Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Family Life

Families are a big deal. Which is why it's sad that Harry Potter doesn't have one. Okay, he does have a family…he just doesn't like them much.

Harry is an orphan who lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin who are horribly mean to him. Meanwhile, his best friend, Ron, has a huge, loving family who is all up in his business. But in a good way. Like in a don't-die-in-a-flying-car-accident-because-we-love-you-too-much kind of way. It's sweet and Harry is actually kind of jealous that he doesn't have that in his life.

Draco Malfoy also has a super involved dad in his life. Too bad his dad is involved in making Draco into a selfish, prejudiced little jerk. And they say father knows best. Basically, these characters are all still kids so their families (or lack of family) matter a whole lot.

Names

J.K. Rowling is a character-naming master. She's done some of her best work on the characters in Chamber of Secrets.

To start, there's the Malfoy family. Their last name means "bad faith," so right away you know they've got some twisted beliefs. While Draco's name means "dragon," Lucius's name reminds us a whole lot of "Lucifer." Hey, if the evil shoes fits…

Speaking of evil names—Salazar Slytherin was named after the 20th Century Portuguese dictator, António Salazar. His last name calls to mind a snake slithering around (remember, the symbol of Slytherin house is a snake). Meanwhile, the name Godric means "good person" and Gryffindor means "golden griffin." (We know who J.K. Rowling's favorite Hogwarts founder is.)

Gilderoy Lockhart's name came from war memorial and Rowling said she liked it because it sounded "impressive, and yet, in the middle, quite hollow." That's pretty much Lockhart in a nutshell.

Tom Riddle is shares a name with his Muggle father, so the name is simple, but also hints as something mysterious and unknown. The name Tom later chooses for himself—Voldemort—means "flight of death" in French. Way spookier than Tom.

Social Status

Social status—especially pure-blood family connections—suddenly becomes very important in Chamber of Secrets. Mostly because there's a sudden rise in pure-blood supremacist views among certain characters. Cough, the Malfoy family, cough.

Families that are considered pure-blood, like the Malfoys or the Weasleys, are seen by some wizards as superior to those who only have half-blood (or one wizard parent). They're definitely superior to Hogwarts students with two Muggle parents. You know, if you're a bigot and stuff.

Of course, the Weasleys don't buy into all this nonsense, which means they're a bit down the social ladder. They're pure-bloods but they don't use their privilege to knock others down a peg. That makes them suspicious in the eyes of other pure-blood families like the Malfoys.

Meanwhile, you have a character like Hermione who's Muggle-born and super talented at magic. She sort of puts all the arguments about pure-blood superiority to shame because there's not a spell she can't do. That doesn't mean she and other Muggle-borns aren't looked down upon still. Hey, hate isn't rational. That's why it's called hate.