A review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone By J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone By J. K. Rowling Bloomsbury Pub Ltd Paperback: 224 pages, Feb 2000, ISBN-13: 978-0747532743
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling is a book about bravery and courage. As Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, says “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for muggles aged eleven and up. This is the first in the seven book Harry Potter series. I think readers must read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone before reading the other books in the series, as this book sets the scene for the Harry Potter world.
As the title suggests, the main character in this book is Harry James Potter, also known as the boy who lived. The book follows Harry in his first year at Hogwarts, where he meets Hermione Jean Granger, a genius, and Ronald Bilius Weasley, a red head with six siblings.
When he was just a baby, Harry’s parents were killed by a Dark Arts wizard named Voldemort. Voldemort also tried to kill Harry but failed, leaving Harry with a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead, and giving him the title the boy who lived. On the night of his parents’ death, Harry was placed on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle, the Dursley’s, much to their displeasure.
“Harry – yer a wizard” Harry was told on his eleventh birthday. With this news, he left the Dursley’s grasp for Hogwarts.
Harry, Ron and Hermione discover that in a room in the Forbidden Corridor on the third floor at Hogwarts, covered by spells and curses, lays the one and only Philosopher’s Stone – a stone that can transform any metal into pure gold and also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. During his time at Hogwarts, Harry develops the feeling that his potions teacher Professor Snape hates him, and has a gut feeling that Snape will try and steal the stone. One night, Harry, Ron and Hermione sneak up to the Forbidden Corridor to get the stone before Snape does. The trio pass through challenging obstacles. In the end, Harry has to finish the mission on his own and to his surprise, it’s not at all what he expected.
The theme of this story is magic and mystery. Nothing is as it seems, with changes at every turn.
This book is unlike any other; J. K. Rowling has opened the door to a whole new world of reading. Those readers who enjoy the Scarlet and Ivy series by Sophie Cleverly should also enjoy the Harry Potter series.
About the reviewer: Cleo was Commended in the 2019 Hunter Writers’ Centre/Compulsive Reader Review competition. She is in Grade 6 and her favourite subjects are novel study, reading groups and writing. Cleo has participated in the Premier’s Reading Challenge since she started school. Cleo plays as the Goal Shooter and Goal Attack in her local netball team, which she loves. Cleo’s dream is to have a dog and she is yet to know what she wants to be in the future.
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
By j.k. rowling.
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" is the first instalment of the popular Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. It follows the events of Harry Potter’s first year at Hogwarts.
In a nutshell...
To his surprise, Harry Potter is told that he is a wizard by Rubeus Hagrid, a giant man from Hogwarts. He then enrolls in Hogwarts, which is a wizarding school. He is already very famous in the wizarding world due to his lucky escape from Lord Voldemort , a dark wizard who tried to kill Harry when he was a year old. In Hogwarts, Harry becomes close friends with Ron and Hermione, who are all put in Gryffindor House. He also talks to Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts who seems to like Harry. They work together to figure out who is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. It is revealed eventually, despite their suspicions about Professor Snape, that it was Lord Voldemort possessing Professor Quirrel's body and trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. The trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione eventually defeat Lord Voldemort.
Key Moments
- Letters from Hogwarts: Harry receives countless persistent letters delivered by owls eventually revealing that he is a famous wizard.
- Learning About the Philosopher's Stone: Harry, Hermione, and Ron learn about the Philosopher's Stone and figure out that is what the thief in Gringotts was after.
- Confrontation with Voldemort : Harry finally confronts Voldemort who is engraved at the back of Professor Quirrell's head and defeats him, protecting the Philosopher's Stone from being stolen.
Main Characters
- Harry Potter : The protagonist, a boy who discovers he is a famous wizard and is in danger of being attacked by his foe, Lord Voldemort.
- Ronald Weasley : The best friend of Harry Potter. He accompanies Harry through his time in school and helps Harry catch Professor Quirrell.
- Hermione Granger : The smartest person in her class, starts with a small spat with Ron, but eventually becomes Harry and Ron's best friend.
The story of Harry Potter pits the "Chosen One" against the antagonistic destroyer of the wizarding world, Lord Voldemort. This novel is Harry's origin story and for the first time in his life, he has found some love, made some friendships, and looks forward to protecting his world. The shift from Privet Drive, where he was abused by his relatives, to Hogwarts, where he feels at home, is immensely uplifting.
Continue down for the complete summary to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Article written by Mohandas Alva
M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.
“ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” works as an introduction to the world of magic. The story plays from the perspective of Harry Potter, who is also just discovering magic. Therefore, the reader, like Harry Potter, is introduced to the nuances and establishments of the magical world in this book.
Like the main character Harry Potter , as the reader advances in the book, they are tackled with a vast history of magic, magical beings, items of magical significance, and cultural nuances that are very interesting to read. Furthermore, the story also has a tight-knit plot which sometimes digresses to describe the world of magic but eventually falls back and moves forward without effort.
This is the first novel in the seven-book series narrating the conflict between good and evil in the wizarding world. So, this book serves as an introduction to this world and its characters. Furthermore, the threat of Lord Voldemort merely looms over Harry Potter in this book, as Voldemort is still a spirit possessing Professor Quirrell and cannot perform any magic directly like he used to when he was in his human form.
The introduction to “ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ” by J. K. Rowling starts with an unusual day for Mr. Vernon Dursley from Privet Drive, who sees a lot of strange things like people in weird cloaks and a cat reading maps and signboards. Eventually, it is revealed that these people are all wizards or witches and are celebrating a great historical event – that of the vanquishing of the Dark Lord Voldemort .
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, orders Hagrid to safely get Harry Potter from the wreckage of his house and then leaves him at the doorstep of the Dursleys, who are Harry’s only blood relatives.
The introduction to this novel is an example of building some suspense by giving context to the world you, as a reader, are supposed to be introduced to. J. K. Rowling chose to describe the scene of Harry being brought to the Dursleys before he was adopted by them. Only later is Harry’s life with the Dursleys shown, establishing not only pity for the Dursleys’ treatment of Harry but also an interest in what is going to happen to Harry.
The beginning of the rising action for this novel occurs when a lot of letters from Hogwarts, addressed to Harry are delivered by owls to Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon takes his wife Petunia, his son Dudley, and his nephew Harry Potter far away, hoping to prevent these letters from coming. However, Hagrid finds the place, delivers Harry’s letter despite protests from Uncle Vernon, and conveys to Harry that he is, in fact, a wizard .
The next day, Hagrid and Harry travel to London to purchase his school items. They visit several places, including the Gringotts bank , where Harry gets his money to buy things. Hagrid also visits a vault and collects a small package from there and claims that it’s ‘top secret’ when Harry asks him about it.
Harry also gets his new wand from Ollivanders and is told by Mr. Ollivander that his wand is related to the wand of Lord Voldemort and that both their cores contain phoenix feathers from the same bird.
Harry boards the Hogwarts Express, marking Harry’s proper immersion into the wizarding world. He meets a boy named Ronald Weasley , who ends up becoming his best friend. He also meets Hermione Granger , a girl who is slightly bossy in Harry’s opinion and knows a lot more about magic even before joining Hogwarts. Harry also meets another boy called Draco Malfoy, whom he doesn’t like much.
The rising action in this novel takes a drawn-out role due to the climax of the novel being short and immediate. Since this is the first book in the series, it is understandable that a lot of it has been spent on establishing the story world, the backstory, and the characters. Interestingly, the narratives of later books do not have such a long establishment for rising action, signifying how important the drawn-out rising action of this book is to establish later books.
In Hogwarts, Harry is sorted into the Gryffindor house along with Ron and Hermione. During their flying lessons, Draco Malfoy, who has bullied a boy named Neville before, snatches his ‘Remembrall’ and challenges Harry Potter to fly and catch it. Harry does so with great ease, and Professor McGonagall is impressed with his flying abilities .
Harry Potter is recruited into the Gryffindor Quidditch team and becomes the youngest Quidditch player in a century, and helps his team win the first game.
Eventually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione end up encountering a dangerous huge three-headed dog when they get lost in the third-floor corridor, which is out of bounds for students. They make a narrow escape, and are surprised by the presence of this dog in the school premises.
After Ron makes fun of Hermione for being an “insufferable-know-it-all”, she skips dinner and cries in the bathroom. However, a troll enters the castle and heads to the bathroom that Hermione is in. Harry and Ron face the choice of saving their lives by running away or saving Hermione by fighting the troll. They choose the latter.
They fight off the troll with Ron eventually making the troll drop its club on itself. The encounter with the troll cements the friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and the three spend most of their time together after this.
I believe that friendship, in a way, is about making a choice and sticking to it, no matter what happens. The instance of friendship made by Harry with Ron and of the duo with Hermione is a very good example of this opinion of a friendship’s inception. It is their commitment to stick to this friendship throughout this book, and in later books, that makes them almost solely, the three most important characters of this book. Together, they are probably the most powerful characters in this book and series.
After a newspaper report about a break-in into the Gringotts bank piques Harry’s interest, as he had been to Gringotts with Hagrid the same day as the break-in he starts researching it with Ron and Hermione. It also occurs to him that Hagrid had cleared the contents of a vault on the same day, and the report mentions that nothing was stolen during the break-in.
Hagrid tries to tame a dragon , which he received from a stranger in a pub, names it Norbert, but is unsuccessful in taming it and is forced to send it to Ron’s brother, who works with Dragons in Romania. Also, Harry is gifted with an Invisibility Cloak for Christmas by someone who claims it was Harry’s father’s and that he is merely returning it to him.
Parts of this story where there are events like Hagrid’s interest in taming a dragon and Harry receiving the Invisibility Cloak or even Harry seeing the Mirror of Erised are cleverly intertwined into the major plot of the story. Despite their initial disconnection with the plot, they eventually become essential to the progression of the story.
Meanwhile, they suspect their potions teacher Snape as the perpetrator of all these incidents to get to the stone. They encounter several occasions where Snape tortures and questions another teacher, Professor Quirrell. Harry, Ron, and Hermione run into a lot of significant clues to deduce that several of these events must be related and that the dog is guarding something that was in the Gringotts vault.
The turning point in this novel comes with Harry learning about the Philosopher’s Stone , which happens after some research. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find out that the item in question is something called a Philosopher’s Stone , which is very valuable. It is said to transform other base metals to gold and produce the Elixir of Life , which makes its drinker immortal.
Harry and Hermione, along with Neville and Malfoy, are caught roaming in the castle at night and are sent for detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. There, they encounter a dead unicorn and a cloaked figure drinking its blood. Harry’s scar starts hurting as the figure approaches him, but he is saved by a centaur called Firenze.
Firenze tells Harry that the cloaked figure is the spirit of Lord Voldemort . He also hints that Lord Voldemort is trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone from Hogwarts to regain his physical form.
Back in the castle, Harry, Ron, and Hermione realize that the stone is not safe and that they have to act. This marks the peak of the rising action in this novel , as they bravely cross several magical barriers laid by the teachers of Hogwarts to prevent anyone from getting to the stone.
Finally, Harry reaches the last barrier and is surprised to find Professor Quirrell there, who it turns out, was the culprit all along. Quirrell is unable to get the Stone because of the challenging hurdle in the form of the Mirror of Erised which Harry had previously discussed with Professor Dumbledore.
I personally believe that the novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ” serves as a test battle for Harry and his friends, in that, while there are threats looming around them, their exposure to serious damage is minimal compared to the rest of the books. The progression of increasing threats as the characters grow up makes this book series a very apt immersion into the dangers of this world for children.
The climax is signified by Harry’s confrontation with Voldemort . It is revealed that Lord Voldemort possesses Professor Quirrell and Voldemort’s half-formed face had been strategically hidden under Quirrell’s turban in the back of his head. Finally, Harry thwarts this attempt to steal the Stone by touching Quirrell’s hand and realizing that it disintegrates on contact with Harry’s skin.
Finally, the falling action comes when the whole school praises Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s bravery when they realize what had happened. Furthermore, Albus Dumbledore decides to give points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville which is enough for Gryffindor to win the House Cup.
The novel ends in Denouement of the issue, with Professor Dumbledore explaining to Harry that the owner of the Philosopher’s Stone, Nicolas Flamel has decided to destroy it and that it is safe from attempts of being stolen again.
How many points did Albus Dumbledore give to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville at the end of Philosopher’s Stone?
He gave Hermione 50 points for her “use of logic in the face of fire”. Ron Weasley got 50 points for the “best-played game of wizard chess that Hogwarts has seen in many years”. Harry Potter received 60 points for “pure nerve and outstanding courage”. Finally, Neville Longbottom was awarded 10 points for standing up to his friends.
Why is Harry Potter 1 called the Sorcerer’s Stone?
“ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ” was re-titled in the USA as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because the publishers in the USA thought that the word ‘Sorcerer’ would associate more with magic than the word ‘Philosopher’. They assumed that the word ‘Philosopher’ would imply that the book is about the discipline of Philosophy which is not a popular reading category in the demographic of children or young adults.
Why does Professor Quirrell’s hand burn when he touches Harry?
Professor Quirinus Quirrell is possessed by Lord Voldemort, and when he tries to attack Harry, his skin starts flaking rapidly. This is because anything Voldemort possesses cannot touch Harry’s skin. Harry is protected by the old magic of love from his mother which was activated when Harry’s mother Lily, sacrificed herself to protect Harry.
Harry Potter Quiz
Summon your wit and wisdom—our Harry Potter Trivia Quiz awaits you! Do you have the knowledge to claim the title of Master Witch or Wizard? Take the challenge now!
1) What creature is Aragog?
2) What is the core ingredient of the wand owned by Harry Potter?
3) What animal represents Hufflepuff house?
4) What specific type of dragon does Harry face during the Triwizard Tournament?
5) What are the dying words of Severus Snape in both the book and the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?
6) Which spell is used to open the Marauder's Map?
7) What does the incantation "Obliviate" do?
8) What is the name of the book Hermione gives to Harry before his first ever Quidditch match?
9) What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take?
10) What potion is known as "Liquid Luck"?
11) Which potion did Hermione brew in her second year that allowed her, Ron, and Harry to assume the identities of Slytherins?
12) What is the name of the goblin-made object that is supposed to bring its owner prosperity, but also brings them into conflict with goblins?
13) Who is the Half-Blood Prince?
14) Who teaches Herbology at Hogwarts?
15) What is Dumbledore's full name?
16) What does the Mirror of Erised show?
17) In the "Order of the Phoenix," who is NOT a member of the original Order of the Phoenix shown in the old photograph that Moody shows Harry?
18) Which character is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts?
19) Who originally owned the Elder Wand before Dumbledore won it?
20) Which creature can transform into a person's worst fear?
21) What is the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?
22) Who was the Peverell brother that owned the invisibility cloak?
23) In which Harry Potter book does Harry first speak Parseltongue?
24) What is the name of the train that takes students to Hogwarts?
25) What was the last Horcrux to be destroyed?
26) Which object is NOT one of the Deathly Hallows?
27) What is the name of the goblin who helps Harry, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringotts?
28) What is the effect of the Cheering Charm?
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About Mohandas Alva
Mohandas is very passionate about deciphering the nature of language and its role as a sole medium of storytelling in literature. His interests sometimes digress from literature to philosophy and the sciences but eventually, the art and craft of narrating a significant story never fail to thrill him.
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The Harry Potter section of Book Analysis analyzes and explorers the Harry Potter series. The characters, names, terminology, and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros ©. The content on Book Analysis was created by Harry Potter fans, with the aim of providing a thorough in-depth analysis and commentary to complement and provide an additional perspective to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
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