Harry Potter vs. Twlight

vs.

So I’m now coming through, and writing that ‘Harry Potter vs. Twilight’ article. From here on out, everything will be objective factors. I will support each statement made with facts about the books. If you think I’m not justified in saying something, please, let me know; everyone else is entitled to their own opinion. I do not wish to bring down the wrath of fandoms on me, but I realize it’s entirely probable. So, without further ado,
I will compare Harry Potter and Twilight by creating a nonexclusive list of qualities I think a good novel should have, and how Harry Potter and Twilight meet or miss the mark.

STRONG PROTAGONIST

Unless one is writing a novel with an unreliable narrator, in which the point of the novel is to doubt the narrator’s thoughts, actions, and motives, it is essential that us readers are able to relate to the main character. A good protagonist should become a role model, a person that inspires people to better themselves. A protagonist should not be a ‘Mary-Sue,’ a person that is invincible and perfect, but rather a flawed character that grows, and learns how to live a good life, despite his/her flaws.

Harry Potter grew up in the cupboard under the stairs. He was abused by an aunt and uncle and cousin. He was lied to his whole life. Then, after a life of being powerless, he is handed something very powerful indeed: fame. He walks into The Leaky Cauldron, and it falls deathly silent—until everyone starts rushing to shake his hand. At Hogwarts, people try to befriend him because of his name and past. He becomes the only first year to make the quidditch team in a century. And, most shocking of all, he doesn’t let it get to his head.

We all remember the infamous scene where Harry turns down Draco’s offer of friendship. We all remember how he jumped on a broom for the first time to help out the lonely fat boy no one liked. We all remember how he looked into the Mirror of Erised and received the Philosopher’s Stone precisely because he didn’t want to use its power. How he continued to try to uncover the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, despite the fact that students victimized him. How he pulled the sword from the Sorting hat, a sword that only a true Gryffindor could pull…How he adamantly learned the Protronus Charm at 13 years of age, so he could protect himself from the Dementors. How he welcomed Sirius into his heart, once he realized how wrongly accused he was. How he saved Fleur Delacour’s sister in the lake, at the cost of winning the task. How he followed Dumbledore’s orders to make himdrink even though it hurt Harry so much to see him suffer. And let’s not forget that greatest gift, how he sacrificed himself in the end for all people out there. No, Harry is not perfect. But he is an excellent role model, an inspiration for children every where to take the right path, even if it is harder. 

Now, Isabella Swan. I really can’t complain about her actions in the first book; she was stuck in an impossible situation and she took the selfless path that she thought would protect everybody. Maybe if she was wittier she would have been able to come up with a more foolproof plan, but she did the best with what she was given.

In New Moon, she fell apart. Really fell apart. I am not saying that she shouldn’t have mourned when Edward left! She had every right to be sad and depressed. But she let it take over her life for four months. I understand that it’s not possible to “just forget” about it, and I don’t think you should in a situation like that. But people still loved her, even when she was crazy-zombie Bella—Charlie, Jacob, Jessica, Mike, Eric, and Angela. And she completely shuts them out, shuts herself off from love. Then when she finally does get her life back together (four months later) she can’t move on. This, I suppose, is only human, but the extent to which Bella carries it is extreme. Allow me to explain. She begins hearing voices. Ahem, sorry, a voice. Edward’s voice. And she hears it whenever she does something dangerous or suicidal. Her reaction on discovering this? Here it is in her own words: “Option one: I was crazy. That was the layman’s term for people who heard voices in their heads. Option two: My subconscious mind was giving me what it thought I wanted. This was wish fulfillment—a momentary relief from pain by embracing the incorrect idea that he cared whether I lived or died [insert more unnecessary explanation]” (112). Now, just in case you didn’t understand this when reading, option one and two are the same. Anyone ever seen A Beautiful Mind? John Nash has schizophrenia and project people and event into his life because he wants them. He wants to be a master code cracker, so he creates the government agency that needs him. Honestly, how Bella can justify riding motorcycles then running them of roads, and cliff jumping in the middle of a storm just to hear Edward voice I will never understand. Unless for the very plausible explanation that she is crazy.

Then, one of the craziest things of all, she allows Edward to re-enter into her life with out a hitch. I just can’t imagine any sane person picking up a relationship right where it left off when they turned you into a zombie for FOUR months. There should be complications, hurt feelings, confusion, and maybe it would all work out in the end, but I missed all of the reconstruction in between.

Eclipse is another book where I really can’t fault Bella for what happened, she was torn between two guys, but at least in the end she was honest with both of them.

And then there is Breaking Dawn. This is the book that caused me to loose most of my respect for her. Unlike as with New Moon, my annoyance with Bella comes down to one point. That being how she chose Edward over her family and friends, with the knowledge that she would not be able to see them again (at least not in 10 years when she still looks 19). I believe in true, undying love, and think that there’s nothing stronger out there; but her love with Edward required her to give up the love of her family and friends, which is just not right.

Then, it’s important to keep in mind, that Bella is not just some tertiary character that is supposed to be a weak character, in order to contrast with the stronger characters; no, she’s the main character in a first-person POV book. She is a role model for millions of teen girls. Don’t tell me there isn’t something wrong with that.

DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS

It’s important to remember, that in real life, while we may meet someone and decide we like them right away, it takes time to develop a personal relationship where we can confide our fears and doubts. We don’t want to trust the wrong person, but don’t want to walk through life alone either. And I think the cliché phrase, “I want the next person I say, ‘I love you,’ to, to be the last.”

While I could go on and on about the trio’s relationship in Harry Potter, I’m going to stick to the romantic ones. Now, let’s remember how Harry’s relationship with Cho started: as a crush. It was also based on physical attraction. His knees just quaked as he spotted her raven black hair for the first time, stepping over a broom. Plenty of relationships start like that—but they work if they develop into something more. Fast forward a few books. Cedric is dead, and Cho is falling apart. She lost her boyfriend, and Harry watched him die. Her mother works in the Ministry, an agency that began scapegoating Harry over the summer. Yet, despite that, they still like each other. However, here’s what happens. They start dating. Disaster strikes. Why? Shouldn’t they be able to defy horrible circumstances despite the long odds? Shouldn’t love conquer all? No and yes.

Cho and Harry weren’t in love. They never had the chance to fall in love. Due to Cho’s extreme (and understandable) instability, Harry’s leadership of DA, and one date at Madame Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, they really didn’t have the chance. And we understand that not every relationship based on attraction, no matter how nice it would be, will work out.

Then there is Hermione and Ron. Talk about a relationship that developed. Their relationship started off as the “If a boy hits you, he’s trying to tell you he likes you,” relationship. But by Half-Blood Prince, things really start to churn. What really made their relationship work? Lavender Brown. What? How can I say that?! You’re telling me the bloody locket was actually useful?!! Why, yes, yes I am.

Before Lavender, Ron and Hermione were getting along well. Let me try again. Ron and Hermione were getting along well. What had happened? They probably bonded while Harry was dealing with his problems in the fifth book. And they grew up. They reached the point in adolescence when the realized the boy who had been her best friend for years was now a man, and the girl who had been his best friend was now a woman. They were curious. But did either of them honestly think that they truly and deeply loved the other. No. And Ron, because he’s still growing up and trying to prove his manliness or something, snogged Lavender. Unleash all Hell, Hermione is pissed. And it’s during this relationship that Ron discovers how good he had it with Hermione, and she realizes how much she really liked him to be hurt so badly. I think, if they’d tried to have a real relationship before Ron went off the wall, they would have fell apart and forever doomed to not talk to each other because of the awkwardness. But they worked at their relationship. They worked at it in Half-Blood Prince, and in Deathly Hallows. And that’s why we’re so happy and crazily cheering when the kiss in the, ahem, Room of Requirement.

Edward and Bella, on the other hand, share a little thing I like to call, insta-love. How does their relationship begin? By Edward making a constipated face the first time he smells her, and spending an entire hour fantasying how the kill everyone in the room, then slowly suck out her blood…She, looks at him, declares them the hottest of the Cullen’s, and spends weeks trying to understand his constipated look. Then, he comes back, and has learned how to control his constipated look. Cue strange sleep-watching and stalker-ish tendencies. Honestly, why don’t more people notice this as creepy? So there a few more lust-crackling classes, and next thing we know, Bella finds out about his stalker habits. When he saves her from a gang of men about to do very bad things to her. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad he did. Does this justify stalking? No. And, that, essentially, is what Meyer is telling all those teen girls out there.

It is during the car ride after he saves her that a lot of things come out. Ice-cold skin (okay, really, how many of you haven’t ever touched someone’s hand on freezing day and remarked how cold it is? Believe it or not, some people’s bodies react differently to temperatures than yours), hyper hearing (don’t start banging on the doors and demand to get out Bella…), and, oh yeah, stalking tendencies (really, girl, it’s okay to try to escape). And let’s not forget the color-changing eyes. Now, let’s stop and think for a moment if their relationship has in any way developed beyond original physical (and blood) attraction. No. Bella hasn’t found herself a better person for meeting him. Edward almost undid all his hard work to be a ‘good’ vampire. And when the elephant is brought into the room, here’s what happens. Edward is now allowed to watch her sleep. Bella begins to degrade herself, thinking how worthless and weak she is next to him. She un-develops. Kudos to Meyer’s for accomplishing something I didn’t think possible. That is not a healthy relationship. And it only changes when she becomes a vampire. Teenage girls should not think that they are in anyway inferior in a relationship. They should learn about strong and healthy relationships where the man and woman are equal. They should learn that it is possible to be strong alone, to not rely on something else to make you feel good. Twilightdoesn’t teach that, though.

WRITING STYLE

This one should be rather brief. Let’s look at Harry Potter’s first paragraph: “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense” (1). Now, read Twilight’s: “My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt—sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka” (3). Now, honestly, which sentence is more intriguing? Which sentence set’s the book up better? Rowling’s. Meyer’s is choppy with redundant adjectives. It tells us nothing about what this book I have just picked up will be about. It’s not good writing style.

I’m honestly not going to spend any time analyzing Rowling’s style, because I’ve never heard anyone complain of continual grammar mistakes from her. Some people may not relate to it; which I get and expect. But the biggest mistake I can remember is James coming out of Voldy’s wand first in the fourth book, a mistake that was immediately addressed and fixed as all books were pulled from the shelf, then reprinted.

Meyer is a different story. Look at page 476 of New Moon: “Aro started to laugh. ‘Ha, ha, ha,’ he chuckled.” Aro laughs three times in this sentence. Once when he “started to laugh.” Twice when he, “Ha, ha, ha,” ed. Thrice when he “chuckled.” Honestly, where is the editor to notice this? For further proof, check out these images, put together by the amazing Reasoning With Vampires.

Image Credit: Reasoning With Vampires

Image Credit: Reasoning With Vampires

THEMES

Now, here’s a point where Twilight almost got it right. Harry Potter’s biggest theme is that of ‘Love Conquerors All.’ And other little things are excellently portrayed, such as loyalty to friends, mercy is more powerful than punishment, power corrupts, etc.

And of course Meyer is trying to right an inspiring story about ‘Undying Love.’ Love that will cross the barriers of time, love, that will break barriers of the dead, love that you’ll die for. And I have nothing wrong with that. My biggest problem is how she fails to do so. She so obviously misses the mark by, 1) not making Bella and Edward’s relationship believable, for reasons stated above. And that’s unfortunate, because I really wouldn’t complain about a novel that writes about those things, and writes about it well.

And this concludes my Twilight Rant. I chose to compare it to Harry Potterbecause I think it always works when you show a student how something is down well, and how something is done badly. And honestly, Harry Potter is the most well-known-and-crafted series out there in Meyer’s genre. Whether you personally like the genres or topics of each book is your own opinion. But not everything about a novel is subjective, and I hope I hit on the objective points when comparing these two books. Thanks for reading, and please, feel free to comment (whether disagree or agree) and why you think what you do.