Abstract
Unresolved childhood traumas have been shown to profoundly impact children’s future behaviours and personalities. While non-fiction literature frequently addresses this issue, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series offers a unique exploration of childhood trauma through the lens of fantasy and magic. This study examines how various forms of trauma—such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence— are manifested in the lives of the three main characters, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, during their formative years. Unlike previous studies that primarily focus on gender dynamics in Rowling’s works, this research investigates how childhood trauma is reflected through the speech acts of the characters, i.e. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, using content analysis to examine the first three books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The analysis, which pays particular attention to the characters’ growth and experiences, reveals that while the characters share similar types of trauma, they respond to and express these experiences through different speech acts. Conversely, the study also shows that shared speech acts may correspond to distinct traumatic experiences among the characters. This study emphasises the potential for diverse interpretations of trauma across different fantasy narratives. These preliminary findings also suggest that future studies could explore how other fantasy works represent trauma through specific applications of speech act theory, contributing to a broader understanding of the genre’s engagement with real-world issues.
Presenters
Noor Fadiladtun Binti MottidinStudent, Master's Degree, Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Speech Acts, Childhood Traumas, Harry Potter novels, Mental Health, Content
