by Nils Skudra
UNC-Greensboro
Freelance writer/library professional
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and the film saga have received widespread acclaim from millions of fans around the world, as the magical world of Hogwarts not only captured the imagination of a generation of young readers but has also inspired many activists who found parallels between the events of the Harry Potter universe and contemporary political developments.
As a passionate fan of both the Harry Potter books and the films, I feel that the saga also features numerous connections to autism and neurodiversity in general, as Harry’s journey parallels the experience of young autistic individuals in different ways.
From a neurodiverse perspective, examining these connections can help neurodiverse fans gain a greater understanding of how the Harry Potter world captures many of the issues that people with autism and other neurodiverse diagnoses face and the ways in which they can embrace their identity as a positive force for good.
The saga begins with the infant Harry being left in the care of his Muggle (non-magical) aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, following the murder of his parents, Lily and James Potter, by the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort. From the time of his infancy, Harry is renowned throughout the Wizarding world as the Boy Who Lived due to his miraculous defeat of Voldemort, whose Killing Curse backfired due to Lily’s sacrifice for her son, leaving only a distinctive lightning bolt scar on Harry’s forehead.
Albus Dumbledore, the wise Headmaster of Hogwarts, believes it is therefore in Harry’s best interest to be raised by the Dursleys, away from the weight of fame and celebrity, until the time is right for him to learn of his Wizarding heritage. While Dumbledore’s intentions are understandable, his solution has painful consequences since Harry endures a life of neglect and emotional abuse for the next eleven years, as the Dursleys confine him to a cupboard under the stairs and treat him like a servant while spoiling their own son Dudley.
Furthermore, due to their profound hatred for magic, the Dursleys purposely hide the truth of Harry’s identity from him in the hope of suppressing it, although Harry periodically exhibits his magical powers, such as an ability to communicate with snakes, despite having no understanding of it at this point.
The Dursleys’ cruelty and attempted suppression of Harry’s Wizarding identity are in some ways reflective of the experience of individuals on the autism spectrum since they are frequently subjected to social ostracism and bullying.
In addition, many parents or guardians of autistic children often display feelings of disappointment and embarrassment over their children’s autism diagnoses, and therefore they may try to hide it by telling them not to disclose having ASD. This is particularly true of Petunia Dursley, Lily Potter’s estranged sister, who shows an especially vehement hatred for Harry’s magical heritage, stating that she knew that he would be “just as different, just as abnormal” as his mother.
For Harry, the enforced normality and emotional abuse of his surroundings present a bleak future while nonetheless instilling a strong resilience and desire for a warm and loving family where he is fully accepted.
Harry’s life takes a fateful turn when he receives a Hogwarts admission letter and meets Hagrid, the kind-hearted half-giant and Hogwarts gamekeeper who reveals to Harry that he is a wizard. Despite the Dursleys’ opposition, Hagrid insists that Hogwarts will be a wonderful school where Harry can mingle with other children like him and fulfill his potential.
Accompanying Hagrid to Diagon Alley, Harry takes his first step into the Wizarding world, where he is amazed by its magical charms and diverse array of characters. He is even more surprised to learn of his fame among the Wizarding community, which embraces him as a celebrity, although he soon discovers how the tragic events of his infancy shaped his renown as the Boy Who Lived.
However, the realization of this celebrity status does not make Harry prideful and arrogant; instead, it reinforces his humility and desire to be accepted as an individual while recognizing the expectations that the Wizarding world has for him.
Upon taking the Hogwarts Express, Harry meets two students who become his lifelong friends throughout the saga: Ron Weasley, the son of a large and warm-hearted Wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born witch who displays a nerdy, know-it-all demeanor.
While Harry and Ron are initially irritated by Hermione’s bossiness and goody-two-shoes behavior, she soon becomes their close friend and plays a vital role in the trio’s numerous adventures, relying on her intellect and logic to solve problems. While Hermione’s often abrasive and demanding affect is emblematic of the stereotypical obnoxious schoolgirl image, in some ways her personality also reflects the traits displayed by children with autism or ADHD who excel in their areas of specialization but have significant social challenges that can sometimes alienate their peers.
However, Hermione’s perfectionism masks deeper insecurities about her status as a Muggle-born since she is subjected to prejudice from other witches and wizards who display a strong intolerance toward those of non-magical parentage.
During his time at Hogwarts, Harry discovers that the Wizarding world is also characterized by prejudice and bigotry, manifested in the person of Draco Malfoy, Harry’s school rival who prides himself on being the scion of a wealthy pure-blood Wizarding family while scorning the low-income Weasley family as “blood traitors” and Hermione as a “Mudblood,” an epithet for Muggle-born students.
Furthermore, Harry learns that Voldemort, once a brilliant Hogwarts student known as Tom Riddle, became a Dark wizard obsessed with power and the purification of the Wizarding world through the persecution of Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards.
Over the course of the saga, Harry and his friends combat Voldemort’s forces while uncovering dark truths about Harry’s past, compelling Harry to struggle with the choice between good and evil and whether to fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One.
The pure-blood supremacist ideology that Harry encounters within the Wizarding world has some parallels to extremist ideologies that have historically targeted racial and ethnic minorities, as well as people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Notable examples include the eugenicist movement and Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. Like Voldemort’s Death Eaters, the eugenicist movement emphasized the supremacy of persons of pure Anglo-Saxon stock while classifying people with IDDs as an inferior class which placed a burden on healthy mainstream society.
Therefore, eugenicists promoted sterilization laws that were intended to prevent “mentally handicapped” and “infirm” individuals from procreation, and their legality was upheld by the renowned U.S. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
In Nazi Germany, Hitler’s regime implemented eugenics laws that were largely modeled on those of the United States, but these were taken to the ultimate extreme of systematic genocide, in which the Nazis exterminated people with physical, mental, intellectual and developmental disabilities under the T-4 Euthanasia Program. This would form part of the broader Holocaust in which six million Jews, together with some five to six million people from other “undesirable” groups, were systematically murdered.
An overarching theme of the Harry Potter saga is the importance of an individual’s life choices in the struggle between good and evil. For Harry, this is a constant battle since he has been victimized from the time of his infancy, losing both of his parents and suffering emotional abuse from the Dursleys.
In addition, he discovers that he and Voldemort share very similar backgrounds since Tom Riddle was also an orphan, raised in a loveless Muggle orphanage, and showed a remarkable aptitude for magic during his studies at Hogwarts. However, Dumbledore reassures Harry that he can choose a different path from Voldemort: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
J.K. Rowling herself has commented on the importance of this theme in the saga by pointing to the similarities between Harry and Voldemort while emphasizing the difference in their choices since Voldemort chose evil while Harry’s heart remains pure.
While Harry is the Chosen One, destined for a climactic showdown with his adversary, Dumbledore reiterates in The Half-Blood Prince that he can choose whether to follow the prophecy or walk away from it, in contrast to Voldemort’s obsession with following it to the letter. In confronting his destiny and meeting death with courage, Harry demonstrates that the power of love and the choice of good are more powerful than evil, which ultimately enables him to succeed.
The theme of free choice in the Harry Potter saga also strongly resonates within the neurodiverse community since there has been a growing tendency, among neurodiverse individuals, to view their unique traits as superpowers which can be used for a variety of purposes. In the academic and professional workplaces, these traits are often seen as invaluable skills that make neurodiverse candidates highly desirable.
Nonetheless, using one’s talents for good or evil is a decision that affects neurodiverse individuals, as well, and there are various examples of historical figures with perceived autistic traits who have left a dark imprint on world history. The recent example of Elon Musk giving a Nazi-style salute at the Trump inauguration has garnered significant controversy, with some observers attributing the gesture to his possible Asperger’s Syndrome since people with ASD sometimes make spontaneous gestures due to their particular symptoms.
However, this view may have the effect of reinforcing negative public perceptions of neurodiversity, which in turn can sometimes contribute to harmful stereotypes of neurodiverse individuals. Consequently, this makes it imperative for people on the spectrum to educate the broader public about the true scope of autism, together with emphasizing the capacity of autistic individuals to utilize their unique strengths toward positive ends.
In summation, the Harry Potter saga shares many parallels with aspects of the neurodiverse community’s experiences. Through his journey from a loveless environment of suppressed identity to a magical setting filled with a wide variety of colorful characters, Harry embraces his true identity as a wizard while coming to grips with the prejudice and intolerance that are also present in the Wizarding world.
Similarly, neurodiverse individuals, who are often marginalized and compelled to hide their identities, open their lives to new experiences when venturing into the broader world, which presents opportunities to utilize their unique skillsets and find acceptance, as well as major challenges that include discrimination and pressure to mask their neurodiverse symptoms.
Nonetheless, a central theme that the Harry Potter saga shares with the neurodiverse experience is the importance of cherishing one’s unique identity and not letting other people judge it, which is epitomized by Luna Lovegood, the quirky and nonconforming Ravenclaw student who becomes one of Harry’s closest allies.
By following this lesson, the neurodiverse community can utilize its identity as a source of empowerment in order to promote a more inclusive global atmosphere in which neurodiverse individuals are fully accepted and appreciated for their unique talents and contributions to society.
To contact the author, email nilsskudra@gmail.com
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