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COVER
CREATURE SYMBOLS TO FORESHADOW HARRY’S
CONFRONTATION WITH HIS PAST IN J.K. ROWLING’S
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
FABIAN FIRMAN ELMAR
Student Number: 134214018
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA
YOGYAKARTA
2017
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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CREATURE SYMBOLS TO FORESHADOW HARRY’S
CONFRONTATION WITH HIS PAST IN J.K. ROWLING’S
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
FABIAN FIRMAN ELMAR
Student Number: 134214018
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA
YOGYAKARTA
2017
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost is my thanks to Almighty God who guided me through
hardship, joy, boredom, and laziness during the writing of this undergraduate
thesis. Without his grace, this study may never be done on time.
My thanks and love for my parents and my brother for their support when I
was working on this thesis as without them I would not have finished my thesis in
time.
To my thesis advisor Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari S.S., M.Ed. and co-
advisor Drs. Hirmawan Wijarnaka, M. Hum., I address my deepest gratitude for
helping me writing this study, correcting mistakes I made in this writing, and
supporting me during my study in Sanata Dharma.
Lastly, for my fellow students of English Letters in year 2013 who have
finished before me, thank you all for pushing me into finishing this study as I
would have lazed off all months had you not finished before me.
Fabian Firman Elmar
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER ........................................................................................................................ i TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................................. ii APPROVAL PAGE .................................................................................................. iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ............................................................................................. iv STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ......................................................................... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ viii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... ix ABSTRAK .................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1
A. Background of the Study ............................................................................... 1
B. Problem Formulation ..................................................................................... 3 C. Objective of the Study ................................................................................... 3
D. Definition of Terms........................................................................................ 3
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................ 4 A. Review of Related Studies ............................................................................. 4
B. Review of Related Theories ........................................................................... 6 1. Theory of Symbol ..................................................................................... 6
2. Theory of Plot ........................................................................................... 9
3. Theory of Foreshadowing ....................................................................... 11
C. Theoretical Framework ................................................................................ 12
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 13 A. Object of the Study ...................................................................................... 13 B. Approach of the Study ................................................................................. 14 C. Method of the Study..................................................................................... 15
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 17 A. Creature Symbols in the Novel .................................................................... 17
1. The Black Dog ........................................................................................ 18
2. Scabbers the Rat ...................................................................................... 25
3. Dementors of Azkaban ........................................................................... 30
B. Creature Symbols as Foreshadowing Element ............................................ 33
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 51 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 55
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ABSTRACT
ELMAR, FABIAN FIRMAN. Creature Symbols to Foreshadow Harry’s
Confrontation with his Past in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters,
Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Symbol is a major element in literary works. It always has a meaning
which is different than the literal meaning of the symbol itself, and thus, it is
prevalent in literary works which often contain hidden meanings. Foreshadowing
on the other hand, is the act of vaguely hinting the readers to the future event in
the story or even the outcome of said story. This study discusses the creature
symbols presented in J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as
foreshadowing element that hints towards the confrontation between Harry and
his past in the conflict of the novel.
This study has two formulated problems. The first is about the presentation
of the creature symbols in the novel and the second is on how the creature
symbols foreshadow Harry‘s confrontation of his past in the conflict.
This study uses library research method as the primary sources in
conducting this study is a printed novel. The novel is analysed by applying new
criticism approach, using close reading method and focusing on the literary
devices of the novel in order to answer the problem formulations.
The result of analysis is divided into two parts in accordance to the
formulated problems. There are three creature symbols found in the novel: The
black dog, the rat Scabbers, and the dementors of Azkaban. The black dog reflects
Sirius‘ loyalty to his friends and its black fur symbolizes the sorrow and mourning
he felt for their death, but its resemblance with the Grim stands for his vengeful
obsession to Peter Pettigrew whom had betrayed him and the Potters. The rat
Scabbers on the other hand, symbolizes betrayal, cowardice, and cunning trickery,
traits that can be found in Peter Pettigrew. The dementors meanwhile, symbolizes
hopeless misery and despair known as depression. These guardians of Azkaban
foreshadowed that the conflict would be a confrontation between Harry and his
past while the black dog and rat revealed the truth behind said past regarding who
betrayed the Potters twelve years ago and the innocent man whom said crime was
blamed upon.
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ABSTRAK
ELMAR, FABIAN FIRMAN. Creature Symbols to Foreshadow Harry’s
Confrontation with his Past in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,
Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Simbol merupakan elemen penting dalam karya sastra. Simbol selalu
memiliki arti berbeda dari arti harfiah symbol itu sendiri dan karena itu, simbol
sering ditemukan dalam karya sastra yang memang banyak mengandung arti
tersembunyi. Di sisi lain, pembayangan adalah tindakan untuk memberi petunjuk
pada pembaca akan kejadian-kejadian mendatang dalam suatu cerita atau bahkan
hasil akhir cerita tersebut. Studi ini mendiskusikan simbol-simbol makhluk yang
terdapat dalam novel J.K. Rowling yang berjudul Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban sebagai elemen pembayangan yang menunjuk pada konfrontasi antara
Harry dan masa lalunya dalam konflik di novel tersebut.
Ada dua permasalahan yang dirumuskan dalam studi ini. Yang pertama
mengenai pemunculan simbol-simbol makhluk dalam novel dan yang kedua
adalah bagaimana simbol-simbol makhluk tersebut membayangi konfrontasi
antara Harry dan masa lalunya dalam konflik.
Studi ini menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan karena sumber utama
dalam melaksanakan studi ini adalah novel tercetak. Novel dianalisa
menggunakan pendekatan New Criticism dengan membaca teliti dan berfokus
pada bagian-bagian karya sastra demi menjawab masalah yang telah dirumuskan.
Hasil analisis terbagi dalam dua bagian sesuai dengan rumusan masalah.
Ada tiga simbol makhluk yang ditemukan dalam novel: anjing hitam, si tikus
Scabbers, dan dementor dari Azkaban. Simbol anjing hitam merefleksikan
karakter loyal Sirius pada teman-temannya dan bulu hitam si anjing merupakan
tanda kesedihan dan berkabung yang ia rasakan pada kematian mereka, tetapi
kemiripan si anjing dengan Grim melambangkan obsesi Sirius yang penuh
dendam pada pengkhianat Peter Pettigrew. Di sisi lain, si tikus Scabbers
melambangkan pengkhianatan, kepengecutan, dan kelicikan, karakteristik yang
bisa ditemukan pada Peter Pettigrew. Para dementor sementara itu, adalah
lambang ketiadaan akan harapan yang dikenal sebagai depresi. Para penjaga
Azkaban ini membayangi konflik yang akan terjadi antara Harry dan masa lalunya
sementara simbol anjing hitam dan tikus mengungkapkan kebenaran di balik masa
lalu tersebut akan siapa pengkhianat Potter sesungguhnya dan akan pria tidak
bersalah yang kepadanya kesalahan akan pengkhianatan tersebut ditanggungkan.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Symbols is a major element in literary works. The word symbol itself
derived from a Greek word meaning "to throw together" (syn, together, and
ballein, to throw). Edgar and Jacobs (1987: 279) described symbols as follow:
a symbol pulls or draws together (1) a specific thing with (2) ideas, values,
persons, or a ways of life, in a direct relationship that otherwise would not
be apparent. A symbol might also be regarded as substitute for the
elements being signified, much as the flag stands for the ideals of the
nation. In other stories and other types of literature, a symbol is usually a
person, thing, place, action, situation, or even thought.
Hence, going by the description above, a symbol is an object that
represents a certain idea/concept. Symbols thus is prevalent within literary works
which typically contain hidden meanings. For example, a main character can be a
symbol of resistance towards oppression, a dragon could either be a symbol of
destruction in western culture or the symbol of wisdom in eastern culture, or a
flower perhaps is a symbol of the antagonist‘ hostile intention towards the
protagonist. In regards to this study, the writer is going to discuss symbols,
specifically creature symbols as foreshadowing of event.
Foreshadowing in literature is described as follows:
The organization and presentation of events and scenes in a work of fiction
or drama so that the reader or observer is prepared to some degree for what
occurs later in the work. This can be part of the general atmosphere of the
work, or it can be a specific scene or object that gives a clue or hint as to a
later development of the plot (Britannica.com, 22 November 2016).
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Thus, foreshadowing is akin of technique which allows an author of
literary work to clue in the readers of the plot development through the subtle
hints presented within the story. Through the hints, readers may then anticipate
what might happen later in the story, whether the protagonist will live through the
day or not, or perhaps will he be reunited with his lover or parting ways instead.
Both symbols and foreshadowing are often used by literary authors to hint
the readers towards hidden meanings within their works. Thus, they encourage the
readers to be more involved into the story.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling uses symbols
in form of creatures presented in the story. For example, a large black dog which
was the animagus form of Sirius Black. A dog is a symbol of loyalty, but the
black dog was presented in the story as an omen of death. Peter Pettigrew on the
other hand have the animagus form of a rat, a symbol of disease and cowardice.
These creature symbols are then used by Rowling to clue in the readers
towards the main conflict of the story in which Harry Potter is confronted by the
unknown part of his past, one that is related to the night when his parents, James
and Lily Potter, were murdered, and him becoming the Boy-Who-Lived, the hero
of British magical world. The creatures in the novel, both magical or non-magical,
are an important aspects in Harry Potter universe, especially regarding the third
book Prisoner of Azkaban where creatures are prevalent throughout the story, and
thus, the writer is going to discuss in this undergraduate thesis how the creature
symbols in the novel foreshadow Harry Potter‘s confrontation with his past as
revealed by the plot of the novel.
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B. Problem Formulation
Based on explanation above, the problems the writer discussed in this
paper are formulated as follows:
1. How are the creature symbols presented in the novel?
2. How do the creature symbols foreshadow Harry‘s confrontation with
his past in the plot?
C. Objectives of the Study
In accordance to the problem formulation above, this study has two
objectives to achieve.
The first is to find out how the creature symbols are presented in the novel
and second is to discover how the creature symbols foreshadow Harry‘s
confrontation of his past in the novel.
D. Definition of Terms
The following part of this study will present a couple of terms that the
writer will clarify in order to avoid misunderstanding from the readers.
Creature is defined as ―an animal, distinct from a person‖ and as ―a
fictional or imaginary being‖ (en.oxforddictionaries.com, 22 November 2016).
Foreshadowing is defined as ―the use of indicative word or phrases and
hints that set the stage for a story to unfold and give the reader a hint of future
events without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense‖ (www.literary-
devices.com, 26 May 2017).
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
In relation to this study, the writer has reviewed several academic writings
that are relevant with the topic and novel discussed in this study.
The first is an article taken from the journal Litera-Kultura written by
Listiyaning Tias, ―Creature and Color Symbolism in J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkaban‖. In her study, Tias found that there are two kinds of
creature symbols, the good and the bad. The good creature symbols are
represented in the novel through Buckbeak the Hippogriff, a creature of air and a
symbol of kindness, the black dog which is the animagus form of Sirius Black as
the symbol of bravery, and Hermione‘s pet cat Crookshanks which symbolizes
intelligence. The bad creature symbols, on the other hand, are the rat Scabbers
which symbolizes betrayal, and the magical creatures Red Cap, Grindilow, and
Kappa that symbolizes crime, slyness, and vengeance respectively. Secondly, Tias
also found two colour symbols in the story: a white stag which symbolizes purity,
and the black dementors of Azkaban Prison and the black dog Grim that
symbolize evil and death (ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/litera-kultura, 22
November 2016).
The second is an undergraduate thesis written by Melia H. Sabarno, ―The
Significance of Hermione Granger to Represent Rowling‘s School Life in Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban‖. Sabarno‘s analysis, through the use of five
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different approaches including biographical and psychological approach, found
that the significance of the character Hermione Granger is to ―give picture of the
situation happens in society, including the behaviour among the society
themselves‖ (Sabarno, 2006: 56). This was shown through ―surface
representation‖ of Hermione who represents not only Rowling‘s qualities, but also
is a balancing character to the Harry Potter and Ron Weasley (Sabarno, 2006: 56),
and ―depth representation‖ through Rowling‘s use of Hermione‘s character to give
the readers her view towards life and her idea of school life (Sabarno, 2006: 57).
The third is another undergraduate thesis entitled ―Animal Symbolism to
Foreshadow Future Events in George R. R. Martin‘s A Game of Thrones” which
was written in 2015 by Kristiana Artiningtyas Budi Haryani. In her study, Haryani
found that the animal symbols found in A Game of Thrones give hint towards the
future events in the story. The first symbol in the novel, ―a dead direwolf with an
antler under its jaw‖ hinted towards the death of Eddard of the House Stark which
has the sigil of Direwolf, and King Robert of the House Baratheon that has the
sigil of a stag (Haryani, 2015: 49). The other symbol are a Norman sculpture
which shows a stag killed by a wild boar, foreshadowing King Robert‘s death
whom was killed by a boar, and another Norman Sculpture that depicted a boar
attacking a tree while a lion was watching, suggesting that the Lannister who has a
golden lion as their sigil is the one behind his death (Haryani, 2015: 50)
In accordance to the reviewed studies above, the writer concludes that this
undergraduate thesis is different from the first two studies in terms of topic despite
having the same object of study which is the novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner
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of Azkaban. Regarding the last study written by Haryani, despite this thesis has the
same topic of studying symbols as foreshadowing of future events in a novel, the
object of study used is different as Haryani used A Game of Thrones from the
series A Song of Ice and Fire written by George R. R. Martin whilst the writer
analysed Rowling‘s work Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban of the Harry
Potter series and the future event foreshadowed by the symbols is specified in the
title as Harry Potter‘s confrontation with his past which was revealed in the
conflict of the novel.
B. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the writer has reviewed several theories that are going to be
used to solve the problem formulation of this study.
1. Theory of Symbol
Symbol is a major element in literary works. It is an element that signifies
something which then brought the hidden meaning behind a literary work. M. H.
Abrams simply defined a symbol broadly as ―anything that signifies something‖
(1999: 311), but he further elaborated the terms in relation to discussing literature
as follows:
In discussing literature, however, the term "symbol" is applied only to a
word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies
something, or has a range of reference, beyond itself (1999: 311).
A symbol then, in accordance to the definition above, refers to a specific
object which signifies a certain meaning, or meanings, which are different than
the literal concept of the object. As an example, the event of war as a symbol is
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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not to be taken literally as merely a conflict, but a symbol of chaos, failure of
leaders to keep order and peace for their people.
Furthermore, Abrams classified symbols into conventional or public
symbols and personal symbols. Conventional symbols refer to ―symbolic objects
of which the further significance is determinate within a particular culture‖
(Abrams, 1999: 311). These symbols are ―conventional‖ because they were not
invented by one person, but their meanings were established into place within the
culture of a society. Examples of such symbols are sword which in medieval
culture of Europe and in the samurai culture of Japan is a symbol for honour and
justice, and cross which is the symbol of salvation and victory against evil in the
Christian culture. Personal symbols on the other hand, refer to ―symbols that are
made by exploiting widely shared associations between an object or event or
action and a particular concept‖ (Abrams, 1999: 311). Whereas conventional
symbols are the result of culture, personal symbol is an invention of a person, an
author, and thus, their meaning is defined in accordance to the author‘s will and
may differs to the symbolic meaning established in a certain culture. For example,
a sword, as opposed of being a symbol of honour and justice as established in
warrior culture of medieval Europe and Japan, symbolizes war, chaos, and
bloodshed instead.
Arp and Johnson stated that there are several things to consider in defining
a symbol. According to them,
1. ―A story must furnish a clue that a detail is to be taken symbolically. The
symbol always signals their existence through emphasis, repetition, or
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position‖ (2006: 280).
2. ―The meaning of literary symbol must be established and supported by the
context of the story. A symbol has its meaning in the story, not outside of
it‖ (2006: 280).
3. ―To be called a symbol, an item must suggest a meaning different in kind
from its literal meaning, or in other words, a symbol is something more
than a representative of a class or type (2006: 280).
4. A symbol may have more than one meaning. It may suggest a cluster of
meaning that is controlled by the context of the story (2006: 281).
Thus, in order to identify a symbol within a literary work, it is necessary
for the reader to observe the detail of the work, especially repeated, emphasized,
and strategically positioned detail that may pertain clues that an object may be a
symbol of importance in the story. The context of the story itself must also support
the idea that an object is a symbol, as the use of an object as a symbol must be
established within the story and the symbol cannot be referred to as one without it.
Lastly, a symbolic meaning of an object is not connected to the object in a literal
sense, but it represents something more beyond the object itself, such as an idea or
an emotion that are often linked connotatively to the object, and that an object
may have a cluster of meaning, each of which is supported by the relevant context
of the story.
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2. Theory of Plot
Plot is an essential part of any story. Without a plot, there will be no story
at all. Thus, plot is a base for a story to develop from the beginning until it ends.
Roberts and Jacobs defined plot as follows:
A plot is a plan or groundwork for a story, based in conflicting human
motivations, with the actions resulting from believable and realistic human
response. In a well-plotted story, nothing is irrelevant; everything is
related. In a story, it is response, interaction, opposition, and causation that
make a plot out of simple series of actions (1987: 87).
Therefore, in accordance to definition above, a plot as a groundwork of a
story is realistic and believable as it is based on the characters‘ motivation which
conflicted against each other.
It is also important to note that according to the definition above,
everything is related in a good plot. This means that every single event that
happens in a story contributes something to the story, whether it is developing the
protagonist into a wiser figure, giving hints of future conflict, or showing a
friendly character who turns out to be the antagonist. Abrams called this relation
of events as ―unity of action,‖ which all the events in a story is viewed as a
complete and orderly structure and is directed intentionally to cause a certain
effect (Abrams, 1999: 225-226).
A particularly important part of a plot in most stories is conflict. Abrams
defined conflict as ―the relation between the chief character of the plot, the
protagonist, and the important opponent he is pitted against, the antagonist‖
(1999: 224-225). Hence, a conflict is, by Abram‘s definition, is how the
protagonist is related to the antagonist. The interest of an antagonist in the story is
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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always directly against the protagonist‘s. Thus, since they have conflicting interest
in the plot, the protagonist clashed against the antagonist until the conflict is
resolved, whether through violence or peaceful resolution, or perhaps by having
the antagonist fled the town, never to be seen again.
The place of conflict in the plot of a story can be seen in Freytag‘s
Pyramid structure.
The pyramid structure is a model of plot analysis for five-act play
introduced by Gustav Freytag (Guerin et al, 2011: 8), albeit it can be used to
analyse novel‘s plot as well.
Freytag Pyramid is divided into five different parts: the exposition, rising
action, climax of the plot, the falling action, and the denouement. The exposition
provides background information of the story, such as the characters, setting, and
basic conflict before the rest of the story is set in motion with an inciting incident
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that marks the beginning of rising action. From then on, the basic conflict
becomes increasingly more complex with the addition of other conflicts, setbacks,
and/or obstacles that serve to frustrate the protagonist even more up until the
climax which is the turning point of the story where the protagonist undergo a
major change. Then, the plot enters the falling action where the protagonist either
win or lose against the antagonist and a final moment of suspense might be
included within the falling action, during which the final outcome of the story is
doubted. Finally, the story is wrapped up in a conclusion. Different terms are used
in referring to this part as comedy ends with denouement where the protagonist is
better off than in the beginning of the story while tragedy ends with a catastrophe
in which the protagonist is destroyed in some way (Guerin et al, 2011: 8).
3. Theory of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing as a literary terms is a ―hint or suggestion of what is to
come‖ (Barnet, 2008: 103), allowing readers to glimpse at the future events of the
story. This means that foreshadowing is a vague clue that can be found in the
story that indicates the readers of upcoming event, character development, or plot
progression that will happen later in a story. For example, what may be happen in
the conflict or if the supposed villain is revealed to be innocent later.
On the other hand, Cuddon stated that foreshadowing is ―an arrangement
of events and information in such way that later events are prepared for or
shadowed forth beforehand and thus, gives structural and thematic unity.‖ (2013:
285). Thus, there is a unity in the structure and theme of the novel in a way that
the later events happened in the story, such as how the conflict is going to be
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resolved or how will the character faced his enemy, is already clued in to the
readers through connection to earlier scenes and previously given information in
the early part of the novel.
C. Theoretical Framework
In this part, the writer is going to discuss how the reviewed theories are to
be used in order to answer the problem formulation.
Firstly, the theory of symbols by Abrams, Arp, and Johnson is used to
determine whether creatures found in the novel are truly symbols in accordance to
the repetition and emphasize upon their appearance in the plot and whether they
are conventional or personal symbols. Arp and Johnson‘s theory is also used to
determine their meaning as constructed by the context of the novel and thus,
answering the first problem formulation. Secondly, the creature symbols found in
the novel are then placed on the Freytag‘s pyramid structure in accordance to their
order of appearance. The theory of foreshadowing is then applied in conjunction
with the theory of plot in order to determine which part of the confrontation
happened in the climax each creature symbols foreshadow based on the
significance of their appearance and the novel‘s plot progression.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this undergraduate thesis is the novel Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. It was written by J.K. Rowling as the third
instalment in her famous Harry Potter series and was first published by
Bloomsbury in July 8 1999 to worldwide acclaim.
The novel have won various awards after its publishing, including Nestlé
Smarties Book Prize 1999 Gold Medal for 9-11years category, Scottish Arts
Council Children‘s Book Award 1999, overall winner in longer novel category of
FCBG Children‘s Book Award 1999, North East Book Award 1999, and
Whitaker‘s Platinum Book Award 2001. According to The Guardian, the novel
was sold over 3 million copies by 2012 (www.theguardian.com, 24 November
2016), and have been translated into over 60 languages. It was even adapted as a
film of the same title in 2004, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and distributed by
Warner Bros.
The Prisoner of Azkaban told the story of Harry Potter in his third year as
a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It first took place
during a summer holiday in Privet Drive number 4 where Harry lived with his
dreadful relatives, the Dursleys. After he accidentally caused his uncle‘s sister to
puff like a balloon, Harry promptly left the house to return once more into the
magical world.
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Harry was hoping that the year would be a peaceful one. Alas, it was not
meant to be since Sirius Black, a notorious mass murderer and said to be the most
loyal servant of Voldemort, was after him, supposedly to avenge Voldemort‘s
defeat. The situation got even more complicated when the dementors sent by the
Ministry of Magic into Hogwarts‘ grounds to hunt Black attacked him instead.
As Harry struggled to survive his third year against a mass murderer
hunting him down and the dementors that would love to suck his soul at the first
opportunity available while going through his complicated school life, he
learned one important thing about Sirius Black: the murderer that was once his
father‘s best friend betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. Shocked and furious, he
hoped that Sirius Black would find him so he could kill him instead. Silently
though, he wondered if he would meet his death when the Grim kept on
appearing before him throughout the year just before accidents that nearly take
his life, not to mention the prophecy spoken professor Trelawney of the
impending reunion between Voldemort and his loyal servant only made things
even more complicated.
B. Approach of the Study
This study was conducted by applying New Criticism approach in
conducting analysis in order to answer the problem formulations of the study.
The New Criticism, according to Lois Tyson, focused on ―the text itself‖,
that ―a certain interpretation requires a careful examination, or ‗close reading‘ of
the formal elements in the text that form, or shape, the literary work‖ (2006: 137).
Thus, New Criticism approach is an approach that focused on formal elements,
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that is the intrinsic elements, of a literary work in interpreting its meaning. Hence,
it is essential for New Critics to carefully examine the intrinsic elements of
literary work, such as characterization, point of view, symbols, and so on, as the
meaning interpreted from a literary work must be supported by the context of the
text.
The New Critics upheld that a literary work is ―timeless, autonomous
verbal object‖ (2006: 137) which will always be the same, even though the
readers and readings change in time. The meaning of literary work is objective as
it is constructed by the work‘s organic unity – the working together of all formal
elements as an inseparable whole – that creates one-of-a-kind relation by which
New Critics judged the quality of literary work (2006: 137-138).
In this study, the writer applied the New Criticism approach in analysing
the intrinsic elements of the Prisoner of Azkaban novel: the creature symbols
presented in the novel, the conflict of the novel which is Harry Potter‘s
confrontation with his past, and how the presented creature symbols foreshadow
the aforementioned conflict.
C. Method of the Study
This study was conducted through library research. The primary source for
the study is the novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
while the secondary sources used in the analysis were Guerin‘s A Handbook of
Critical Approaches to Literature and Chevalier‘s The Penguin Dictionary of
Symbols, as well as other documents and article taken from the internet.
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There were several steps taken in conducting the analysis. Firstly, the
writer close read of the novel and applied the theory of symbol in finding out the
creature symbols in the novel. Secondly, the writer consulted the secondary
sources in determining which creature symbols could appropriately foreshadow
Harry‘s confrontation with his past. Thirdly, during the analysis on how the
creature symbols foreshadow Harry‘s confrontation with his past, the writer
applied the theory of foreshadowing and the theory of plot in order to answer this
third problem formulation. Lastly, the writer concluded this study by summarizing
the answers to the problem formulations of the study.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter presents the analysis conducted by the writer in answering the
previously formulated problems. Thus, this chapter is divided into two different
sections based on the two problems formulated.
The first section discusses about the creature symbols presented in the
story, using the theory of symbols in order to prove that the findings could be
legitimately called as symbols, and the second section presents the in-depth
analysis of the writer on how the aforementioned creature symbols foreshadowed
the confrontation between Harry and his past revealed by the novel‘s conflict
using the theory of plot and the theory of foreshadowing mentioned in chapter II.
A. Creature Symbols in the Novel
Creatures are intricately tied into the novels of Harry Potter series.
Whether it is a common animal, mythical beasts of legend, or the magical
creatures of Rowling‘s own creation, Rowling made the creatures she presented in
Harry Potter series as an inseparable part of its universe and often served a role to
further the story‘s plot.
In the Prisoner of Azkaban, there are a number of creatures Rowling
presented either directly or indirectly as part of the story. Some served only minor
roles and mentioned only once, such as a Manticore which is mentioned when
Harry and Hermione were looking for historical cases of magical creatures‘
attacks in the library to help Hagrid win the lawsuit Lucius Malfoy filed against
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Buckbeak for attacking Draco, ―This might help, look – a Manticore savaged
someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off – oh – no, that was only because
everyone was too scared to come near it‖ (Rowling, 1999: 235).
There are, however, creatures Rowling presented which served in
particular importance as symbols: The black dog, Scabbers the rat, Buckbeak the
hippogriff, the white stag that appeared as Harry‘s patronus, Hermione‘s pet cat
Crookshanks, and the dementors of Azkaban prison. In this thesis, the writer picks
the black dog, Ron‘s pet rat Scabbers, and the dementors of Azkaban prison
among them as they not only serve as symbolic elements in the story, but also
contributed as foreshadowing element to the future events occurring in the novel
as well, as proven by the third section analysis later.
1. The Black Dog
The black dog is one of the symbols that are of importance in the Prisoner
of Azkaban. It made a recurring appearance throughout the novel‘s storyline,
shadowing Harry twice just before accidents that nearly killed him and later was
revealed to be the animagus form of Sirius Black, a fugitive on the run. As Arp
and Johnson stated that ―The symbol always signals their existence through
emphasis, repetition, or position‖ (2006: 280), the fact that the black dog appeared
repeatedly throughout the plot as it shadowed Harry, twice just before the
accidents that nearly killed him and once more just before his confrontation with
Sirius Black, as well as the revelation of it as Sirius‘ animagus form confirmed
that the black dog is a symbol of importance.
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Originally, the black dog was thought to be a Grim, a dog-like creature
which Professor Trelawney described in the novel as followed, ―the giant, spectral
dog that haunts churchyards, an omen – the worst omen – of death‖ (1999: 118).
In accordance to the quoted statement above, it is clear that if the black
dog truly is a Grim, then it is meant to be a symbol of death. However, as Arp and
Johnson stated, ―the meaning symbol must be established and supported by the
context of the story‖ (2006: 180). Thus, there must be evidence within the novel
that support whether the black dog is a Grim that symbolizes death or not.
As per Ron Weasley‘s words found in the novel regarding the subject,
―Grim scare the living out of most wizard‖ (1999: 122) and many students in the
Divination class during their first lesson gasped in horror when professor
Trelawney announced that Harry had Grim in his tea cup as they understand the
significance of Grim.
―My dear,‖ Professor Trelawney‘s huge eyes opened dramatically, ―you
have the Grim.‖
―The what?‖ said Harry. He could tell that he wasn‘t the only one who
didn‘t understand; Dean Thomas shrugged at him and Lavender Brown
looked puzzled, but nearly everybody else clapped their hands to their
mouths in horror. (1999: 118)
Based on the passage above, it can be concluded that Grim as a symbol of
death is a common superstition in the magical world. Thus, it fits Abrams‘ theory
of conventional symbol that it is a ―symbolic object which significance is
determined within a particular culture‖ (Abrams, 1999: 311). In this case, the
significance of Grim is established within the culture of witches and wizards in
the magical world.
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The two accidents that occurred immediately following the black dog‘s
appearance, both nearly takes Harry‘s life, seems to support the possibility that the
black dog is indeed a Grim. The first occurred during the night when Harry left
Magnolia Crescent and the second is on the first quidditch match of the season
against Hufflepuff.
While there were no clear implication that the black dog appeared to be
spectral in its first appearance as how Trelawney described the Grim, Harry had
estimated its size to be very large when he lighted the surrounding area.
―Lumos,‖ Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand,
almost dazzling him. He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed
walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and
between them Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something
very big, with wide, gleaming eyes. (1999: 36)
What Harry saw at the time was a silhouette which he later affirmed to be
something similar to a dog, ――There was a big black thing,‖ said Harry, pointing
uncertainly into the gap. ―Like a dog … but massive …‖‖ (1999: 37).
Coincided with its first appearance, Harry was almost crushed by the
Knight Bus that answered his unintended summon when he accidentally waved
his wand arm as he fell.
There was a deafening BANG and Harry threw up his hands to shield his
eyes against a sudden blinding light ... With a yell, he rolled back onto the
pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and
headlights had screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying.
(1999: 36)
Harry had brushed with death at the time. He thought little of the incident
until he saw the cover of a book about death omens in Flourish and Blotts which
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had the picture of a black dog similar to the one he saw at the night, but even then
he tried to assure himself that it was just a stray dog (1999: 59-60).
After the first class of Divination however, Harry began to fear that what
he saw at the night when he left the Dursleys was indeed an omen of his death. He
was placated when professor McGonagall said that none of the students whose
death were seen by professor Trelawney turned out to be so (1999: 120). When
Harry admitted that he did see a great black dog that night, Ron answered him that
Grim was a bad omen in magical world as his uncle Bilius died not long after he
saw one (1999: 121). Hermione on the other hand, insisted that it was merely a
superstition.
The black dog made a second appearance during the first game of
quidditch in the season between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Again, the Grim
appeared this time as a silhouette, though Harry could clearly made out its form.
He turned, intending to head back toward the middle of the field, but at
that moment, another flash of lightning illuminated the stands, and Harry
saw something that distracted him completely — the silhouette of an
enormous shaggy black dog, clearly imprinted against the sky, motionless
in the topmost, empty row of seats. (1999: 197)
As with the dog‘s first appearance, the incident occurred following its
presence endangered Harry‘s life.
Numbing, swirling white mist was filling Harry‘s brain. … What was he
doing? Why was he flying? He needed to help her. … She was going to
die. … She was going to be murdered.
… He was falling, falling through the icy mist.
“Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy. …”
A shrill voice was laughing, the woman was screaming, and Harry knew
no more. (1999: 199)
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Harry fell from his broom because of dementors‘ presence during the
match. Albeit he survived the fall, he seriously began to think that the black dog
may truly be a Grim, an omen for his death.
When the two encounters above are considered, a conclusion may be
reached that the black dog truly is a Grim and thus, a symbol of death. However,
there is a possibility that what the black dog signifies as a symbol may not be as
obvious as implied. As it turns out, despite the two incidents occurred previously
pointed to the conclusion that the black dog is a Grim as Harry had feared,
Rowling gives a clue that the black dog may not be a Grim in its third appearance.
Crookshanks seemed to have come to a halt. Harry was sure he could see
something else moving in the shadow of the trees too.
And just then, it emerged — a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving
stealthily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side. Harry stared.
What did this mean? If Crookshanks could see the dog as well, how could
it be an omen of Harry‘s death? (1999: 338)
From the passage above, Crookshanks seemed to be able to perceive the
existence of the black dog quite clearly, indicating a possibility that the dog may
not be a Grim which is supposed to be spectral in appearance in accordance to
Trelawney‘s description. It is also curious that Crookshanks halted as if waiting
for the dog to appear before trotting at its side. Harry later referred to this event
when he mentioned that Crookshanks was ―friends with the dog‖ (1999: 275).
The black dog appeared for the fourth time when it kidnapped Ron into a
hidden passage beneath the Whomping Willow.
Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry
aside; the dog‘s jaws fastened instead around Ron‘s outstretched arm.
Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute‘s hair, but it was
dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll. (1999: 373)
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That the black dog could bite Ron and dragged him away is clearly an
evidence that it is solid in appearance instead of spectral and thus, is not a Grim.
Accordingly, as the evidence disproved the previous hypothesis, there must be
something else signified by the black dog.
Towards the climax of the plot, the black dog is revealed to be the
animagus form of Sirius Black.
―Where‘s the dog?‖
―Not a dog,‖ Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. ―Harry, it‘s a
trap —‖
―What —‖
―He‘s the dog … he‘s an Animagus. …‖ Ron was staring over Harry‘s
shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows
closed the door behind them.
A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn‘t been
shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The
waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like
a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black. (1999:
377)
As it turns however, Sirius Black was never a traitor. He is a loyal friends
to Harry‘s parents and sworn that he ―never betrayed James and Lily and would
have died before he betrayed them‖ (1999: 415). He also stated that his reason to
break out from Azkaban was to protect Harry as he was the only one who knew
that the traitor Pettigrew, servant to Lord Voldemort was still alive (1999: 415).
This loyalty is actually reflected in the black dog that is his animagus form. Dog is
often depicted as loyal animal and here, the form of black dog Sirius assumed
signified the loyalty he held towards his friends. Hence, loyalty the signified
meaning by the symbol of dog in Prisoner of Azkaban.
However, as Arp and Johnson suggested that ―a symbol may suggest a
cluster of meaning as per the context of the story‖ (2006: 281), there may be
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another meaning to the symbol of black dog aside from loyalty. In the quoted
passage below, Sirius is depicted to hold grief and sorrow over the death of
Harry‘s parents.
―Harry … I as good as killed them,‖ he croaked. ―I persuaded Lily and
James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as
Secret Keeper instead of me. … I‘m to blame, I know it. … The night they
died, I‘d arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when
I arrived at his hiding place, he‘d gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle.
It didn‘t feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents‘ house straight
away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies … I
realized what Peter must‘ve done … what I‘d done. …‖ (1999: 408)
The grief and sorrow he felt over their death are the meaning symbolized
by its black fur which is the color often used as a sign of grieving in funeral. Its
relation to death also related to the dog‘s heavy resemblance to the Grim, the
harbinger of death in the novel. In this case, the black fur of the dog reflects Sirius‘
desire for vengeance on whom caused him much sorrow and anguish, his traitorous
friend Peter Pettigrew. This desire was so strong that it turned into obsession that
enabled him to resist the dementors.
―So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter
was still alive. …‖
Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley. ―The guards
say he‘s been talking in his sleep … always the same words … ‗He’s at
Hogwarts.‘ ‖
―It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn‘t
destroy it. … It wasn‘t a happy feeling … it was an obsession … but it
gave me strength, it cleared my mind.‖ (1999: 415)
In conclusion, the black dog in Prisoner of Azkaban is a symbol that
signifies two different meaning that are intertwined. As a dog, it is a conventional
symbol that reflects the loyalty Sirius held towards his friends, that he is willing to
risk his life for them. On the other hand, its black fur signifies the grief and
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sorrow he felt as he mourned for their death and its heavy resemblance to the
Grim in the novel signifies his desire for vengeance, to bring death towards the
one who betrayed him and his friends.
2. Scabbers the Rat
The rat Scabbers is a pet belongs to Ron Weasley, Harry‘s best friend along
with Hermione Granger. It is described by a witch working in the Magical
Menagerie on Diagon Alley as a common garden rat, but one that ―has been
through the mill‖ after she saw its tattered left ear and a front paw that missing a
toe (1999: 64-65).
Scabbers is included amongst the creature symbols in this study because
there are several details regarding the rat in Prisoner of Azkaban that Rowling
emphasized through position and repetition, as per the theory of symbol by Arp
and Johnson (2006: 280). Throughout the novel, Scabbers is portrayed to be sick
and stressed which later turned out to be related to Sirius‘ escape from Azkaban
and the subsequent confrontation that reveals the truth of Harry‘s past.
Scabbers‘ sickly appearance is first noted when Harry encountered Ron
and Hermione in Diagon Alley during the summer holiday.
He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. ―And I want to get him checked
over,‖ he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. ―I don‘t
think Egypt agreed with him.‖
Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to
his whiskers. (1999: 63)
At first, it seems that the rat did not like Egypt and thus, it showed signs of
stress. When Ron took it to Magical Menagerie for a check-up, it is implied by the
witch that old age may be the cause for its sickness.
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―Hm,‖ said the witch, picking up Scabbers. ―How old is this rat?‖
―Dunno,‖ said Ron. ―Quite old. He used to belong to my brother.‖
…
―An ordinary common or garden rat like this can‘t be expected to live
longer than three years or so,‖ said the witch. (1999: 64-65)
During Harry‘s third year at Hogwarts, Scabbers condition was not
improved that even Harry thought that the rat was reaching the end of its life.
It had been a while since Harry had seen him out of Ron‘s pocket, and he
was unpleasantly surprised to see that Scabbers, once so fat, was now very
skinny; patches of fur seemed to have fallen out too.
…
But Harry, remembering what the woman at the Magical Menagerie had
said about rats living only three years, couldn‘t help feeling that unless
Scabbers had powers he had never revealed, he was reaching the end of his
life. (1999: 251)
Scabbers then went missing on Christmas when Harry received the gift of
a Firebolt, but later turned up again by Hagrid‘s hut when Harry, Ron, and
Hermione accompanied him before the execution for Buckbeak the hippogriff. Its
condition seemed to be worse than ever.
He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers looked
dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out
leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron‘s hands as though
desperate to free himself. (1999: 367)
Aside from its bad health condition, Scabbers is also seems to be
constantly in fear of something, though often it is because Hermione‘s cat
Crookshanks was after him. However, during Buckbeak‘s execution, the rat tried
to escape frantically from something even when Crookshanks was not around.
―It‘s Scabbers — he won‘t — stay put —‖
Ron was bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was
going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his
teeth into Ron‘s hand. (1999: 369).
This stress and fear are later revealed by Sirius Black to be because of his
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escape from Azkaban, and the rat, whom truly is Peter Pettigrew in disguise, knew
that Sirius was out for him. The first time his condition is noted to be sick is also
recalled by Harry to coincide with the time of Sirius‘ escape. Accordingly, the
position and repeated details of Scabbers‘ ill condition and fear made it fit to be
mention as a symbol.
Scabbers then as a symbol reflects the character of Peter Pettigrew for the
rat is his animagus form. Peter is revealed by Sirius to be a spy for Voldemort and
a traitor to Harry‘s parents for selling them out.
―Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord … you have no
idea … he has weapons you can‘t imagine. … I was scared, Sirius, I was
never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. …
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me —‖
―DON‘T LIE!‖ bellowed Black. ―YOU‘D BEEN PASSING
INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES
DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!‖
―He — he was taking over everywhere!‖ gasped Pettigrew. ―Wh — what
was there to be gained by refusing him?‖ (1999: 418).
Peter as a treacherous man ratted on his friends, James and Lily, giving
their location which he supposed to keep secret to Voldemort. Incidentally, his
animagus form is also a rat, a small rodent animal. By the double meaning of the
word rat, it can be concluded that the rat Scabbers symbolizes betrayal.
Aside from his treachery, the symbol of rat also reflects two other traits of
Peter Pettigrew. First is the cowardice he showed after his deception was revealed.
According to Sirius, Peter is ―always liked big friends who‘d look after him‖
(1999: 412) and that ―his own stinking skin meant more to him than Harry‘s
whole family.‖ (1999: 419). This statement is supported by the fact that Peter tried
to beg Sirius and Remus Lupin for mercy.
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―Sirius — it‘s me … it‘s Peter … your friend … you wouldn‘t …‖
Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled. ―There‘s enough filth on my
robes without you touching them,‖ said Black.
―Remus!‖ Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing
imploringly in front of him. ―You don‘t believe this … wouldn‘t Sirius
have told you they‘d changed the plan?‖ (1999: 416).
When the two made clear their intention not to spare him, Peter turned
towards Ron and Hermione in desperation, but neither were willing to help him.
―Ron … haven‘t I been a good friend … a good pet? You won‘t let them
kill me, Ron, will you … you‘re on my side, aren‘t you?‖
... Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of
Hermione‘s robes.
―Sweet girl … clever girl … you — you won‘t let them. … Help me. …‖
Hermione pulled her robes out of Pettigrew‘s clutching hands and backed
away against the wall, looking horrified. (1999: 417).
Peter even knelt towards Harry, clearly in fear for his life. He tried to
convince Harry that his father James, someone he had betrayed, would have
understood and show him mercy.
―Harry … Harry … you look just like your father … just like him. …‖
…
―Harry,‖ whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched.
―Harry, James wouldn‘t have wanted me killed. … James would have
understood, Harry … he would have shown me mercy. …‖ (1999: 417-
418).
His action in the two passages above proved his cowardice and that he
cares only for his own life. To save his own life, he is willing to kneel and beg to
those he had readily betrayed.
Peter‘s other trait worthy of note is that he is a cunning trickster. In
Prisoner of Azkaban, he cleverly deceived everyone into thinking that he was
dead.
―My God,‖ said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the
paper and back again. ―His front paw …‖
―What about it?‖ said Ron defiantly.
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―He‘s got a toe missing,‖ said Black.
―Of course,‖ Lupin breathed. ―So simple … so brilliant … he cut it off
himself?‖
―Just before he transformed,‖ said Black. ―When I cornered him, he yelled
for the whole street to hear that I‘d betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I
could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back,
killed everyone within twenty feet of himself — and sped down into the
sewer with the other rats. …‖ (1999: 405-406)
The passage showed that Peter is a quite cunning with his trick. He
successfully faked his own death and framed Sirius as Voldemort‘s spy, thereby
deceiving everyone into thinking that he was a tragic hero when he really was not.
Peter also faked his death as Scabbers when he realizes that Hermione‘s cat
Crookshanks were helping Sirius to get to him.
―But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it. …‖ croaked
Black. ―This cat — Crookshanks, did you call him? — told me Peter had
left blood on the sheets. … I supposed he bit himself. … Well, faking his
own death had worked once. …‖ (1999: 407)
The context of both passages clearly support that Peter has a certain
cunning in him befitting a trickster, but it is clear as well that he only did so to
save his own life. Therefore, the symbol of rat here also stands for both cowardice
and cunning.
Conclusively, the symbol of rat in Prisoner of Azkaban signifies several
different meanings. It stands for betrayal as Peter Pettigrew sold his best friends
whom he had been get along since the school days to Voldemort. The rat is also a
symbol for both cowardice and cunning for although Peter is capable of clever
trickery, he is a coward who is first and foremost care about his own life and is
willing to do anything to save himself.
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3. Dementors of Azkaban
The dementors are the guardians of Azkaban, a dreadful prison where the
Ministry of Magic put the convicted witch and wizard for imprisonment. They are
a kind of dark creatures with terrible physical appearance described as follows in
Prisoner of Azkaban,
Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin‘s
hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was
completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry‘s eyes darted downward, and
what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from
the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like
something dead that had decayed in water. … (1999: 92)
Even more terrible than its appearance is its power to suck happiness and
bring despair and hopelessness to its immediate surroundings. As Lupin put it,
Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest
the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain
peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel
their presence, though they can‘t see them. Get too near a dementor and
every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it
can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to
something like itself … soulless and evil. You‘ll be left with nothing but
the worst experiences of your life. (1999: 208-209).
This terrifying power is even more pronounced by its ability called the
Dementor‘s Kiss which enables it to suck the soul of the living. It is, according to
Lupin, is ―its last and worst weapon, used upon those they wished to destroy
utterly‖ (1999: 274-275). To be subjected to the Dementor‘s Kiss is something
Lupin described to be worse than death as he stated that,
You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you‘ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no … anything. There‘s no chance at all of recovery. You‘ll just — exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever … lost.‖ (1999: 275).
As with both the black dog and the rat Scabbers, the dementors of Azkaban
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31
is mentioned as a symbol of importance in this study since their recurring
appearance throughout the story and positioned as an opposition towards Harry,
despite being tasked to guard Hogwarts and its students, fits the theory of symbol
stated by Arp and Johnson in Perrine’s Literature that ―the symbol always signals
their existence through emphasis, repetition, or position‖ (2006: 280).
When a dementor first appeared in the story during the ride on Hogwarts
Express in an inspection for Sirius Black presence on the train, Harry was
immediately subjected to its frightening power.
And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow,
rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air
from its surroundings.
An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his
chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was
inside his very heart …
Harry‘s eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn‘t see. He was drowning in
cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was being
dragged downward, the roaring growing louder…
And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading
screams. (1999: 92-93)
Albeit the dementor was tasked to search for Sirius Black, it opted instead
to attack the occupants of the compartment until Lupin banished it. Harry is the
only one to pass out during the encounter, though it seemed that everyone
alongside him were equally affected. In his second encounter during the quidditch
match however, it is clear that the group of dementors were after Harry
specifically.
And then a horribly familiar wave of cold swept over him, inside him, just
as he became aware of something moving on the field below. …
Before he‘d had time to think, Harry had taken his eyes off the Snitch and
looked down.
At least a hundred dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at him, were
standing beneath him. It was as though freezing water were rising in his
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chest, cutting at his insides. And then he heard it again. … Someone was
screaming, screaming inside his head … a woman … (1999: 198)
The quoted passages above positioned the dementors to oppose Harry, and
with both encounters forced Harry to relive the memory of his mother‘s death,
foreshadowing the conflict of the novel later, they affirmed that the dementor is
indeed a symbol of importance in the novel.
Unlike the black dog and the rat which are conventional symbols, the
dementor, being a creature invented entirely by J.K. Rowling, is a personal
symbol. This because the meaning it signified as a symbol is defined in
accordance to her will as the author as per Abrams theory of symbol (1999: 311).
The power of dementors reflected the meaning it signified as a symbol. They
drain the positive feeling from their surroundings and leave despair and
hopelessness in their wake. A case in point, the reaction of Harry‘s friends after
the encounter with a dementor on the train.
―It was horrible,‖ said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. ―Did you feel
how cold it got when it came in?‖
―I felt weird,‖ said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. ―Like I‘d
never be cheerful again. …‖
Ginny, who was huddled in her corner looking nearly as bad as Harry felt,
gave a small sob; Hermione went over and put a comforting arm around
her. (1999: 95).
This feeling of unhappiness along with Harry‘s own experience of having
to relive the memory of his mother‘s death which left him in misery in his
encounters with the dementors on two separate incidents signify that the dementor
is a symbol of negativity in form of unhappiness, despair, and misery, as their
power instilled such feelings upon their victims, leaving them unable to recall any
sort of memory except ones that brings them suffering and hopelessness.
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B. Creature Symbols as Foreshadowing Element
The creature symbols of the Prisoner of Azkaban discussed in the previous
part of this chapter have a certain role in the plot of the novel as foreshadowing
element. They hint towards the future event occurring in the plot of the novel.
What is foreshadowed by the symbols of black dog, rat, and dementor are the
main conflict of the story. Conflict is defined by M. H. Abrams as ―the relation
between the chief character of the plot, the protagonist, and the important
opponent he is pitted against, the antagonist‖ (1999: 224-225). In Prisoner of
Azkaban, the protagonist of the novel is clearly Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived.
The antagonist of the novel however, is not so clear. For the most part of the
novel, it assumed that the antagonist is Sirius Black, a fugitive who escaped the
Azkaban prison and supposedly a traitor whom sold Harry‘s parents to Voldemort.
It is only at the climax of the plot however that the true antagonist is revealed to
be Peter Pettigrew, the traitor whom everyone thought to die a hero. Nevertheless,
both the false antagonist Sirius Black and true antagonist Peter Pettigrew have the
relation with the protagonist Harry Potter. This relation is Harry‘s past,
specifically the truth about who betrayed his parents, one who sold them to
Voldemort and allowed him to find their family. To sum it up, the conflict in
Prisoner of Azkaban is about the truth behind Harry‘s past regarding the betrayal
to his parents which resulted in their subsequent murders.
In order to determine how the creature symbols act as foreshadowing to
the conflict, it is necessary to observe how they are placed in the entirety of plot
structure since foreshadowing as Barnet puts it being ―a hint or suggestion of what
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34
is to come‖ (Barnet, 2008: 103) and Cuddon suggest that it is ―the structural and
thematic unity in a novel as events and information are arranged in such way that
later events are shadowed forth beforehand‖ (2013: 285), it therefore dictates that
the foreshadowing must be put before what they are hinting at is actually
happened in the plot. In this case, the creature symbols foreshadowed the conflict
of the novel. In examining the placement of foreshadowing elements and the
foreshadowed event in the plot, the Freytag pyramid structure of plot is used in
the analysis.
In Freytag pyramid structure, the very first part of a plot is exposition
where the background information of the story, such as characters and the basic
conflict, is provided. As the creature symbols are the foreshadowing elements that
foreshadowed the main conflict in the novel, therefore their placement in the
Freytag pyramid structure must lie before the climax in the novel in which all
foreshadowed events occurred, which means the symbols are placed throughout
the exposition and rising action part of the plot.
In the exposition part of Prisoner of Azkaban, the character Sirius Black,
the assumed antagonist of the story, was introduced very early in the third chapter
as an escaped convict in the muggle news (1999: 18) before his identity was made
clear by the newspaper Stan Shunpike was reading during the Knight Bus ride.
Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read:
BLACK STILL AT LARGE
Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in
Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed
today.
…
While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of
metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community
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35
lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black
murdered thirteen people with a single curse. (Page 41)
While here, Sirius Black is mentioned to be a convicted wizard, it was
Stan who revealed that Sirius was a ―big supporter of Voldemort‖ (1999: 42).
However, it is to be noted that the revelation of Sirius identity as a supporter of
Voldemort was preceded by Harry‘s first encounter with the large black dog
suspected to be a Grim (1999: 36-37).
After a brief encounter with the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Harry
then proceeded to spend the rest of summer in Leaky Cauldron while taking
occasional trips to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies. When he visited the
Flourish and Blotts for new book, he was reminded of coming across the black
dog in Magnolia Crescent when he saw the same dog was on the cover of a book
about death omens, though later he tried to convince himself that it meant nothing.
But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a
black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar. …
―It can‘t have been a death omen,‖ he told his reflection defiantly. ―I was
panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent. … It was probably
just a stray dog.‖ (1999: 59-60).
Eventually, Harry was reunited with Ron and Hermione again in Diagon
Alley. It was in this meeting that Harry first took notice of Scabbers unusual
condition, which at the time coincided with the news of Sirius Black escaped from
Azkaban (1999: 63) and later, this detail was recalled during the climax of the
conflict.
The presumed main conflict of the novel was introduced by the end of
summer holiday when Harry accidentally overheard the conversation between Mr.
and Mrs. Weasley regarding Sirius Black:
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―Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn‘t report it in the
press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban
the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Black‘s been talking
in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: ‗He‘s at Hogwarts …
he‘s at Hogwarts.‘ Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If
you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to
power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and
he‘s had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that. …‖ (1999: 72-73)
From the quoted passage above, the ministry seemed to interpret that ‗he‘
whom Sirius mentioned in his sleep to be at Hogwarts was Harry, the one whom
vanquished Voldemort, his master, and thus, they believed that Sirius was after
Harry to avenge his fallen master. However, this only gives the barest detail of the
conflict. The betrayal Sirius had supposedly committed to Harry‘s parents and his
subsequent murder of his other friend Peter Pettigrew were not mentioned yet in
this conversation. However, a vague hint of Sirius‘ betrayal was given by Mr.
Weasley plead to Harry that he was not to look for Black despite whatever he
might hear (1999: 81) which implied that Harry would likely to do so if Sirius‘
supposed betrayal was revealed to him.
In the midst of the ride towards Hogwarts, the train was stopped for an
inspection conducted by the dementors of Azkaban in search for Sirius Black. It
was during the inspection Harry encountered a dementor for the first time and it
forced Harry to relive the moment of his mother‘s death, albeit the memory was,
at the time, limited to the scream of unknown woman.
And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow,
rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air
from its surroundings.
…
And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading
screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but
couldn‘t … (1999: 92-93)
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This encounter is the inciting incident of the plot. It marks the beginning of
rising action, the increasing complication of the conflict in the plot, as not only
that Harry was in danger from Sirius Black, but the dementors that were stationed
around Hogwarts to capture him would not mind preying on him as well.
Furthermore, that Harry was forced to relive his mother‘s death during the
encounter foreshadowed that the main conflict would be related to Harry‘s past.
Specifically, the night when his parents were murdered by Voldemort and his
subsequent vanquishing the dark lord twelve years ago in Godric‘s Hollow.
Throughout the rising action part of the plot, the threat of Sirius Black
seemed to be looming over Harry. In the first divination lesson where Professor
Trelawney predicted his death when she saw that his tea leaves formed the shape
of a Grim, a giant, spectral black dog believed by witches and wizards to be an
omen of death (1999: 118) and Harry was immediately reminded of the large,
dog-like silhouette he saw the night at Magnolia Crescent before he boarded the
Knight Bus which happened to bear a great resemblance to a Grim. This made
him slightly worried, although later McGonagall dismissed her prediction and
assured Harry that he would be just fine since none the students whose death were
predicted by Trelawney has died yet (1999: 120).
Further into the year, another clue of Sirius‘ supposed betrayal was given
by Malfoy.
―Of course, if it was me,‖ he said quietly, ―I‘d have done something before
now. I wouldn‘t be staying in school like a good boy, I‘d be out there
looking for him.‖
―What are you talking about, Malfoy?‖ said Ron roughly.
―Don‘t you know, Potter?‖ breathed Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed.
―Know what?‖
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Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh. ―Maybe you‘d rather not risk your
neck,‖ he said. ―Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was
me, I‘d want revenge. I‘d hunt him down myself.‖ (1999: 140-141).
Malfoy‘s words, same as Mr. Weasley‘s, implied that Harry would have
wanted revenge on Sirius for a reason unknown to him. At this point however,
Harry has yet to know that the reason Sirius was imprisoned years ago was not
only for the mass murder he was notorious of, but also for the treason he
supposedly had committed by selling his parents to Voldemort twelve years ago.
Despite the looming threat however, the year seemingly progressed
smoothly for the students of Hogwarts until Sirius Black managed to sneak into
the castle during the student‘s visiting hour to Hogsmeade and attacked the Fat
Lady after he failed in his attempt to enter the Gryffindor common room.
The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so
viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been
torn away completely.
…
―He got very angry when she wouldn‘t let him in, you see.‖ Peeves flipped
over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. ―Nasty
temper he‘s got, that Sirius Black.‖ (1999: 178-179).
This alerted the whole resident of Hogwarts and instigated the staff to
conduct a thorough search around the castle to find Black, albeit to no avail. Since
Sirius clearly attempted to enter the Gryffindor common room, this seemed to
reinforce the idea that he was after Harry. With the Fat Lady being too frightened
to guard the entrance to Gryffindor common room, her portrait was momentarily
replaced by Sir Cardogan‘s while security around the castle was heightened in the
light of the incident, especially in the case of Harry who were routinely followed
by teachers to ensure his safety.
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The quidditch season then began not long after the incident and in
unexpected turn of event, the Gryffindor were to face Hufflepuff per the request of
Slytherin team to switch their match as Malfoy‘s arm was supposedly not yet
healed. It was during the match Harry encountered the Grim for the second time
(1999: 197-198), and just as when Harry came across the Grim in the Magnolia
Crescent where he almost got crushed by the suddenly appeared Knight Bus, this
second encounter was also followed by an incident that nearly killed him. This
time by a group of dementors that suddenly appeared on the field. Harry was once
again forced to relive the memory of the screaming woman, but this time it was
clearer.
And then he heard it again. … Someone was screaming, screaming inside
his head … a woman …
―Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!‖
―Stand aside, you silly girl … stand aside, now. …‖
―Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead —‖
...
“Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy. …”
A shrill voice was laughing, the woman was screaming, and Harry knew
no more. (1999: 198-199)
Harry realized then that the woman whose scream he had heard was his
mother and what the dementors forced him to relive was his memory of Lily
begging Voldemort to spare him before the dark lord killed her in the Halloween
night twelve years ago. That this memory was shown twice in his two encounters
with the dementors signals that the conflict of the novel was not only related to
Sirius Black, but also Harry‘s past regarding the night when his parents were
murdered.
The second appearance of the Grim in the quidditch match also worried
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40
Harry, especially since near-death accidents seemed to occur every time it showed
himself to Harry, making him wonder if the Grim would haunt him to death
(1999: 205). The two accidents Harry had experienced seemed to affirm professor
Trelawney‘s prediction regarding Harry‘s death.
Another thing that made Harry even more nervous was how strongly the
dementors affected him. He consulted to Lupin about it and he agreed to teach
him a defensive spell against dementors (1999: 210).
In the very last weekend of the first terms, another trip to Hogsmeade was
held. Since Harry did not have a signed permission form for the visit, he was not
allowed to go, but he was given a way to sneak out from the castle by Fred and
George Weasley in form of Marauder‘s Map.
He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, ―I solemnly
swear that I am up to no good.‖
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to
Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER‘S
MAP.
It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But
the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each
labelled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it.
A labelled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore
was pacing his study; the caretaker‘s cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the
second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the
trophy room. And as Harry‘s eyes travelled up and down the familiar
corridors, he noticed something else. This map showed a set of passages he
had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead —
―Right into Hogsmeade,‖ said Fred. (1999: 214-215)
The map not only showed the people in Hogwarts, but it also showed the
secret passages within the castle. This allowed Harry to sneak out into Hogsmeade
without anyone‘s notice. He rendezvoused with Ron and Hermione at the
Honeydukes candy shop and spent his time with them. After they finished with
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41
their visit to Honeydukes, the three opted for a cup of butterbeer at the Three
Broomsticks, but unexpectedly, he found out from eavesdropping the minister
Cornelius Fudge‘s conversation with the professors of Hogwarts and the
innkeeper Madam Rosmerta that Sirius Black was his parents‘ best friend, that his
parent named him his godfather, and that had supposedly betrayed them to
Voldemort.
―Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when
they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they
named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can
imagine how the idea would torment him.‖
…
―Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had
turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who.‖
―But James Potter insisted on using Black?‖
―He did,‖ said Fudge heavily. ―And then, barely a week after the Fidelius
Charm had been performed —‖
―Black betrayed them?‖ breathed Madam Rosmerta.
―He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to
declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have
planned this for the moment of the Potters‘ death. (1999: 227-229).
This conversation revealed a more detail to the main conflict of the novel
which is that the conflict was related to Harry‘s past. In this case, Sirius used to be
the best friend of James Potter, but he apparently had turned out to be a spy and
betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort by giving the secret of Fidelius charm to
him which led to the night when they died and Harry vanquished Voldemort. This
revelation had been foreshadowed previously through the dementors. The
dementor is the symbol of despair in the novel, as discussed in the previous part of
the analysis, and their power not only drains any semblance of positivity and
happiness, but also brings about the worst memory of the persons within their
immediate presence, leaving them in the wake of misery. In case of Harry, this
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42
memory was the moment of Lily begging Voldemort to spare him before she was
murdered. This memory is intricately related with the supposed betrayal of Sirius
Black, being the result of said treason, and it was shown twice throughout the
novel, each by the means of the dementors. The first was during the dementor‘s
inspection on Hogwarts Express before the beginning of the terms, and the second
was when Harry was attacked by a group of dementors during the first quidditch
match of the season against Hufflepuff.
Another important detail that was revealed in the conversation was the
introduction of Peter Pettigrew, the wizard who was allegedly murdered by Sirius
Black twelve years ago for confronting the man in the light of his supposed
betrayal.
―It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew — another of
the Potters‘ friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black
had been the Potters‘ Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself.‖
―Pettigrew … that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them
at Hogwarts?‖ said Madam Rosmerta.
―Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,‖ said Professor McGonagall. ―Never
quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You
can imagine how I — how I regret that now. …‖ She sounded as though
she had a sudden head cold.
―There, now, Minerva,‖ said Fudge kindly, ―Pettigrew died a hero‘s death.
Eyewitnesses — Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later —
told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, ‗Lily and
James, Sirius! How could you?‘ And then he went for his wand. Well, of
course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens. …‖ (1999:
231).
Peter was another friend of James Potter. According to the quoted passage
above, he often tagging along with James and Sirius during their Hogwarts days
and even hero-worshipped them. The passage also mentioned that Pettigrew was
the one whom confronted Black for his treason and was murdered for it, according
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43
to the muggle witnesses Fudge mentioned.
After the end of Christmas holiday, Harry was getting a lesson from Lupin
on an anti-dementor charm called the Patronus which supposed to act as a shield
that chase away the dementors. Lupin used a Boggart, a creature that is able to
shapeshift into any person‘s greatest fear, in place of a real dementor since Harry‘s
Boggart form was one. However, the dementor‘s effect on Harry was so great that
even the Boggart-dementor was able to affect Harry. This time, he also relived the
memory of James telling Lily to run when he realized Voldemort was at their
doorstep (1999: 267). Nonetheless, Harry managed to produce a decent patronus
despite this setback and later, he managed to produce a good one to expel the fake
dementors which turned out to be Malfoy and his cronies during the match against
Ravenclaw.
Just afterward the Gryffindor‘s victory party however, another incident
occurred. This time, Sirius Black managed to gain entry to the common room and
apparently was about to attack Ron.
Harry woke as suddenly as though he‘d been hit in the face. Disoriented in
the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings — he could hear
movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan‘s voice from the other side
of the room: ―What‘s going on?‖
Harry thought he heard the dormitory door slam. At last finding the divide
in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean
Thomas lit his lamp.
Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of
utmost terror on his face.
―Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!‖
―What?‖
―Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!‖ (1999: 296).
Sirius escaped before any of the teachers can apprehend him, but this
incident vaguely hinted that perhaps Harry was not his target. Harry pondered
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44
upon himself on why Black had chosen to escape since he could have easily
silenced Ron before he could make a noise and then proceed to attack Harry
without anyone‘s notice instead, though he rationalized that he did so because he
would not be able to escape afterwards had he done so (1999: 302).
Just the day before the quidditch final between Gryffindor and Slytherin,
Harry saw the Grim once again. Only this time, he saw Hermione‘s pet cat,
Crookshanks, trotting along with it.
And just then, it emerged — a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving
stealthily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side. Harry stared.
What did this mean? If Crookshanks could see the dog as well, how could
it be an omen of Harry‘s death? (1999: 338).
As is discussed in the first part of the analysis, this was the clue that point
towards the possibility that the black dog was not Grim as Harry had first thought
since Crookshanks seemed to be able to perceive it normally. That Harry spotted
them both later was recalled during the climax of the novel by Harry whom
realized that Crookshanks was helping Black all along to get to Peter.
After Gryffindor‘s triumph in the quidditch final, the second terms was
about to end with the exams were underway. At the end of Harry‘s Divination
exam, professor Trelawney unexpectedly prophesied the impending return of
Voldemort with the help of a servant whom had been chained for the last twelve
years.
―The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His
servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight …
the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord
will rise again with his servant‘s aid, greater and more terrible than ever he
was. Tonight … before midnight … the servant … will set out … to rejoin
… his master. …‖ (1999: 361)
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Sirius Black seemed to fit the criteria of the servant mentioned in this
prophecy. He was thought to be a major supporter of Voldemort, a loyal servant
who spied on the Potters by his order, and he had been imprisoned in the dreaded
Azkaban for twelve years since his betrayal was revealed to public by Peter
Pettigrew. Trelawney predicted that the servant was going to break free before
midnight that day and so Harry then immediately set out to find Ron and
Hermione to tell them of the prophecy, but before he had the chance to, Ron and
Hermione gave him news that Hagrid‘s hippogriff, Buckbeak, was set to be
executed that evening, distracting him from the importance of his own news. This
marked the beginning of the climax in the novel where Harry would be confronted
by the truth behind his past when Voldemort murdered his parents and was
subsequently vanquished, leaving him as the lone survivor of the night.
The three then set out to Hagrid‘s hut under the cover of Harry‘s
Invisibility Cloak. They accompanied Hagrid before Buckbeak‘s execution and in
the midst of their conversation, Ron‘s pet rat Scabbers whom had gone missing
since the beginning of the second terms, presumably eaten by Crookshanks,
suddenly turned up in Hagrid‘s milk jug (1999: 366-367). The rat looked worse
than ever and it behaved frantically as if it was desperate to free himself and
escape from something coming after him. When Crookshanks appeared near them
when they sneaked out of Hagrid‘s hut, Scabbers managed to slip away and the cat
chased it down until Ron managed to catch it close to the Whomping Willow. But
then, the enormous black dog Harry had seen throughout the year suddenly
appeared and attacked Ron, dragging him and Scabbers along into the large gap in
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the Whomping Willow‘s roots which turned out to be a secret passage.
Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry
aside; the dog‘s jaws fastened instead around Ron‘s outstretched arm.
Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute‘s hair, but it was
dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll —
…
And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward
into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head
and torso were slipping out of sight — (Rowling: 372-373).
The quoted passage above showed that the dog was not a Grim all along as
it is capable of physically attack Ron while Grim as a spectral being like
Hogwarts ghosts was incapable of such feat. This was foreshadowed by the scene
when Harry noticed the dog was sneaking around Hogwarts with Crookshanks,
which seemed to be able to see it without a problem, as a company. This scene
where the Grim that had shadowed Harry all year long suddenly appeared to
attack Ron is also a reminiscence to Sirius‘s attack towards Ron when he was
supposed to after Harry instead.
Harry and Hermione then went after the dog into the passage and turned
up at the Shrieking Shack where they were confronted by Sirius Black whom
turned out to be an animagus who could transform into the black dog that attacked
Ron.
―He’s the dog … he’s an Animagus. …‖
Ron was staring over Harry‘s shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a
snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.
A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn‘t been
shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The
waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like
a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black. (1999:
377)
This revelation of Sirius Black being an animagus had been foreshadowed
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early in the novel, specifically during the scene where Harry saw an enormous
dog-like silhouette at the Magnolia Crescent. This occurred just before Sirius
himself was introduced indirectly when Harry saw the newspaper Stan Shunpike
was reading in the Knight Bus and thus, vaguely hinted at the possibility above.
That the Grim which Black‘s animagus form resembled was seen as an omen of
death also supported this as Black was seen as the greatest threat towards Harry‘s
well-being throughout the year with the minister of magic and the staff of
Hogwarts had to ensure his safety personally.
Lupin then entered the scene and both he and Sirius revealed that Ron‘s
pet rat Scabbers was in fact Peter Pettigrew who had been hiding in his animagus
form for twelve years. As Lupin explain the background story on how Peter could
be disguised as Scabbers when he was supposed to be dead, Sirius never took his
eyes off Scabbers, showing obsessive behaviour towards it as if it was a prey.
After Pettigrew‘s cover as Scabbers was blown, Sirius sworn to Harry that he was
never a traitor (1999: 415), albeit he felt responsible for James‘ and Lily‘s death
since he was the one whom arranged the switching of Secret Keeper into
Pettigrew (1999: 408), and that the reason he escaped Azkaban was not to going
after Harry, but instead he was going after Peter who had betrayed him and his
friends to protect Harry from him since he was the only one to know of the truth,
thus revealed his true character as a protagonist instead of the assumed antagonist
all along.
―So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter
was still alive. …‖
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Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley. ―The guards
say he‘s been talking in his sleep … always the same words … ‗He’s at
Hogwarts.‘ ‖
―It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn‘t
destroy it. … It wasn‘t a happy feeling … it was an obsession … but it
gave me strength, it cleared my mind.‖ (1999: 415)
The revelation that Sirius Black was never a traitor and instead remained a
loyal friend of James and Lily all along was vaguely foreshadowed by his
animagus form. Though its appearance resembled a Grim heavily, a dog is a
common symbol of loyalty which, as it turns out, is an important characteristic of
Sirius Black. The black colour of its fur also supported this indirectly as black
being the colour that symbolizes sorrow and mourning reflected Sirius‘ own
anguish for the death of his friends since if he was a traitor, he would not have felt
such a heavy sorrow for the people he betrayed.
On the other hand, Sirius also showed an obsessive behaviour to capture
Pettigrew. He had attacked the portrait of Fat Lady for denying him entry into the
common room to capture Peter. He also attacked Ron twice, the first being when
he successfully entered the common room by using stolen passwords and the
second being when he forcefully dragged Ron who was unknowingly carrying
Peter at the time to the Shrieking Shack. Sirius also would have kill Peter had
Harry not stopped him by appealing to his friendship with James. These
behaviours shows that Sirius has an obsession for vengeance against Peter and this
was foreshadowed by the heavy resemblance his animagus form bears to a Grim,
a creature believed to be an omen of death. Despite not being a Grim, the black
dog‘s appearance that resembled one do symbolizes Sirius‘ desire for vengeance
and to bring death, only his target was Peter Pettigrew rather than Harry as
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49
previously assumed.
The climax in the novel also revealed the truth regarding Peter Pettigrew.
He was long thought to die a hero as the conversation between Cornelius Fudge
and Hogwarts‘ staff at the Three Broomsticks revealed, bravely confronted Sirius
Black for his betrayal on the Potters and was subsequently killed along with
twelve muggles. However, Sirius and Lupin exposed him as an animagus and that
he had been under disguise for the last twelve years as a rat.
―I think so,‖ said Lupin, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his
wand in the other. ―On the count of three. One — two — THREE!‖
A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment,
Scabbers was frozen in mid-air, his small grey form twisting madly — Ron
yelled — the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of
light and then —
It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was
shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a
man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his
hands. (1999: 409).
The revelation of Scabbers as Peter was very vaguely hinted as Peter was
only mentioned past the inciting incident of the novel which was the train
inspection by the dementors at the beginning of the terms. In terms of appearance,
both Peter and Scabbers shared a single distinguishing feature: a missing finger.
This was what allowed Sirius to see through Peter‘s trick of faking his death when
he saw the Weasleys‘ photo on the newspaper Fudge had given to him (1999:
405).
Scabbers‘ sickly appearance and frantic behaviour throughout the year
were what truly foreshadowed the revelation. According to Ron, Scabbers had
been sick around the time they were on a vacation to Egypt (1999: 63), coinciding
with the news of Sirius‘ escape from Azkaban, and throughout the year, with the
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threat of Sirius Black was looming over Hogwarts, its condition worsened. It also
behaved wildly as if something was after it. Often this was because of
Crookshanks that seemed to be obsessed over chasing Scabbers ever since the
check-up on the Magical Menagerie, but later it was revealed that Scabbers was
trying to catch the rat for Sirius and the reason for the rat‘s sickly appearance and
wild, fearful behaviour was that he knew Sirius would come after him for his
betrayal.
Peter‘s treachery and his clever trick to deceive the magical world of his
death were also foreshadowed by his animagus form. The rat in Prisoner of
Azkaban as discussed in the previous part of the analysis reflected the
aforementioned nature of Peter Pettigrew. Sirius ousted him as the true traitor,
revealing that he had been the true Secret Keeper (1999: 415) and the symbol of
rat in the novel stands for betrayal. It also stands for cowardice which Peter gave
away when begged Sirius and Lupin to spare him the moment his ruse was up and
to Ron, Hermione, and Harry when he failed (1999: 417). Lastly, the rat as a
symbol of cunning was reflected in Peter‘s trick of falsifying his death as
Scabbers in the second semester of the terms, which in turn foreshadowed the
clever ruse he had put up twelve years ago to frame Sirius for his betrayal to the
Potters so he could hide away safely.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
The novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling has
three important symbols that also doubles as the foreshadowing elements in its
plot: the first was the Grim-like black dog that was the animagus form of Sirius
Black stands as the symbol of loyalty, sorrow, and vengeance. The second was
Ron Weasley‘s pet rat Scabbers that turns out to be a wizard in disguise named
Peter Pettigrew which stands as the symbol of betrayal, cowardice, and cunning
trickery. The third was the dementors of Azkaban that stand as the symbol of
misery and despair.
As foreshadowing element, the aforementioned symbols were placed
throughout the exposition and rising action part of the novel as they cued the
readers in for the climax in the conflict of the novel, which was the confrontation
of Harry and his past.
The symbol of black dog was first appeared at the Magnolia Crescent
before the indirect introduction of Sirius Black during Harry‘s ride on the Knight
Bus and then appeared again during Harry‘s disastrous quidditch match against
Hufflepuff. In both cases, the appearance of this black dog was immediately
followed by a near-death accident, which led to assumption that the dog was a
Grim, an omen of death. However, a vague clue was given that the black dog may
not be a Grim when Harry inadvertently noticed that Crookshanks was able to see
the dog too, and this was proven when the dog attacked Ron and dragged him to
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the Shrieking Shack later.
Sirius then was revealed to be an animagus who could transform into the
black dog that had been haunting Harry throughout the year and this had been
foreshadowed by the first appearance of the black dog at Magnolia Crescent
where Harry saw the dog just before the character Sirius Black was indirectly
introduced to him as a convicted wizard and a supporter of Voldemort, Harry‘s
nemesis. However, it was revealed in the climax of the novel that Sirius Black was
not the traitor to Harry‘s parents and that he had escaped from Azkaban not to
hunt for Harry, but in pursuit of the true traitor, Peter Pettigrew. This was
foreshadowed by the black dog‘s attack on Ron, the owner of Scabbers, the
animagus form of Peter Pettigrew, which was reminiscent to the earlier scene of
the novel when Black attacked Ron in the Gryffindor common room. That the
black dog shares a resemblance to the Grim that was an omen of death also
foreshadowed Sirius‘ vengeful obsession to catch and kill Pettigrew and his
blaming himself for the death of his friend as the black colour of its fur
symbolizes sorrow and mourning.
The symbol of rat in the novel that was depicted with sickly appearance
and wild, fearful behaviour throughout the novel. It was first noted to have a
sickly appearance during Harry‘s summer at Hogsmeade with Ron stating that
Scabbers didn‘t like Egypt, which coincidentally was around the same time the
news of Sirius‘ escape from Azkaban was spread. The rat was depicted to behave
wildly and fearful as the year progressed. Often this was because Hermione‘s pet
cat Crookshanks seemed obsessed to catch it and later, it went missing in the
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beginning of the second semester, presumably eaten by said cat. However, it
turned up on Hagrid‘s hut later and its condition seemed to be worse than ever and
even more fearful, frantically tried to escape its owner Ron as if it did not
recognize its owner and something was after it.
Scabbers then was revealed to be Peter Pettigrew whom was long thought
to be dead, but turned out had been hiding all along as the rat, and his former
friends, Sirius and Lupin, exposed him as Voldemort‘s spy and traitor to the
Potters. This was foreshadowed by Scabbers sickly appearance and frantic
behaviour throughout the year as the reason for it was, as revealed by Sirius in the
climax, that Peter realized the reason Sirius escaped from Azkaban was to hunt
him down. Although it was first assumed because of Crookshanks, Harry recalled
that Scabbers had been sick before he met Crookshanks in the Magical Menagerie.
The black dog‘s attack on Ron, its owner, which was reminiscent to the scene
where Sirius was looming after Ron in his bed, seemingly was about to attack
him, also suggested this as well. Furthermore, Peter‘s treachery to the Potters and
his subsequent faking his death and framing Sirius for his action were
foreshadowed by the trick Scabbers pulled off to fake its death and framed
Crookshanks for it at the start of the terms‘ second semester.
Lastly, the dementors of Azkaban as the symbol of despair forced Harry to
relive the memory of his parents‘ death thrice. The first was during the train
inspection at the start of the terms, the second was during the first quidditch match
of the season between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and the third was during Harry‘s
anti-dementor lesson with Lupin against a pretending Boggart. These suggested
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that the conflict would have a relation to the night in Harry‘s past when his parents
were murdered by Voldemort as later revealed when Harry eavesdropped the
conversation between the minister and the staff of Hogwarts at Hogsmeade.
To summarize, the dementors as the symbol of fear foreshadowed that the
conflict of the novel would be a confrontation between Harry and his past through
the act of forcing him to relive the memory of his parents‘ death thrice, while the
symbol of black dog and rat foreshadowed the truth behind said past, that the
assumed antagonist of Sirius Black was innocent of the crime he was blamed for
and that Peter Pettigrew whom was long thought to die a hero was the one who
betrayed the Potters as a servant of Voldemort.
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