Harry Potter is famous for it’s whimsical world and it’s colourful characters, but Rowling was by no means the first author to employ such a writing style. Before we had Hogwarts or Privet Drive, there was Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, a giant peach, and a hotel which hosted a nasty High Witch and her cronies. In reading both Dahl’s books and the Harry Potter books, particularly the earlier volumes, similarities emerge. Whether this be in the world itself, the characters, or a tone that shifts between magical and gritty, the work of Roald Dahl and the Harry Potter series share several traits.
The most obvious similarity lies in the way characters are handled. In the first book, Vernon is described as having too much neck, and Petunia too little. Hagrid has hands the size of “dust bins,” and Dumbledore, with his half moon spectacles, vivid robes, silvery beard, and a supposed map on his leg, is especially memorable. The features of the world’s characters are hard to forget; while some have accused them of being caricatures, such exaggeration made the characters pop. In the Philosopher’s Stone especially, the descriptions feel as if they’ve been lifted from a new Roald Dahl book.
Roald Dahl had the Witches, women with square feet and a purple glint in their eyes who could be anybody—until they remove their wigs and masks to reveal the hideous visages beneath. Their heads always itch from the wigs, and they sniff the air in disgust when children are near. There are other colourful characters, including a giant who’s huge, but a runt among his own people (which is similar to the situation faced by Grawp); the formidable Ms. Trunchbull, who’s large and needs serious fashion advice; and Willy Wonka, who’s delightful and psychotic at turns. Both the physical descriptions and the personalities of the characters are exaggerated, and as such each character, whether big or small, is unforgettable.
2) Abusive Parental Figures
Exaggerated descriptions aren’t the only reason Philosopher’s Stone feels like a Roald Dahl book. Many of Dahl’s books feature one motif: people who have no business raising children who subsequently treat said children badly. James and the Giant Peach features one of the closest parallels, given that James is abused by not one aunt, but two. Matilda also features this relationship dynamic, though in her case it’s her own parents who are unkind to her. Matilda’s parents are as Dursley-ish as anyone can be: the father makes a living as a salesman, a job that’s middle class but nevertheless seedy; the mother is more interested in appearances than in raising good children; the family keeps up with the Jones’s by watching mindless television and purchasing modern gadgets; and Matilda’s brother is spoiled, doomed to become exactly like his parents.
Other kids in the Roald Dahl universe are also treated badly, whether through malice or poverty, and yet retain their innocence.
The story of a boy abused by his aunt and uncle, forced to live in a cupboard, and never given as much to eat as he would like, is consequently familiar. Facing constant verbal abuse and having to avoid physical blows, Harry contends with circumstances which belong in the realm of a Roald Dahl book. The Dursleys are terrible caregivers, and would get on famously with Aunts Spiker and Sponge.
3) Unsupervised Children
If children aren’t being actively abused, they’re being completely ignored. Matilda is not exactly harmed by her parents, but they seem to have no problem with her walking to and from the library by herself. Children in Roald Dahl go everywhere without adult supervision…and even in situations where someone older is accompanying them, said adult is often unstable or seemingly unconcerned about the safety of the child in their charge.
As a consequence of this neglect, children are turned into mice, kidnapped by giants, and subjected to at least four different dangers in Wonka’s factory. Even if the child escapes some of the grislier fates available, they usually end up being the heroes of the story, becoming leaders of whatever group they’re in or otherwise doing the heavy lifting. They take on the responsibilities of adults, venturing into dangerous environments and fighting other adults who want to kill them.
Harry Potter and his friends are no exception. They travel down corridors and into the grounds unsupervised. It’s not difficult for them to slip away, even when they are supposed to be with an older person; before gaining the invisibility cloak, Harry and Ron have no problem ducking out from the Gryffindors to tackle a mountain troll. They’re easily missed when they stumble upon the Third Floor corridor, and Hagrid feels comfortable sending Harry and Malfoy alone, without any adult supervision, into the Forbidden Forest. There are deadly spiders, creatures that are werewolves but not quite, and angry centaurs in the forest—to say nothing of the monster which can overpower unicorns and suck their blood. Despite the fatalities, and the presence of deadly animals, Hogwarts considers it logical to send two eleven year old boys into the woods without company.
4) Non Child Proof Environments
The lack of concern for unsupervised children lends itself to the danger of the environments they’re placed in. Willy Wonka’s factory is the most infamous example in Roald’s world. While children might be kidnapped by witches or tasked with piloting a flying peach, these dangers still seem tame when placed next to the fates faced by children in the factory. Yes, the kids who get into trouble broke the rules…but why was it so easy for them to place themselves in potentially fatal situations? Kids make bad choices. The responsible parent knows to put the cutlery out of reach so the toddler can’t jab a fork into the electrical outlet.
Willy Wonka waves the fork in the child’s face and says, “Don’t,” with a smile. The book never goes into graphic detail, but there’s an implication each kid could face, if not death, a painful situation.
Even in the classroom setting, Hogwarts is dangerous. Students have to fight magical creatures, brew potions of Living Death, and duel each other. Hagrid’s Blast Ended Screwts are one of the more infamous examples of bad safety regulations, given the creatures can bite, sting, and burn people. The Screwts also kill and eat each other, and Madam Pomfrey was likely becoming exasperated with the number of students coming in from Hagrid’s classes with injuries—in fact, she was probably exasperated with the number of cases she received from all classes.
Many kids also lack common sense, particularly at the age of eleven. It’s not hard for children to wander off into deadly situations. If a kid doesn’t get himself killed in Potions drinking a vial of Living Death on a dare, his next best bet to die is to go into the Forbidden Forest. Any kid on his break can enter; they’re not allowed to, but as the Weasley Twins remind us, students are perfectly capable of breaking rules. There’s also the Third Floor, the Chamber of Secrets…the list of deadly places goes on, to say nothing of how many students would fall off the moving staircases.
5) Whimsical, but Dark
Harry Potter, for the most part, is lighthearted. The Roald Dahl books are whimsical, fun, and full of magic. Both Dahl’s books and Rowling’s series are charming…but both also have the same undercurrent of darkness.
Harry Potter features descriptions of snow ball fights, fizzing whizbees, garden Gnomes, and Quidditch. The Minister for Magic has a lime green bowler which he twirls in his hands when he’s nervous. The school’s headmaster eats a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean which is, alas, flavoured like earwax.
This same fun series also features descriptions of horrific treatment of prisoners in Azkaban, murder, snakes being nailed to doors, unicorns bleeding out, children being turned into ghosts, and no shortage of people who could really have more to eat. Poor “Snuffles,” as he’s called, is living on rats! One only has to say the word “Dementor” to indicate the series’ darker side. People have their souls sucked out, effectively turning them into vegetables, and this is a punishment sanctioned by that same Minister in his cheerful lime bowler. People are also tossed into Azkaban with little more proof than “he might be guilty, so we have to take precautions!” Neither Hagrid or Sirius are given a proper trial.
The Roald Dahl books involve flying peaches, chocolate rivers, friendly giants, and little girls who can manipulate the environment by thinking about it.
These same books involve children nearly starving to death, being abused by parental figures, and almost murdered by creatures which are downright terrifying. There were likely no shortage of children who had nightmares after meeting the leader of the Witches for the first time. The opening of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is also just…depressing, with Charlie being so hungry he doesn’t even have the energy to play. You can tell the kid has had a hard life just by looking at him.
In otherwise whimsical worlds, the characters of both Dahl’s books and the Wizarding World face some stark realities. People get hurt. People go hungry…and sometimes people die. The contrast inherent to both worlds is startling, but possibly necessary. The world can be a beautiful place…but it isn’t perfect, and there’s danger if one is not careful.
6) Dead Parents
To be fair, this is a trope which comes up in many narratives, but what unites the Roald Dahl books with the Harry Potter series in this regard is the earliness of these deaths…and their bizarre natures.
Sophie, the protagonist of the BFG, starts out in an orphanage; in The Witches, the protagonist is raised by his grandmother; and in James and the Giant Peach, James’s parents are killed by a…rhino. This is one of the stranger deaths, and it’s sudden.
Harry never knows his parents, James or Lily. Like the kids in Roald Dahl’s world, he is instead left to the care of unloving relatives or adults who are otherwise irresponsible. While he seems unaffected at first, there’s no doubt he wishes his life could have turned out differently.
The fact so many kids end up orphaned in these stories likely has to do with the fact that adversity equals conflict, and conflict equals a page turner. All of these protagonists were thrust into the real world at an early age and forced to adapt; if they had been allowed to keep their loving parents, they would have had help and therefore would not have had to confront many of their problems on their own.
Both the works of Roald Dahl and the Harry Potter series have become children’s classics, beloved to the degree that even adults read them. They continue to entertain people in the same way, offering worlds which are zany, but nevertheless dotted with danger and pain for the equally zany characters. There’s magic, but great danger. Children are introduced to enchanting worlds…but also mortal danger. Parental figures, and responsible adults, are absent, leaving children to face the world’s dangers on their own. Bearing all of these similarities in mind, one has to wonder if the world of Harry Potter took some inspiration from the works of Roald Dahl.
What similarities have you noticed? Are there other books you’ve read which you believe were inspired by the works of others? Share your thoughts.
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My favourite character growing up was easily Hermione. While I’ve since come to identify with other characters too, Hermione continues to remain one of the characters I most relate to. The most obvious commonality is Read more…
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6 Parallels Between Harry Potter & Roald Dahl: Was Rowling Inspired by the Willy Wonka Author?
Published by rnblundell on
Harry Potter is famous for it’s whimsical world and it’s colourful characters, but Rowling was by no means the first author to employ such a writing style. Before we had Hogwarts or Privet Drive, there was Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, a giant peach, and a hotel which hosted a nasty High Witch and her cronies. In reading both Dahl’s books and the Harry Potter books, particularly the earlier volumes, similarities emerge. Whether this be in the world itself, the characters, or a tone that shifts between magical and gritty, the work of Roald Dahl and the Harry Potter series share several traits.
Video version available:
https://youtu.be/SS_-Y4826b0
1) Characters or Caricatures?
The most obvious similarity lies in the way characters are handled. In the first book, Vernon is described as having too much neck, and Petunia too little. Hagrid has hands the size of “dust bins,” and Dumbledore, with his half moon spectacles, vivid robes, silvery beard, and a supposed map on his leg, is especially memorable. The features of the world’s characters are hard to forget; while some have accused them of being caricatures, such exaggeration made the characters pop. In the Philosopher’s Stone especially, the descriptions feel as if they’ve been lifted from a new Roald Dahl book.
Roald Dahl had the Witches, women with square feet and a purple glint in their eyes who could be anybody—until they remove their wigs and masks to reveal the hideous visages beneath. Their heads always itch from the wigs, and they sniff the air in disgust when children are near. There are other colourful characters, including a giant who’s huge, but a runt among his own people (which is similar to the situation faced by Grawp); the formidable Ms. Trunchbull, who’s large and needs serious fashion advice; and Willy Wonka, who’s delightful and psychotic at turns. Both the physical descriptions and the personalities of the characters are exaggerated, and as such each character, whether big or small, is unforgettable.
2) Abusive Parental Figures
Exaggerated descriptions aren’t the only reason Philosopher’s Stone feels like a Roald Dahl book. Many of Dahl’s books feature one motif: people who have no business raising children who subsequently treat said children badly. James and the Giant Peach features one of the closest parallels, given that James is abused by not one aunt, but two. Matilda also features this relationship dynamic, though in her case it’s her own parents who are unkind to her. Matilda’s parents are as Dursley-ish as anyone can be: the father makes a living as a salesman, a job that’s middle class but nevertheless seedy; the mother is more interested in appearances than in raising good children; the family keeps up with the Jones’s by watching mindless television and purchasing modern gadgets; and Matilda’s brother is spoiled, doomed to become exactly like his parents.
Other kids in the Roald Dahl universe are also treated badly, whether through malice or poverty, and yet retain their innocence.
The story of a boy abused by his aunt and uncle, forced to live in a cupboard, and never given as much to eat as he would like, is consequently familiar. Facing constant verbal abuse and having to avoid physical blows, Harry contends with circumstances which belong in the realm of a Roald Dahl book. The Dursleys are terrible caregivers, and would get on famously with Aunts Spiker and Sponge.
3) Unsupervised Children
If children aren’t being actively abused, they’re being completely ignored. Matilda is not exactly harmed by her parents, but they seem to have no problem with her walking to and from the library by herself. Children in Roald Dahl go everywhere without adult supervision…and even in situations where someone older is accompanying them, said adult is often unstable or seemingly unconcerned about the safety of the child in their charge.
As a consequence of this neglect, children are turned into mice, kidnapped by giants, and subjected to at least four different dangers in Wonka’s factory. Even if the child escapes some of the grislier fates available, they usually end up being the heroes of the story, becoming leaders of whatever group they’re in or otherwise doing the heavy lifting. They take on the responsibilities of adults, venturing into dangerous environments and fighting other adults who want to kill them.
Harry Potter and his friends are no exception. They travel down corridors and into the grounds unsupervised. It’s not difficult for them to slip away, even when they are supposed to be with an older person; before gaining the invisibility cloak, Harry and Ron have no problem ducking out from the Gryffindors to tackle a mountain troll. They’re easily missed when they stumble upon the Third Floor corridor, and Hagrid feels comfortable sending Harry and Malfoy alone, without any adult supervision, into the Forbidden Forest. There are deadly spiders, creatures that are werewolves but not quite, and angry centaurs in the forest—to say nothing of the monster which can overpower unicorns and suck their blood. Despite the fatalities, and the presence of deadly animals, Hogwarts considers it logical to send two eleven year old boys into the woods without company.
4) Non Child Proof Environments
The lack of concern for unsupervised children lends itself to the danger of the environments they’re placed in. Willy Wonka’s factory is the most infamous example in Roald’s world. While children might be kidnapped by witches or tasked with piloting a flying peach, these dangers still seem tame when placed next to the fates faced by children in the factory. Yes, the kids who get into trouble broke the rules…but why was it so easy for them to place themselves in potentially fatal situations? Kids make bad choices. The responsible parent knows to put the cutlery out of reach so the toddler can’t jab a fork into the electrical outlet.
Willy Wonka waves the fork in the child’s face and says, “Don’t,” with a smile. The book never goes into graphic detail, but there’s an implication each kid could face, if not death, a painful situation.
Even in the classroom setting, Hogwarts is dangerous. Students have to fight magical creatures, brew potions of Living Death, and duel each other. Hagrid’s Blast Ended Screwts are one of the more infamous examples of bad safety regulations, given the creatures can bite, sting, and burn people. The Screwts also kill and eat each other, and Madam Pomfrey was likely becoming exasperated with the number of students coming in from Hagrid’s classes with injuries—in fact, she was probably exasperated with the number of cases she received from all classes.
Many kids also lack common sense, particularly at the age of eleven. It’s not hard for children to wander off into deadly situations. If a kid doesn’t get himself killed in Potions drinking a vial of Living Death on a dare, his next best bet to die is to go into the Forbidden Forest. Any kid on his break can enter; they’re not allowed to, but as the Weasley Twins remind us, students are perfectly capable of breaking rules. There’s also the Third Floor, the Chamber of Secrets…the list of deadly places goes on, to say nothing of how many students would fall off the moving staircases.
5) Whimsical, but Dark
Harry Potter, for the most part, is lighthearted. The Roald Dahl books are whimsical, fun, and full of magic. Both Dahl’s books and Rowling’s series are charming…but both also have the same undercurrent of darkness.
Harry Potter features descriptions of snow ball fights, fizzing whizbees, garden Gnomes, and Quidditch. The Minister for Magic has a lime green bowler which he twirls in his hands when he’s nervous. The school’s headmaster eats a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean which is, alas, flavoured like earwax.
This same fun series also features descriptions of horrific treatment of prisoners in Azkaban, murder, snakes being nailed to doors, unicorns bleeding out, children being turned into ghosts, and no shortage of people who could really have more to eat. Poor “Snuffles,” as he’s called, is living on rats! One only has to say the word “Dementor” to indicate the series’ darker side. People have their souls sucked out, effectively turning them into vegetables, and this is a punishment sanctioned by that same Minister in his cheerful lime bowler. People are also tossed into Azkaban with little more proof than “he might be guilty, so we have to take precautions!” Neither Hagrid or Sirius are given a proper trial.
The Roald Dahl books involve flying peaches, chocolate rivers, friendly giants, and little girls who can manipulate the environment by thinking about it.
These same books involve children nearly starving to death, being abused by parental figures, and almost murdered by creatures which are downright terrifying. There were likely no shortage of children who had nightmares after meeting the leader of the Witches for the first time. The opening of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is also just…depressing, with Charlie being so hungry he doesn’t even have the energy to play. You can tell the kid has had a hard life just by looking at him.
In otherwise whimsical worlds, the characters of both Dahl’s books and the Wizarding World face some stark realities. People get hurt. People go hungry…and sometimes people die. The contrast inherent to both worlds is startling, but possibly necessary. The world can be a beautiful place…but it isn’t perfect, and there’s danger if one is not careful.
6) Dead Parents
To be fair, this is a trope which comes up in many narratives, but what unites the Roald Dahl books with the Harry Potter series in this regard is the earliness of these deaths…and their bizarre natures.
Sophie, the protagonist of the BFG, starts out in an orphanage; in The Witches, the protagonist is raised by his grandmother; and in James and the Giant Peach, James’s parents are killed by a…rhino. This is one of the stranger deaths, and it’s sudden.
Harry never knows his parents, James or Lily. Like the kids in Roald Dahl’s world, he is instead left to the care of unloving relatives or adults who are otherwise irresponsible. While he seems unaffected at first, there’s no doubt he wishes his life could have turned out differently.
The fact so many kids end up orphaned in these stories likely has to do with the fact that adversity equals conflict, and conflict equals a page turner. All of these protagonists were thrust into the real world at an early age and forced to adapt; if they had been allowed to keep their loving parents, they would have had help and therefore would not have had to confront many of their problems on their own.
Both the works of Roald Dahl and the Harry Potter series have become children’s classics, beloved to the degree that even adults read them. They continue to entertain people in the same way, offering worlds which are zany, but nevertheless dotted with danger and pain for the equally zany characters. There’s magic, but great danger. Children are introduced to enchanting worlds…but also mortal danger. Parental figures, and responsible adults, are absent, leaving children to face the world’s dangers on their own. Bearing all of these similarities in mind, one has to wonder if the world of Harry Potter took some inspiration from the works of Roald Dahl.
What similarities have you noticed? Are there other books you’ve read which you believe were inspired by the works of others? Share your thoughts.
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