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Popular Culture Review
Their lengthy exchange indicates that certainly Harry has a unique combination of
qualities— talent, “not a bad mind,” courage, and the desire to prove himself—but
even more importantly, the Hat’s hesitation demonstrates that Harry’s gifts are
value-neutral, for the Hat could as easily have placed Harry in Slytherin House as
in Gryffindor. As Skulnick and Goodman reflect, “The Sorting Hat not only vali
dates the power of Hogwarts but also demonstrates the dissonance between selfdetermination and predetermination: are civic identities comprised of choices or
are they a birthright?” (266) The Sorting Hat echoes the sentiments of Mr. Ollivander,
the wand-maker, when it stresses that Harry could be great— great like Lord
Voldemort, like Salazar Slytherin, like Albus Dumbledore. It is indeed “all in [his]
head”; how he uses these gifts is ultimately most significant. As Alan Jacobs has
suggested, “Harry Potter is unquestionably a good boy, but.. ..a key component of
his virtue arises from his recognition that he is not inevitably good.” (par. 18)
Greatness, then, does not equal goodness. Gifts are value-neutral, raw talents
to be used for good or for evil at the discretion of the gifted individual. That Harry
shares similar familial backgrounds and particular gifts with Lord Voldemort is a
concern for Harry throughout the series, and although some of their shared gifts
can be attributed to the rebounding spell Voldemort used to kill Harry’s parents,
questions still remain regarding the reasons for the similarities—and the reasons
for Voldemort’s choosing to murder Harry’s parents, as well. The first instance of
this likeness occurs in Mr. Ollivander’s wand shop, as Harry picks out his wand in
preparation for attending Hogwarts:
I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It
so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave an
other feather—just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be
destined for this wand when its brother—why, its brother gave you that
scar.. .the wand chooses the wizard, remember.. .1 think we must expect
great things from you, Mr. Potter....After all, He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed did great things—terrible, yes, but great. (Sorcerer 85)
Interestingly enough, the feathers for both Harry’s and Voldemort’s wands
come from the tail of Fawkes, A