J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become a cultural phenomenon. An analysis of the Harry Potter series reveals that underneath the phenomenon status there is great depth. This paper looks at aspects of the novels that mirror elements found in Plato’s The Republic, specifically his allegory of the cave in Book Seven. Plato’s allegory of the cave can be broken down into “four stages,” and in the Harry Potter novels there are characters who fall in each of these four stages. Through the characters in the four stages we see that the “highest form of knowledge” (Plato 246) to be obtained is that of understanding not only one’s own world, or community, but also being able to understand that of the other.
","abstract_html":"<p>J.K. Rowling’s <em>Harry Potter</em> series has become a cultural phenomenon. An analysis of the <em>Harry Potter</em> series reveals that underneath the phenomenon status there is great depth. This paper looks at aspects of the novels that mirror elements found in Plato’s <em>The Republic</em>, specifically his allegory of the cave in Book Seven. Plato’s allegory of the cave can be broken down into “four stages,” and in the <em>Harry Potter</em> novels there are characters who fall in each of these four stages. Through the characters in the four stages we see that the “highest form of knowledge” (Plato 246) to be obtained is that of understanding not only one’s own world, or community, but also being able to understand that of the other.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Parker, Camille Winegar"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ian Wojcik-Andrews, PhD, chair","Sheila Most, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:36Z","subjects":["Rowling","J. K. Criticism and interpretation","J. K. Characters Harry Potter","Plato. Republic. Book 7","Children's and Young Adult Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/175","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ian Wojcik-Andrews, PhD, chair","Sheila Most, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Parker, Camille Winegar"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Rowling","J. K. Criticism and interpretation","J. K. Characters Harry Potter","Plato. Republic. Book 7","Children's and Young Adult Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/175"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become a cultural phenomenon. An analysis of the Harry Potter series reveals that underneath the phenomenon status there is great depth. This paper looks at aspects of the novels that mirror elements found in Plato’s The Republic, specifically his allegory of the cave in Book Seven. Plato’s allegory of the cave can be broken down into “four stages,” and in the Harry Potter novels there are characters who fall in each of these four stages. Through the characters in the four stages we see that the “highest form of knowledge” (Plato 246) to be obtained is that of understanding not only one’s own world, or community, but also being able to understand that of the other.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Riding a broomstick out of Plato’s cave: Elements of Plato found in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ian Wojcik-Andrews, PhD, chair","Sheila Most, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Parker, Camille Winegar"],"dc:description.abstract":["J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become a cultural phenomenon. An analysis of the Harry Potter series reveals that underneath the phenomenon status there is great depth. This paper looks at aspects of the novels that mirror elements found in Plato’s The Republic, specifically his allegory of the cave in Book Seven. Plato’s allegory of the cave can be broken down into “four stages,” and in the Harry Potter novels there are characters who fall in each of these four stages. Through the characters in the four stages we see that the “highest form of knowledge” (Plato 246) to be obtained is that of understanding not only one’s own world, or community, but also being able to understand that of the other.
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