Jinseo ParkMr. MacDonald                 ENG1D1-0115 January 2018Is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone a Heroic QuestCycle?            The magic world and the adventure of HarryPotter perceive the reader that the novel is a Heroic Quest Cycle.

Startingfrom the ordinary world to the special world, Harry Potter and Philosopher’sStone has the characteristics of the Hero’s Journey. All thecharacteristics and stages of the Heroic Quest Cycle are in the novel, thenovel is fantasy fiction (which includes elements of mystery, magic, thriller,adventure, horror, and romance.), and the setting of the novel match the HeroicJourney. The elements and characteristics of the Quest Cycle match the story ofthe novel. The rules of Heroic Quest Cycle apply the novel. As a result, HarryPotter and Philosopher’s Stone is a Heroic Quest Cycle.            Stages of the Heroic Quest Cycle are in thenovel; The Ordinary World, The Call to the Adventure, Meeting the Mentor, TheFirst Threshold, Guiders/Helpers and Tests, Into the Darkness, The SupremeOrdeal, Reward, The Road back, and The Resurrection. The story is based onthese 10 stages.

For example, Harry was called to an adventure when Hagridarrives and Harry finally get to read his letter that read that he has beeninvited to attend Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first, Harryrefuses the call out of disbelief. He tells Hagrid, “I think you have made amistake. I don’t think I can be a Wizard.

“(Rowling 62) Then, he getsencouragement from Hagrid and Harry accepts the adventure. When he woke up thefollowing morning, he described his feeling, “Harry scrambled to his feet, sohappy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.” (Rowling 66)This explains that the story is following the stages of Quest Cycle. Everyevents happening in the novel follows up the stages of the Quest Cycle.The genre of the novel is fantasy fiction which is one of theelements of the Heroic Quest cycle. Most of the Quest Cycle elements consist ofmyths, magic, and fairy tales. In the novel, the story is based on magic mostlywhich is one of the elements of the Quest cycle. For example, when uncle Vernonmade Hagrid angry, Hagrid swished his pink umbrella, pointing to Dudley.

Aviolet light hit him and he got a pig’s tail. Harry described the scene as, “Hebrought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley-there wasa flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal and nextsecond, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fatbottom, howling in pain. When he turned, his back on them, Harry saw a curlypig’s tail poking through a hole in his trousers.” (Rowling 62) This showsHarry that there is magic and he is a wizard.

There are more magic in the storyand it represents the fantasy world (Special World).The setting of Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone matchthe Quest Cycle by providing magical world that Harry lives in. Along withplot, character, theme, and style, setting is considered one of the componentsof fiction.

The setting of the novel mainly focus on magic, on Harry’s point ofview. For example, when Harry and Ron arrived to the Hogwarts, Harry describedthe school as, “The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a greatblack lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windowssparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.”(Rowling 119) This displays the magical world that Harry lives in. In theSpecial World, he sees and learns magic but back in the Ordinary World, helives ordinary. The setting follows the rules of the Heroic Quest Cycle as itrepresents magic.

            In summation, Harry Potter andPhilosopher’s Stone is a Heroic Quest Cycle, regarding the characteristicsand stages of the Quest Cycle in the novel, the fantasy fiction, and thesetting of the novel. The novel consists most of the elements of the QuestCycle. In my opinion, the novel is a Heroic Quest Cycle.

           Works CitedRowling,Joanne Kathleen. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. UnitedKingdom, UK: Bloomsbury, 2014.

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