[Been rereading Harry Potter from start to finish. Occasionally I might jot down some thoughts, particularly related to consumerism.]
The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry's liking. He
was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at the
Burrow had been the happiest of his life.
Those two sentences begin chapter five of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
And I think they especially standout juxtaposed to chapter four, "At
Flourish and Blotts." You see chapter four of the book is not about
Harry's time at the Burrow (the nickname of the Weasley's home).
Instead chapter four is about materialism.
In chapter four we are introduced to Gilderoy Lockhart, a flamboyant and narcissistic wizard who concerns himself with material gain and fame. And in chapter four we see the rich Malfoy family snearing at the poverty of the poor Weasley family. And in chapter four we look inside the Weasley's nearly empty vault at the wizard bank Gringotts, and also we witness Harry trying to not let the Weasleys see inside his own vault brimming with gold.
Well
it is possible that J. K. Rowling simply started chapter five by
skipping back over chapter four and referencing chapter three, "The
Burrow." But as anyone who has read the Harry Potter series knows,
Rowling is just too careful a writer. Here's what I think she is saying.
After
showing in chapter three, "The Burrow," what a good home is - loving,
comfortable, healthy, etc. - Rowling contrasts that in chapter four
with what people tend to think makes a good home - keeping the right
company, having fancy stuff, showing off power and influence, etc. In
chapter four, "At Flourish andBlotts," Harry sees what allegedly constitutes "the good life." His response? He thinks that his month at the run-down Weasley home was to date the best month of his life.
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