Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

When worn, the Sorting Hat can see into the wearer’s thoughts, allowing the Hat to sort individuals into Hogwarts’s four houses. The Hat thus executes some magical preservation of the founders’ intent. In this book, as Harry reflects on the Sorting Hat’s near-decision to place him in Slytherin, he later takes the opportunity to put the Hat back on when he is alone in Dumbledore’s office, with the same result. Harry’s frustration with the Hat reflects his concern that some kind of fate dictates his identity and outcomes rather than allowing room for choice. When Fawkes brings the Hat to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry’s plea for help is answered with the appearance of the Sword of Gryffindor, a symbol of bravery and validation of Harry’s placement in Gryffindor. The implication is that the Sorting Hat sees possibilities for each individual, but the individual can then choose which possibilities to realize.

Ghosts feature more prominently in this novel than perhaps any other in the Harry Potter series. Prominent scenes include Nick’s deathday party, Binns’s explanation of the Chamber of Secrets, and Myrtle’s revelation as a victim of the basilisk. Many of the scenes play out as humorous inversions of what it means to live; the deathday party features unpleasant music and rotten food, for instance, with Nick pining after membership in a club for headless ghosts, while Myrtle complains of people “ruining [her] death” (156). Rather than presenting a heavy commentary on death or an imagined afterlife, Rowling uses these ghosts and their petty concerns to question whether those who spend their lives worrying over similar concerns live life to the fullest.

Throughout the novel, the color green is strongly associated with Slytherin and dark magic. Significant appearances include the lighting of the Slytherin common room, the “odd, greenish gloom” (306) of the Chamber of Secrets itself, and the “poisonous green” of the basilisk’s skin. Traditionally associated with envy, the color green can also be linked to slime, rot, and mold, suggestive of the decadence of wizarding families, like the Malfoys, who cling to old prejudices to protect their status and influence.