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Anna Bills

Dr. Mallory-Kani

EN 3414

April 18th, 2017

The Cost of Power and What It Means to be Human

J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series expresses the traits and values that have

traditionally been considered masculine or feminine by society in a unique way—not simply

through the expected division of male and female, but through the dichotomy of good versus

evil, and light versus dark. Throughout the Harry Potter series, feminine and masculine

characteristics symbolize the warring sides of light and dark, and emphasize the stark contrasts

between the two sides. Those who align themselves with the Light often possess characteristics

that society would normally associate with females, such as feelings of love, empathy, and

selflessness, whereas their enemy possesses more masculine traits and values, such as a desire

for power and an outright denial of anything that could be perceived as a weakness. An

unexpected result of this unique characterization is that there is a wide assortment of female and

male characters who possess traditionally feminine traits and values, and vice versa.

Some critics accuse Rowling of emphasizing and perpetuating the stereotypical gender

roles within society, as evidenced in the greater number of important male characters to

important female characters and their characterization. The boys are typically described as fun-

loving and independent, and the girls are simply viewed as helpers or “silly.” In Anne Collins

Smith’s “Harry Potter, Radical Feminism, and the Power of Love,” critic Heilman claims that

this, along with her “tendency to depict girl students in groups” rather than as individuals,

reinforces perceived stereotypes of girls as communal and noncompetitive (Smith, 84).

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However, others argue that it is the opposite, and that Rowling actually subverts expected gender

roles, emphasizing the importance of both genders in society through the appearance of equally

powerful female characters, a notable example being Hermione Granger. This is especially true

with her female villains, such as Bellatrix Lestrange, who command equal if not greater respect

than their male counterparts and adhere to the same masculine ideals as their leader, Lord

Voldemort.

Although I agree with the arguments above, I wish to take the discussion a step further.

As well as associating the sides of good and evil with feminine and masculine values, I argue

that this characterization represents a vital component of what it means to be human. The

characters who lack these feminine traits or value only masculine values begin to lose sight of

what truly makes them human, and those who deny these traits will lose their humanity

altogether. I argue that through this idea, Rowling illustrates the importance of valuing both

feminine and masculine traits in modern society; if one is valued more than the other, society

becomes weaker as a result, and we lose a part of us that is vital to humanity: our capacity to

love and to feel remorse. Those who lack these crucial feelings become something less, morally

and physically devolving into a being that can no longer be considered human. Through a close

examination of the opposing characters Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, and then the powerful

female figures Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange, I will show how the presence or lack of

these feminine traits, like love and remorse, sets them apart as human and nonhuman.

Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter are characters that have a shocking amount of

similarities: both were orphaned as boys, both grew up in environments devoid of love, and both

act as figureheads for their respective sides. Yet despite these similarities, there is one key

difference that separates them. Voldemort views his magical heritage as a tool through which to

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gain power and control over himself and over others, Harry views his magical heritage as a

connection to his lost family. Whereas Voldemort seeks power and control above all else, a goal

that would be considered masculine in nature, young Harry Potter yearns for love and acceptance

and opens his heart to his newfound friends. Ultimately, Harry chooses love over power, and in

doing so he chooses to embrace feminine values over masculine ideals.

Critics have noted that when given a choice between two actions, with one being the

more “masculine” choice and the other feminine, Harry often acts in a way that would typically

be perceived as feminine. Choosing mercy over vengeance, selflessness over selfishness, and

seeking love instead of power—all would be viewed as the “softer” choice. The more masculine

decision would be the action that would give Harry more control or power, such as seeking

revenge. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, during a confrontation with the man believed to be

responsible for his parents’ deaths, instead of seeking vengeance Harry “stood frozen” with his

“wand poised,” yet unable to kill him (PA, 342-43). When it came down to a choice between

enacting vengeance or granting mercy, Harry chooses mercy, unable to kill Sirius Black in cold

blood; shortly after, Harry chooses mercy yet again when he stops Remus Lupin and Sirius Black

from killing Peter Pettigrew so that his dad’s best friends would not “become killers—just for

[Pettigrew]” (376). In both cases, Harry had every reason to choose vengeance, yet he did not.

His hatred of the man responsible for his parents’ deaths did not disappear, but Harry did not

want to take a life, perhaps recognizing that giving in to the desire for revenge would forever

change him. In Irene Visser’s study investigating consciously and subconsciously held

conceptions of gender, dominance and a desire for power both ranked high as traits commonly

associated with masculinity. As such men in society today are expected, even encouraged, to act

in ways that would help them demonstrate their power and supremacy. Many of the decisions

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that Harry makes go against these expectations, from offering mercy to his parents’ killer to

offering redemption to Lord Voldemort during their final duel. Despite everything that had

occurred in his life due to Lord Voldemort’s thirst for power, Harry Potter still gives him one last

chance for redemption, if Voldemort would only feel some kind of remorse for the suffering he

had caused.

In sharp contrast to Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort fully embraces masculine values and

traits to the point that he has become a “hypermasculine” figure, obsessed with acquiring power,

cementing his place in the world and denying anything that in his eyes would make him weak—

feelings of love, compassion, and true sorrow (Smith, 90). However, with such a heavy focus on

masculine power, Voldemort has begun to lose touch with his humanity and inadvertently

weakened himself to those same weak values. Love is a weakness to Voldemort, and anyone

who believes in its supposed power and worth is a fool. Yet it is apparent that up until his

resurrection in The Goblet of Fire Voldemort suffers from a dire weakness to love and feelings

similar to it—he is unable to even touch Harry during their first confrontation because he is “so

full of the force he detests” left over from his mother’s selfless sacrifice (OP, 844). Even after

his resurrection, Voldemort is unable to comprehend love’s worth or why one would ever risk

his/her life for it, and so he is unable to overcome the Light. Although Voldemort’s weakness to

feminine values has been discussed before with a primary focus on love as “the power [he]

knows not,” there has been little attention given to another feminine trait that has contributed to

his loss of humanity: remorse (841).

As with love, the concept of remorse is completely foreign to Lord Voldemort because it

is related in part to the idea of forgiveness and sorrow. To feel remorse, it is necessary to feel

truly sorry for whatever it is that you have done, as well as have a desire to be forgiven for your

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mistakes. Lord Voldemort feels neither of these things. Even in his younger years, Voldemort

was a strangely apathetic child, reserved and polite during his first meeting with Albus

Dumbledore, but showing little surprise when Dumbledore reveals his magical heritage.

Voldemort already knows that he can “do things” that the other boys can not—he can control

animals and people, and he can “make them hurt, if [he] wants” (HBP, 125). All of this is stated

emotionlessly, a fact that greatly disturbs Dumbledore. Voldemort, even as a child, saw nothing

wrong with his actions for he believed he was justified in them. The other children had bullied

him, so he hurt them back. Offering forgiveness is unthinkable, and feeling remorse is

unimaginable; Voldemort “[does] not forgive” and he “[does] not forget,” for in doing so he

would essentially be yielding control to another person, and above all else, Voldemort abhors

losing control (GF, 649). Even his loyal followers are not safe from Voldemort’s lack of

forgiveness for the slightest mistake is punished remorselessly with a torture curse at the very

least, and death at the very worse.

This complete lack of remorse is even more obvious after his resurrection as his actions

become more reckless, fueled by a desire for the power he believes can only be gained with the

defeat of Harry Potter. As long as Voldemort is able to gain power, it did not matter who

suffered in the process. “‘I regret it,’” Voldemort had claimed at the death of Severus Snape,

however “there [is] no sadness in him, no remorse” at Snape’s passing—a death he himself had

orchestrated (DH, 656). Snape’s death is but a necessary loss so that Voldemort may finally gain

mastery over the Elder Wand, a wand rumored to grant unimaginable power to its wielder,

symbolizing the ultimate masculine objective. In contrast to Harry’s actions, Voldemort acts in

the way that will allow him to gain the most power, indifferent to the suffering he causes those

around him. It did not matter to Voldemort that up until that point, Severus Snape had acted as

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one of his most loyal Death Eaters. In the end, he was simply a tool, a means to an end, and as

soon as Snape became an obstacle between Voldemort and his power, Voldemort killed him. As

his thirst for power grows at a rapid rate, his moral devolution becomes even more apparent and

he undergoes drastic physical changes.

At the height of his power, Lord Voldemort is described as extremely handsome and

charismatic enough to charm Helena Ravenclaw into giving him her mother’s diadem. After his

resurrection, the radical physical change gives tangible evidence of his decreasing connection to

humanity as his inhumanness is now emphasized by “livid scarlet eyes” and a nose as “flat as a

snake’s with slits for nostrils” (GF, 643). Voldemort’s single minded focus the acquisition of

power drives out whatever capacity he might have had to comprehend love, to offer forgiveness,

or to feel remorse, and as this capacity is lost, so is whatever remains of his humanity. This

comes to a head during the Final Battle in The Deathly Hallows. When Harry Potter is hit with

the killing curse, he is sent to a kind of limbo where he is able to speak to the late Albus

Dumbledore; yet, Harry is distracted by strange noises coming from what appeared to be “a

small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw and rough, flayed-looking […] shuddering

[…] where it had been left, unwanted” and “struggling for breath” (DH, 706-07). It is implied

that this disturbing creature is the fragment of Voldemort’s soul that had latched onto Harry on

that fateful Halloween night, the embodiment of all those crucial feminine feelings like love and

compassion—everything that Voldemort believed to be weak—given a physical form, “stuffed

out of sight” and left to die (707). In his quest to demonstrate his power, Lord Voldemort

succeeds in becoming the embodiment of a hypermasculine figure, yet at what cost? In doing

this, he has lost what remained of his humanity and has become something less than human—a

being obsessed with power.

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This emotional and physical deterioration is not just limited to Rowling’s male

characters; a major component in the argument that Rowling actually subverts common gender

stereotypes instead of perpetuating them, is the presence of several female characters who

possess decidedly masculine characteristics and goals, most clearly seen in Voldemort’s

followers. In actuality, there are several infamous women within the ranks of the Ministry of

Magic and the Death Eaters who are just as ambitious and power-hungry as Lord Voldemort, yet

none are more feared than Bellatrix Lestrange. Darkly beautiful and feared by both enemies and

heroes alike, Bellatrix’s magical prowess is matched only by the sadistic delight she takes in

inflicting pain on others. During Voldemort’s early reign, she ranked high amongst the Death

Eaters and was given orders that only one of his “most loyal” and “most faithful” followers could

complete, such as the destruction of the Longbottom family—a mission she carried out eagerly

(HBP, 29). Contrary to expected feminine values, Bellatrix finds tremendous pleasure in torture

and causing pain, relishing in the control it gives her over others, both male and female alike.

She possesses a vast amount of power and control that her comrades can only dream of, and this

power has allowed her to rise up to an essential position within the Death Eater’s ranks, granting

her superiority that is seldom acquired by women.

Yet unlike Voldemort, Bellatrix does seem to possess some concept of love—she claims

to be in love with Lord Voldemort, and he with her. It is because of this love that she is willing

to do whatever it takes to aid Voldemort’s quest. However, this “love” is not the pure power

celebrated by the Light, but a love that has become corrupted by Bellatrix’s masculine desires to

the point that it has transformed into an obsession. Though she claims to love him, it is evident

that Bellatrix’s understanding of love is skewed by her obsession with power and cruelty, and

more specifically with the monstrous power demonstrated by Voldemort. As a result, she

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struggles to understand the misgivings of others also in the service of Lord Voldemort, primarily

in her sister Narcissa Malfoy. In The Half-Blood Prince, Bellatrix’s nephew, Draco Malfoy, is

given the vital task of killing Albus Dumbledore, a mission that would almost certainly lead to

his death. Terrified and desperate to save her son, Narcissa Malfoy seeks the help of Severus

Snape; however, Bellatrix is unable to understand her sister’s fears. “‘Draco should be proud,’”

Bellatrix had claimed “indifferently” for “‘the Dark Lord is granting him [the] great honor’” of

seeking vengeance for his father’s past failures (33). He is granting Draco a great mercy, and it

would be foolish for Draco to not accept it. Even more than Draco, Bellatrix believes that

Narcissa should also be proud for her son now has a chance to be of service to Voldemort.

Bellatrix is unable to see why Narcissa is so fearful of the chance of Draco dying, because

Bellatrix is unable to understand the love a mother feels for her children, or any kind of love at

all. To her, if she had children and if it would help Lord Voldemort, then she “‘would be glad to

give [her children] up to the service of the Dark Lord!’” (33-35). In devoting herself to Lord

Voldemort and the promised power that comes with him, Bellatrix has lost a vital aspect of what

it means to be human, the ability to feel empathy or real love for another being.

Perhaps in the beginning, Bellatrix truly did understand what it meant to love someone,

and she may have sincerely loved Voldemort. But the years spent in his service and then

imprisoned in Azkaban have forever changed her, and her perception of love has become

clouded, overpowered by a masculine desire for power and twisted into something it is not. It is

not the same feminine love that is cherished by those aligned with the Light, but a corrupt,

perverse thing she obsesses over with fanatical fervor. Like Voldemort, she thirsts for violence

and control, and she is more than willing to do whatever it takes to acquire that power even at the

cost of her own life. As such, Bellatrix can not begin to understand the anguish that Narcissa

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feels for her son’s likely death. If Draco dies, then he would die in service to Lord Voldemort,

so why does Narcissa despair? His death would be an honor to her name, and to Lord

Voldemort. Bellatrix’s obsession with power, and her devotion to Voldemort outweighs

everything else; not even her own family matter as much as her so-called “love” for Lord

Voldemort.

As a result of Rowling’s unique characterization, the Harry Potter series contains many

powerful women who have overcome expectations typically associated with female characters,

attaining positions of power in both political and social spheres within the magical world.

However, with women such as Minerva McGonagall and Bellatrix Lestrange who are notable for

their success in attaining positions high in power, it is unsurprising that critics have neglected a

key female character whose presence is a little closer to home. Yet her presence is also crucial to

Harry Potter’s triumph over Lord Voldemort. When scholars do mention Molly Weasley, it is

only to claim that she is a textbook example of a housewife: she is homebound and spends her

time cooking and caring for her children and husband. While I agree with the assertion that

Molly Weasley is the epitome of a perfect housewife, I do not believe that this makes her any

weaker as a character. In fact, it is because Molly embraces feminine traits and values that she is

able to finally defeat Bellatrix Lestrange during the Final Battle.

From her very first introduction, Molly Weasley is the perfect example of a housewife.

She is “short, plump, and kind-faced,” struggling to keep control of her six rowdy boys amidst

the chaos of King’s Cross Station, yet she does not hesitate to stop what she is doing to help

Harry when he needs it (CS, 32). For a boy who, up until this point, has grown up without any

positive adult role-model in his life, Molly Weasley easily takes over the role of a maternal

figure. She offers him guidance and comfort, and she even sends him a hand-knit sweater for

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Christmas—a gift she sends to all of her children—despite the fact that she had only met him

earlier that year. The same level of care that she gives her own children, Molly extends to Harry,

regardless of his fame in the magical world. It does not matter that Harry Potter is “the boy who

lived,” the great hero who saved the Wizarding World. To Molly, he is first and foremost a

young boy in desperate need of mothering, and she is more than willing to provide. This type of

love and acceptance is a complete mystery to Lord Voldemort and his followers. As I have

mentioned earlier, Bellatrix Lestrange is incapable of truly understanding the love a mother feels

for her child, evidenced by her inability to empathize with her sister; The only love she

understands is one founded upon obsession, control, and power. The unconditional love that

Molly expresses to Harry is something that Bellatrix can never even begin to understand, and this

is her greatest weakness.

While Bellatrix has managed to gain the prestige entitled to men through her aggression

and ambition, Molly has fully embraced feminine values, completely turning away from most

masculine ideals altogether. Yet in the end, it is Molly Weasley who is finally able to defeat

Bellatrix Lestrange. Throughout the series, Molly is adamantly against the constant fighting and

violence, and she is especially insistent when it comes to involving the children. When Harry

demands to be included in all of the meetings and decisions of the Order of the Phoenix—a

resistance group against Voldemort—Molly is the only one to protest. Harry is “only fifteen,”

not even legally an adult, and definitely much too young to be involved in the war; it would be

much safer if he would only let the adults take responsibility (OP, 88). Even though she is

overruled, Molly refuses to back down, determined to do whatever she can to protect Harry. In

every other battle, Molly Weasley is absent. Presumably she is back at her home, anxiously

awaiting the return of her family. However, in The Deathly Hallows, she finally enters the battle.

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Fueled by anguish over her son’s death and fearful of losing anyone else, Molly Weasley

launches herself into a duel against Bellatrix Lestrange. Initially, it seems like Molly will be

overpowered, yet as Harry watches, her wand “[slashes] and [twirls], and Bellatrix Lestrange’s

smile [falters]” as Molly’s true power is revealed (DH, 736). Bellatrix may possess an immense

magical power, but Molly possess something much more formidable: a mother’s desire to protect

her loved ones—something Bellatrix will never be able to understand. “Both women [are]

fighting to kill,” but Molly’s power, empowered by her desire to protect those she loves, is too

much for Bellatrix. She dies with a “gloating smile” frozen on her face, struck “directly over her

heart” by Molly’s curse (736).

There is no doubt that Bellatrix Lestrange is a powerful female figure. She is able to

garner fear and respect from men and women alike—on the sides of both good and evil—and

become one of Voldemort’s most trusted followers. But Molly Weasley possesses a different

kind of power. Bellatrix’s power is founded on purely masculine ideals, primarily her desire for

power, and as a result she has lost the connection she might have had to her humanity. Molly’s

power on the other hand, comes from an inherent desire to protect her family, and in the end,

Bellatrix is unable to stand against her. To embrace feminine values or choices does not make

one weak, and Molly Weasley clearly exemplifies that a woman does not need to emulate

masculine ideals and values to be considered a powerful female figure. In the end, Bellatrix’s

sheer power is no match against a mother’s love.

In the Harry Potter series, it is said time and time again that only the one with the

“power the Dark Lord knows not” will be able to defeat Voldemort and bring peace back to the

magical world. It is not till later on that Professor Dumbledore gives this power a name: love.

However, there is more to it than that. Due to J. K. Rowling’s unusual depiction, the warring

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sides of Light and Dark are characterized by feminine and masculine values—those aligned with

the Light value principles such as love and compassion, while the Dark values power above all

else, no matter the cost. This dichotomy also emphasizes just how severe the cost of power truly

is. While they have been able to gain unimaginable power, Voldemort and his followers have

developed an innate weakness to these feminine characteristics; they have gained power, but they

have lost the ability to love, or to feel remorse or empathy. As a result, they are never able to

defeat Harry Potter and the Light, who have always valued love and compassion. In seeking the

power so often associated with masculine values, Voldemort and his followers have lost

something even more precious: their connection to humanity, relinquishing the right to even be

considered human.

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Works Cited

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Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays, edited by Giselle Liza Anatol, Praeger, 2003,

191-205.

Gladstein, M.R. “Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts.”

Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle ran Hogwarts, 49-59.

Mukhuba, Theophilus. “A Radical Feminism Assessment of Women’s Recant of the Male

Symbolic Order in the Name of Difference.” Gender and Behavior, vol. 14, no. 2, 7235-

7237.

Sehon, Scott. “The Soul in Harry Potter.” The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts

for Muggles, edited by Gregory Bassham, John Wiley & Sons, 2010, 7-21.

Smith, Anne Collins. “Harry Potter, Radical Feminism, and the Power of Love.” The Ultimate

Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles, edited by Gregory Bassham, John

Wiley & Sons, 2010, 80-93.

Stypczynski, Brent. “Wolf in Professor’s Clothing: J.K. Rowling’s Werewolf as Educator.”

Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 20, no. 1, 57-69.

Rowling, J.K., Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Scholastic, 1999.

—. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Scholastic, 1999.

—. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Scholastic, 2000.

—. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Scholastic, 2003.

—. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Scholastic, 2005.

—. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Scholastic, 2007.

Viser, Irene. “Prototypes of gender: Conceptions of feminine and masculine.” Women’s Studies

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International Forum, vol. 25, no. 5, 529-539.

Wolosky, Shira. “Harry Potter’s Ethical Paradigms: Augustine, Kant, and Feminist Moral

Theory.” Children’s Literature, vol. 40, no. 1, 191-217.

Zettel, Sarah. “Hermione Grander and the Charge of Sexism.” Mapping the World of the

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