Quidditch as Metaphor

[Petra Pan]

No: HPFGUIDX 53587

Mr. Ed wrote, in part:
> > > What if Quidditch is an idea 
> > > that overlays the entirety of 
> > > the series?

Yours truly replied:
> > Yes, this is my reading of the 
> > main narrative function of 
> > Quidditch too; the Quidditch 
> > positions had struck me as being 
> > reminiscent of archetypes when 
> > first I read of them.  JKR seems 
> > to be making this metaphor between 
> > sport and hero's journey with a 
> > very light touch though, and as it 
> > is, I am not convinced that JKR 
> > has already presented us with all 
> > that she has to say about the 
> > similarities between playing the 
> > Game of Quidditch and being
> > the Hero of your own Life.

Debbie:
> I agree that JKR is using Quidditch
> metaphorically.  Back in
> December I wrote a lengthy post
> analyzing the game as metaphor for
> Harry's struggle against Voldemort.
>
> (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
> HPforGrownups/message/48192)

Ooh!  Thanks for pointing me!  I 
missed this one when you first posted 
it.  Mind if I comment on a few things 
now?  <apologetic grin>

Debbie, in part, 5300+ posts ago:
> I think JKR has used Quidditch as a
> metaphor for the struggle against
> Voldemort and the players' roles in
> the fight; moreover, the Quidditch
> sequences appear to foreshadow
> subsequent events. When you think
> about it, sport seems an obvious
> choice for a metaphor. A game or
> sporting competition *is* an armed
> conflict of a sort. In fact, here in
> the US football players are
> frequently referred to as "weekend
> warriors." What is significant here,
> I think, is how carefully JKR
> appears to have modeled each
> position and chosen who will play
> each position to mirror their
> personalities and/or their possible
> role in the coming war, and how she
> has choreographed the matches
> themselves to foreshadow what
> happens in the Voldemort struggle.

Hmm...yours is actually a slightly 
different take on canon than mine, 
though I think we are sensing, 
essentially, the same things.  Nice 
read, BTW.  :)

Where we differ, if I read you 
correctly in the rest of your post not 
quoted above, is that you seem to be 
extrapolating from their Quidditch 
functions certain characters' 
functions in the upcoming Voldemort 
War.

I see the metaphor as containing one 
more degree of separation.  That is, 
someone who plays on a Quidditch team 
may or may not play the same kind of 
role in the V War.  The dynamics and 
strategies involved in Quidditch, 
however, may very well reflect the 
dynamics and strategies that will come 
into play in the warfare that will be 
waged in the future books.

In other words, how the various 
archetypes interact in the paradigm of 
sport may be similar to how their 
counterparts interact in the paradigm 
of warfare.  The lessons that Harry 
learns from playing Quidditch may 
prove useful in his stand against 
Voldemort.

See, I am not sure that if a character 
performs one function in one paradigm, 
s/he will perform the same function in 
the other.  What of those who do not 
play Quidditch?  Hermione is not one 
to join in even the 'pick-up' game at 
the Burrow in GoF.  But I think we 
agree that she'll play a big part in 
the V War.  Which is to say I see 
analysis of these parallels as 
shedding light on plotlines but not on 
destinies of characters.  Harry may 
turn out to be the only character to 
function consistently in both life and 
sport.

Debbie said in part about The Seeker:
> Compare [examples of Harry being The
> Team Player] to Viktor Krum's
> decision to end the QWC on his own
> terms, even though he seals
> Bulgaria's loss to Ireland. This
> preserved his own status as the most
> brilliant Seeker, and though it
> could be interpreted as sparing his
> team the ignominy of a worse defeat,
> he snatched any hope Bulgaria might
> have had of pulling off a stunning
> comeback. I don't think Harry would
> ever do that - in my mind, he would
> always give his team a chance for
> victory, even though things might
> seem hopeless.

The comparison here between Harry who 
refrained from catching the Snitch and 
Krum who didn't would make the case 
for considering Harry to be a team 
player and Krum not IF we are given 
the impression that Krum was motivated 
by the desire to "preserved his own 
status as the most brilliant Seeker" 
on the way "to get glory for himself."  
Mind pointing me again?  I never got 
that impression.

But I think your point stands 
nevertheless, and in fact can be made 
without raising Krum the 'selfish' as 
a foil to Harry the selfless.  You 
already raised examples of how Harry 
chooses to benefit the Light Side/his 
Quidditch team over his own person.

However, another Seeker's behavior can 
be raised as the counterpoint to 
Harry's team player tendencies: 
Malfoy.  In CoS, because Malfoy was 
too busy with the personal pleasure of 
laughing at Harry for looking stupid 
as he dodged the Rogue Bludger, Malfoy 
failed to realize that the Snitch was 
within his reach...that he can win 
this one for the Slytherin team.

     *     *     *

More recently - 

Yours truly:
> > Pettigrew very well may be the 
> > Snitch in this metaphor and Ron 
> > trying to turn him yellow, the 
> > color of gold, may indeed be a bit 
> > of a punchline...

Mr. Ed:
> > > Maybe the action in the story
> > > will reach its conclusion when 
> > > Pettigrew is caught in a way 
> > > that has some finality?

Debbie:
> In my earlier analysis, I had simply
> suggested that the Golden Snitch
> simply represents victory.  The idea
> that victory will turn on which
> side is able to *capture* Pettigrew
> for its own use is interesting,
> especially in light of Pettigrew's
> life debt to Harry.  This would tie
> Harry's mercy to the eventual
> victory of the *light* side.
> However, the game must end with the
> capture of the Snitch, and I don't
> see Pettigrew's capture as the
> climax of the final battle, so I
> think I find the Golden Snitch as
> Victory to be more satisfactory.
> I should also add that my dictionary
> says that "snitch" also means "to
> take by stealth" which is of course
> the best way to catch the Snitch --
> without the Snitch itself or the
> opposing Seeker realizing it (the 
> Snitch is bewitched to evade capture
> as long as possible, according to
> QTTA).  This would be an
> alternative, but fitting explanation
> for the Golden Snitch's name.

Though I'd put my money on this 
metaphor to work on both levels, I 
agree that just catching Peter would 
be poor climax.  Maybe Peter will turn 
out to have more to him...

Y'know, it would be interesting if 
Peter undergoes such a personal 
transformation that his animagus form 
changes, say, to a Golden Snidget, the 
precursor to the Golden Snitch.

How's that for redemption?  <wink>

Petra
a
n  :)

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