Magisterská diplomová práce
BC. BLANKA KOHOUTOVÁ
Brno 2022
FILOZOFICKÁ FAKULTA
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Regime: A
Study of Dystopian and
Totalitarian Themes in
the Final Three Harry
Potter Volumes
Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies
Program Anglický jazyk a literatura
AN ANALYSIS OF HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, HARRY POTTER AND
THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, AND HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
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5.7 Permanent War
Sigmund Neumann maintains that society in totalitarian states is usually viewed as
permanently at war, which may be a result of the great wars of the past (Neumann,
Permanent Revolution 231–32). In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Cornelius
Fudge refuses to acknowledge the return of Lord Voldemort, and consequently does
not wage war on him. Instead, another permanent war can be observed in the fifth
Harry Potter volume: the war against the Muggles. It is mentioned that in the past, during
witch hunts, Muggles tried to eradicate wizards by burning them at the stake. However,
on the rare occasion that the witch hunters did catch a real witch or a wizard, he
or she would simply perform a Flame-Freezing Charm and “then pretend to shriek with
pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation” (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban 2). However, as stated previously in this thesis, the Ministry of Magic
decreed that it would be safer still to isolate magic users from Muggles (Rowling, Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows 23) to make Muggles, one day, view wizards merely as
creatures from legends and fairy tales.
This decree caused wizards to form their own social circles in Muggle Britain, as,
for example, the village of Hogsmeade inhabited by wizards alone (Rowling, Harry Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkaban 14). In other cases, Wizarding families concentrated on
living close to each other among Muggles, as, for example, in the village of Godric’s Hollow,
which is said to be a “home to a number of Wizarding families” (Rowling, Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows 217). In totalitarian states, the political leader often
AN ANALYSIS OF HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, HARRY POTTER AND
THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, AND HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
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controls his people easily by stressing the danger of outside enemies (Neumann, Permanent
Revolution 230). Indeed, as the Ministry emphasizes the threat the Muggles
might pose, wizards hide their existence without questioning and longing for contact
with non-magical people. Thus, with its separation from the outside and unknown, J.
K. Rowling’s Wizarding world fits a description of a totalitarian state quite well.
It is also known to wizards that in case of a serious breach of rules set by the Ministry,
they might get sent to the feared Azkaban. It is safer for wizards to obey the Ministry’s
rules, as the Wizarding system of justice is anything but unflawed. Numerous
wizards, such as Rubeus Hagrid (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 276)
or Sirius Black (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 359), get send to
Azkaban despite their innocence. Even the hearings of the accused may be compromised,
as seen in Harry Potter’s trial, which has the time and place changed at the last
moment to prevent Albus Dumbledore from attending (Rowling, Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix 139). Even at Hogwarts itself, it is common to receive serious and
life-threatening punishment for stepping out of the line (Rowling, Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone 261), such as going into the dangerous Forbidden Forrest at night
(267). All of these severe punishments and strict rules of the Wizarding law can be,
however, justified by the government by maintaining the order must be kept because
of the ongoing danger from Muggles.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Wizarding community finds itself at
war with the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort once again. In a desperate attempt to seem