HP as an Anti-Establishment Tract, OR the MoM is Evil

[dan]

No: HPFGUIDX 173274

Katie wrote:
> the series is about undermining the corrupted establishment and more
philosophically, about the relationship between authority and evil,
and the nature of hypocrisy. 

dan:
This is evident since the start of book one, when the Dursley's become
the epitome of the unexamined, banal life. They risk nothing, their
life is uninterrupted sameness. As opposed to our hero, who life will
be unsettled, startling, anything but banal, and who will have to
continually risk everything.
 
> Dolores Umbridge... masquerades as the exact opposite of what she
really is. 

You will also note thatthe books feature disguise prominently- the
head of Quirrell in PS/SS, the diary and polyjuice in CoS, animagi
(and Black's innocence) in PoA, Moody/Crouch in Gof, Harry's head in
OotP (and Umbridge, as you pointed out), and so on.

> Governments and religions pretend to be our friends, to be looking
out for the good of the people, but in reality is crushing
individuality, choosing our morality for us, telling us what to
believe while lying to us constantly, and persecuting people who don't
fit in with the establishment's idea of what is acceptable.

I direct you to my posts on this list - where I have talked about this
a number of times over the years, especially since the publication of
OotP. I identify Rowling as rather anarchist.

dan