Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Themes
Love
Love conquers all! Harry's greatest power is not his ability to excel at Defense Against the Dark Arts. His greatest attribute is not his courage. We learn in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...
Good vs. Evil
Sometimes it is easy and comforting to argue that there is a good side and an evil side in the world. It is easy to position Harry and Dumbledore as good, and to position Voldemort as evil. However...
Mortality
Death is a huge focal point of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, for in it we lose the greatest wizard of the Wizarding community, Dumbledore. We are reminded that even magic is no match for...
Lies and Deceit
Magic has much to do with deception and with deceiving those around you. Consider Harry's invisibility cloak, the Marauder's Map, and his Muffliato spell. Magic allows for manipulation of people an...
Friendship
Friendship is the key factor that separates both Harry and Dumbledore from Voldemort. Where Harry cultivates two great friends, Voldemort prefers isolation. Voldemort has never had a friend in his...
Education
Education forms the backdrop for nearly every moment of the Harry Potter series. Even though war is at hand and the world is in turmoil, there is still learning taking place, there is still a sense...
Identity
During his sixth year at Hogwarts, we watch Harry and his friends struggle with some big aspects of their identity. As they get closer to finishing up their time at Hogwarts, and as a war rages out...
Choices
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore told Harry, "It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities." It would be easy to only know Voldemort th...
The Supernatural
We know magic is at the center of the Harry Potter series, and we know that magic is the thing that makes Harry Potter's world different from our own. Magic is a powerful thing. However, in Harry P...
Language and Communication
Magic is at the center of the Wizarding community, and at the heart of magic is language and the ability to communicate in just the right way. In Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts we see how la...