Harry Potter Lessons Learned, Chapter 17: The Man With Two Faces

Welcome back to the last chapter of the first book in our chapter-by-chapter read of Harry Potter. We've seen the first years at Hogwarts defeat mountain trolls, set teachers on fire, and stand up to bullies. Now we have extra-curricular things to learn as the term ends and we go on to the next year.

Truth be told

On the same night that I started reading Harry Potter, I handed my mother my wallet and asked her to get me the second book in the series. The confrontation with Quirrell and the revelation of Voldemort's presence all along hooked me so hard that I couldn't wait until the next day to find out what happened next.

This last chapter, I would say, is a tribute to truth. Dumbledore says that "it is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution." Nevertheless, we see Quirrell and Voldemort telling the truth as they see it, though Voldemort admits to deceit when Harry refuses to take things at face value. Harry bravely owns both his successes and failures as he lies in the hospital wing and converses with Dumbledore. Dumbledore begins to reward Harry's curiosity and intution by laying bare some truths. And Neville wins the House Cup by speaking truth at a time when many people would have stepped aside for the greater good.

As Shakespeare says in Hamlet, "This above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." There is a give and take between loyalty to self and trustworthiness and the principal players of this series come to the end of the first book, true to each other.

Lesson Learned: Be bold in being steady

In any new adventure in life, you can chart your course and decide on a set of personal guidelines. Harry is given a legacy as a Potter and spends the entire series looking for ways to live up to that name.

I once heard a story of a man who dreamed of the grandfather he'd been named for. George Albert Smith was approached in this dream by George A. Smith, who asked, "I woulld like to know what you have done with my name." The younger George said, "I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed."

It's a life-long process to recognize ourselves, but it would be great if we were able to say the same thing as George Albert Smith. Let's continue into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to explore another person whose name holds great significance.