroine's troubles — the wicked witch has poisoned the apple, or put the princess into a hundred years' sleep, or turned the prince into a hideous beast. In The Tales of Beedle the
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Bard, on the other hand, we meet heroes and heroines who can perform magic themselves, and yet find it just as hard to solve their problems as we do” (xi-xii). This statement seamlessly blends the Muggle worldview into Wizarding’s traditional folklore and
fairytales, while setting a boundary between these two sites by pointing out the crucial role of wizardry and witchcraft.
The Wizarding society mirrors the Non-Magical society in many ways, including politic, economy, and culture. The main difference between these two worlds is the role of magic. In the Wizarding world, witchcraft is taken for granted in wizards’ daily life, which creates a vivid description of the Potterverse, since magic is often taken as the
extraordinaryin the Non-Magical society. In the following part, I am going to deal with the segregation between these two sites in the Potterverse, to see how the gap within the Potterverse affect the concept of the other.
2.1.2 The Segregation
The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (which could also be referred to as the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy or the International Statute of Secrecy) is the most important structural factor in the historical segregation of the Wizarding and Non-Magical communities from historical aspects in the Potterverse. In Rowling’s
supplementary work, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, she draws a fictional history set before the fifteenth century, when Wizardkind lived with their Non-Magical neighbors, and often used their magic for the benefit of Non-Magical fellows. Wizards grew tired of offering Non-Magical citizens assistance without any appreciation, since the persecution of witches and wizards continued to spread across Europe into the early fifteenth century. “The wizards drew further and further apart from their Non-Magical brethren, culminating in the institution of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1689, when Wizardkind
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
voluntarily went underground” (14). Rowling provides her readers with a further
explanation of this law in The Deathly Hallows, nothing that was natural, that the Magicals formed their own small communities within the larger Non-Magical community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, banding together “for mutual support and protection” (318).
This fictional law leads to the gap (“the caesura”) between the Wizarding and Non-Magical societies. Wizards are willing to silent themselves not only because they can gain more freedom by remaining silent, but they also can shape the Non-Magical fellows’ behavior in the shadows, such as using Muggle Repelling Charms.
After the initial segregation of these two societies, some wizards still maintain their fondness for Muggles. However, “as the witch-hunts grew ever fiercer, wizarding families began to live double lives, using charms of concealment to protect themselves and their families. By the seventeenth century, any witch or wizard who chose to fraternize with Muggles became suspect, even an outcast in his or her own community” (The Tales of Beedle the Bard 15). Muggle haters popped up in the Wizarding society who later gathered together to follow some charismatic leaders, such as Gellert Grindelwald8 and Lord
Voldemort. These wizards aim to subjugate all Non-Magical people and Muggle-born wizards and conquer both the Magical and Non-Magical worlds. These Dark Wizards represent a rebel force that break the balance of these two societies because they think this balance is established on the scarification of the wizards’ voice. This fictional legislation on one hand links to the history of the witch hunt in our reality, while on the other hand it explains the origin of the present structure of the Magical and the Non-Magical societies.
8 One of the most dangerous Dark Wizards, he is believed to have a complex relationship with Albus Dumbledore (The Deathly Hallows 354-60). He is further described in Rowling’s new series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Foucault’s discussion of the gap between the Same and the other sheds light upon the break and thus on the two societies. In Foucault’s History of Madness, he argues that the understanding of reason is based on the treatment of madness and otherness. Foucault not only researches the gap (“the caesura”) between reason and madness but also explores the silent and unspeakable characteristic of unreason. He states the history of madness is “the archaeology of silence”(xxviii) because madmen cannot explicitly express themselves.
People attempt to speak unspeakable things and interpret madness. In the Potterverse, Non-Magical people tend to deny the existence of Wizardkind. From wizards’ points of view, it is the Non-Magical people who should epitomize unreason, and their voice is unimportant.
However, instead of trying to colonize the Non-Magical world, the majority in the
Wizarding world chooses to hide themselves in the Potterverse to avoid further troublesome with their Non-Magical neighbors. The Wizarding community’s self-imoposed revised decision oddly offers them a better position in relations between the two societies. Rowling provides numerous examples that wizards shape the Non-Magical people’s behaviors from the shadows. I will further depute how Wizardkind gains an upper-hand position by hiding from the Non-Magical society in the following part.
2.1.3 Connection between Wizarding and Non-Magical Communities
The Wizarding and the Non-Magical communities are not entirely separated, despite Wizardkind remaining dedicated to the International Statute of Secrecy. The connection between these two societies includes intermarriage, the cooperation between governments,9 and the existence of Muggle-Born wizards and squibs.10 The interaction
9 In Rowling’s additional explanation about North American Wizarding Society, she states that
“Unlike most Western countries, there was no cooperation between the No-Maj government and MACUSA” (“MACUSA”, Pottermore). I will further elaborate upon this situation in the section
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
between these two societies shows the imbalance of power in the relationship between Wizardkind and Non-Magical citizens. Their different understanding of the same events provides us a more fluid concept of the Same and the other.
The different understanding of wizardry and witchcraft in these two societies is a crucial factor for analyzing the concept of the other in the Potterverse. Although in Non-Magical people’s plain imagination, magic can do everything, magic in the Wizarding
The different understanding of wizardry and witchcraft in these two societies is a crucial factor for analyzing the concept of the other in the Potterverse. Although in Non-Magical people’s plain imagination, magic can do everything, magic in the Wizarding