Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Prisoner of Azkaban/Chapter 1
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Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Owl Post
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
It is near midnight, and Harry crouches under his bed covers at the Dursleys, reading The History of Magic and writing a summer homework essay on witch burning. Harry has much homework to do over the holiday and had to steal his books, quill, parchment, and ink from his chest after Uncle Vernon locked them away in the cupboard.
As usual, Harry celebrates his birthday alone. With the exception of a botched telephone call from Ron, which had ended when Uncle Vernon hung up on him, Harry has not heard from his Hogwarts friends all summer. As Harry is preparing to go to sleep, though, Hedwig and Errol (the Weasley’s owl) arrive with presents for Harry. Ron sends him a Pocket Sneakoscope and a Daily Prophet article about Ron’s father winning a contest. The Weasleys use the prize money for a trip to Egypt; the article's photo shows the entire Weasley family, including Ron's rat and Percy wearing his new Head Boy badge. Hermione sends Harry a Broomstick Servicing Kit while she is on vacation in France with her parents. Hagrid sends him a strange book titled, The Monster Book of Monsters. It almost seems alive, nipping at Harry and nearly waking the Dursleys as it scrambles around the room before Harry subdues it.
There is also the usual Hogwarts' letter with instructions about classes, textbooks, and supplies. Professor McGonagall has also sent a letter with an enclosed permission slip that needs to be signed by a parent or guardian, giving students permission to visit Hogsmeade (a wizarding village), during the school year. Harry is unsure how he can persuade the Dursleys to sign it, but for now, he is happy that it is his birthday.
[edit] Analysis
Once again, Harry must endure another unhappy summer with the Dursleys. His confinement there only reinforces what little connection Harry feels left to the Muggle world and how he longs to return to the Wizard realm, the only place he believes he truly belongs. He has not been totally shut off however; reading A History of Magic is one means by which he remains connected during his enforced absence. Also, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid have not forgotten him and sent birthday gifts and letters. Ron's present, the Sneakoscope, will soon appear to be defective, but it will play a significant role in the plot, as does the photograph of the Weasley family on holiday in Egypt. Hagrid's gift is also notable, as it indicates there may be a change at Hogwarts that Harry is as yet unaware, leaving him confused as to why he was given such a "ferocious" book. The "Monster" book, as well as Hermione's present, may foreshadow upcoming plot elements.
Readers might notice what may be a minor mistake. The textbook that Harry is reading, A History of Magic, is said to be by Adalbert Waffling. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we are told that A History of Magic is by Bathilda Bagshot. Adalbert Waffling is the author of Magical Theory, according to Book 1. This mistake is pointed up by Bathilda's becoming a more important character in book 7. However, as in the Muggle world, it is possible that these are two separate books by different authors that just happen to have identical titles and that Magical Theory is another book by Waffling.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- What is unusual about the book Hagrid sends to Harry?
- What is the permission slip for? Why is Harry concerned?
- What does Ron send Harry for his birthday? What is it for?
[edit] Further Study
[edit] Greater Picture
The photo of the Weasleys in Egypt, though seemingly innocuous, is what spurs on the majority of the book's action. If Sirius Black had not seen the picture in the Daily Prophet, he never would have recognized Ron’s rat as being something other than a pet, and would not have escaped from Azkaban prison and gone to Hogwarts.
Ron mentions that the Sneakoscope is cheap and probably not reliable. However, the two times he mentions it going off are both times that it should have gone off, leaving us wondering whether Ron is correct in his analysis. We will see it go off twice more, and both times it will be disregarded, though in fact it will be telling us, quite correctly, that there is someone untrustworthy around. Ron's inability to see that the Sneakoscope going off when he is tying it to Errol's leg for transport is it functioning exactly as intended, may be a sign of Ron's immaturity. Unawareness of consequences, like Ron's choice to use Errol for a forbidden extended trip, is typical of his lack of maturity.
Hermione's gift, the broomstick servicing kit, may be intended to point up the significance of brooms to Harry. As such, while it does not play any direct role in events, it is perhaps foreshadowing the loss of Harry's broom, its replacement, confiscation of the replacement, and its eventual return.
We will find out that Hagrid has become the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. The Monster Book of Monsters is his chosen "set book" (textbook), and he has selected in part because he sees it as a bit of a joke. The book will not open until you stroke it, whereupon it purrs and relaxes. Not one of the students that we see has been able to figure this out.
