Harry Potter has been my all-time favorite series since I was a little girl. I was introduced to the Harry Potter universe in the fourth grade when I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time. Instantly, I was enraptured by the whimsical world J.K. Rowling had built that was full of new creatures, places, and experiences I never could have dreamed of. It is no surprise that Harry Potter is one of the best-selling series in the entire world as the charming fantasy stimulates the creativity and inner child of readers across the globe and its characters and themes are strongly relatable to people of all backgrounds. The Sorcerer's Stone, as well as the other books in the series, deal with issues of family, friendship, good vs evil, death, loss of innocence, supernatural occurrences, prejudice, and a multitude of other topics. The layers of conflict and the complexity of the main story and side stories that exist in the series provide for a lot of complex moral issues and spiritual challenges.
Perhaps the greatest moral issue in The Sorcerer's Stone is Harry's decision of what path to take as he begins his journey into the magic realm. Harry is presented with this problem as he takes his first steps into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and comes into contact with Draco Malfoy - a blonde, rich, arrogant young wizard who thinks he is better than anyone else because he is from a pureblood family. Malfoy introduces himself to Harry in one of the most self-absorbed ways you possibly can and proceeds to mock Ron Weasley, Harry's new acquaintance, for his appearance and hand-me-down clothing. The arrogance of Malfoy reminds Harry of his cousin Dudley whom he despises and decides to shut down his offer of friendship in favor of Ron.
This moment is important because it shows that Harry hasn't forgotten where he came from. In the wizarding world, Harry is a legend. He could have all the power, the fame, and the fortune he desires because no one knows him as the Harry that lived on Privet Drive with the Dursleys. However, Harry chooses to cast all that aside for friendship and to stand up against prejudice. This moral compass ultimately causes a several year-long rivalry between Harry and Draco that causes a lot of conflicts later on in the series.
Immediately after this encounter, Harry has to face the sorting hat. Although Harry doesn't truly have any knowledge of the four Hogwarts houses' (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin) history and values, he makes a decision to be placed in any of the four houses besides Slytherin. Perhaps his decision was influenced by the fact that Malfoy, as well as his two buddies Crabbe and Goyle, were immediately sorted into Slytherin. Additionally, Harry heard the rumors that Slytherin only produces bad witches and wizards, so of course Harry doesn't want to be bunched into that group. The sorting hat is quite surprised at his decision and tries to sway Harry's favor over to Slytherin with the promise that he could do great things as a Slytherin student. Despite the hat's insistence, Harry's opinion doesn't change and he is ultimately placed in Gryffindor.
The sorting hat scene is incredibly significant as a moral issue and a spiritual one. In terms of morals, Harry lumps Slytherin with prejudice, evil, and arrogance and has no wish to be associated with those traits. In terms of spirituality, a part of Voldemort lives inside of Harry (although he doesn't know that so early on in the series). The sorting hat chooses your house based on your personality. Since Harry has the personality of his Gryffindor parents and the effects of Voldemort's Slytherin traits as well, the sorting hat has an issue deciding. Ultimately, Harry unconsciously makes a choice to side with the spiritual good of his parents rather than with the evil of Voldemort inside of him.
The last, and perhaps the most important, moral issue/spiritual challenge in The Sorcerer's Stone occurs in the final moments of the novel when Harry is comes face to face with Voldemort for the second time in his life. Voldemort, using another body as a host for his soul, is after the Sorcerer's Stone so that he can be reincarnated. Harry, who has the Sorcerer's Stone in his pocket, is under the influence of Voldemort's power as the Dark Lord tries to convince Harry to hand the stone over. Voldemort uses Harry's dead parents as pawns to try and convince Harry to join his cause - insisting that there is no good or evil but only power and people who are too weak to take advantage of it. The thought of seeing his parents again makes Harry hesitate for a moment, but he sees through the manipulative lies and fights back against the Dark Lord.
Harry's decision to not hand over the stone exemplifies not only his bravery but his loyalty. Voldemort's insistence that no good or evil exists is a blatant lie used to justify his actions and to persuade Harry to go against his nature. Wizards, like Dumbledore, are very powerful but don't use that power to control or kill others in order to get more power. Dumbledore is good while Voldemort is evil - they use their power for different causes and agendas. Harry chooses the path of good in this scene and overcomes the spiritual challenge of facing the strongest dark wizard of all-time despite being full of fear and inexperience.
Although in reality, we will not be casting spells and thwarting off disembodied souls - there is definitely issues of good and evil that people have to deal with on a day to day basis. Everyday we make decisions - whether small or large - that affect our future and determine our values. The issues that Harry and other characters face are not so far from the truths of the real world.
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