The Sorting Hat: a Twist of Fate
The Sorting Hat: A Twist of Fate In the episode of The Sorting Hat in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter’s character is described as courageous, mindful, talented and with a thirst to prove himself by the sorting hat that could see deep into his mind. (Rowling, 121). Even though Harry feels inadequate, the sorting hat sees much more to Harry. His fate has been determined, but it’s up to Harry to overcome personal obstacles to fulfill his destiny at Hogwarts showing that fate is not always superior to the human will.
When the sorting hat begins to analyze Harry, courage is the first characteristic mentioned. One of the first instances that this courage is displayed is in chapter nine when Harry takes on Malfoy for the Remembrall that Neville had dropped when he fell and broke his wrist (Rowling, 149). Harry had just been on the broom for the first time a few moments before. However, he knew that he had to take on Malfoy for Neville’s sake. The ultimate test of courage comes in the end of the book where Harry is trying to get past all the curses to keep the Sorcerer’s Stone safe. In the beginning, he had the help of his friends, but one by one, they were unable to help. First, Ron sacrifices himself in the chess game so that Hermoine and Harry can advance across the room. Then, Harry must make the decision to send Hermoine back from the potions room because there is only enough potion to get thru the fire for one person. This leaves Harry to fight Quirrell, and ultimately Voldemort, alone.
The second quality that the sorting hat shows about Harry is his mindfulness. Though Harry struggles with his lessons at Hogwarts, he is able to overcome more practical things with his mind. This can be seen early in the book, in chapter two, where Harry is able to remove the glass from the snakes habitat and frighten Dudley and his friend. At this time, Harry did not understand what he could do with his mind. Another example of Harry’s mindfulness comes in
When the sorting hat begins to analyze Harry, courage is the first characteristic mentioned. One of the first instances that this courage is displayed is in chapter nine when Harry takes on Malfoy for the Remembrall that Neville had dropped when he fell and broke his wrist (Rowling, 149). Harry had just been on the broom for the first time a few moments before. However, he knew that he had to take on Malfoy for Neville’s sake. The ultimate test of courage comes in the end of the book where Harry is trying to get past all the curses to keep the Sorcerer’s Stone safe. In the beginning, he had the help of his friends, but one by one, they were unable to help. First, Ron sacrifices himself in the chess game so that Hermoine and Harry can advance across the room. Then, Harry must make the decision to send Hermoine back from the potions room because there is only enough potion to get thru the fire for one person. This leaves Harry to fight Quirrell, and ultimately Voldemort, alone.
The second quality that the sorting hat shows about Harry is his mindfulness. Though Harry struggles with his lessons at Hogwarts, he is able to overcome more practical things with his mind. This can be seen early in the book, in chapter two, where Harry is able to remove the glass from the snakes habitat and frighten Dudley and his friend. At this time, Harry did not understand what he could do with his mind. Another example of Harry’s mindfulness comes in
Cited: “fate." Def. 1. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2012. Web. 17 April 17, 2012. Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic, 1997. Print. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer 's Stone Theme of Friendship" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer 's Stone Theme of The Home" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.