Review

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' is one of the most widely lauded books in the series despite its long size. It has great entertainment value and is known for some very interesting events in the entirety of the series.

Mohandas Alva

Article written by Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix‘ is the pinnacle of multiple plots coming together to converge into a singular and decently satisfactory climax. It is very interesting to see several characters in the book series get strong development, especially in this book. This includes the story arc of the prophecy and Harry’s endless connection with Voldemort, Neville’s sudden emergence of bravery and acceptance of his parents’ plight, and the Weasley Twins’ development from just the mischievous and playful duo to fully developed ingenious inventors and entrepreneurs.

The Struggle of the Self

The Struggle of the Self is one of the most essential elements that make this book stand out from its predecessors. The struggle of the self is but the constant molding of one’s own identity based on response to their own innate thoughts and the occurrences in their surroundings.

In Harry’s case, this struggle is the most complicated one. He is strangely connected to Voldemort, his mortal enemy, in his mind and can sometimes access random memories, experiences, and feelings of Voldemort. Furthermore, he is constantly made to relive his worst memories with constant reminders of his surroundings and frequent interactions with strange magical creatures like dementors and thestrals.

The Ministry of Magic is also frequently trying to make it difficult for him to be comfortable because of his claim about Voldemort’s return. His struggle is still complicated when one of his most important mentors and father figures, Albus Dumbledore, decides to stop talking to him entirely. However, despite his frustrations and complicated bouts of anger and sorrow resulting from both his own self and his connection with Voldemort, Harry triumphs and doesn’t let himself be lost to Voldemort’s cause when the latter tries to possess him.

Hermione herself undergoes an interesting change after the Quidditch World Cup in the previous book. She is shocked to know how house-elves are treated by wizards and are very adamant about making changes for the better. She creates her own organization called S.P.E.W after which she engages quite frequently in making house-elf rights a reality. Furthermore, she is also actively convincing Harry to lead them all into a proper training routine in the Defense Against the Dark Arts, something the interference of the Ministry has completely changed for them.

Ron is not devoid of these complications. Constantly a subject of his brothers’ jokes and growing under his overperforming elder brother’s shadows, he is in constant turmoil, trying to lead the way despite these difficulties. He somehow makes sense of his world and eventually figures out life, at least by the end of the series, if not in this book.

Neville Longbottom has a lot of struggles to face and eventually comes to terms with all of them. Primarily, he has been treated like a meek boy with no talent all his life, but when he realizes that the woman who tortured his parents has escaped Azkaban prison, he decides to become braver and try to learn as much magic as possible. He even faces her bravely at the Department of Mysteries and doesn’t hesitate to fight the death eaters when they threaten the well-being of his friends.

Another struggle that Neville faces difficulty in coming to terms with is that of letting his friends know that his parents are permanent residents of St Mungo’s Hospital and that they were tortured by some death eaters with the Cruciatus Curse. However, as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione meet him there with his parents, he has to accept the consequences and eventually accept for his own sake that it’s alright for his friends to know of his parents’ plight.

The Weasley brothers undergo a very complicated struggle to come to terms with their passion and interests. They have wanted to build a joke shop instead of completing their schooling, but constant reminders from their mother about how education is important to make it difficult for them to follow their passion.

However, when Umbridge takes control of the entire school and tries to manage the school according to her whims, they are driven strongly by the need to retaliate boldly and therefore end up permanently closing their opportunity to ever enter Hogwarts as students. However, they do end up living their dream in the next book, and it is revealed that they have become very successful owners of a sprawling joke shop called the Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Other characters in this book that are portrayed as undergoing a struggle with their selves include almost everybody else. Be it Severus Snape, a former death eater who now has to come to terms with the return of his master, Lord Voldemort, or Albus Dumbledore, who has to cease any conversation with his favorite pupil Harry Potter, due to the risk of letting Voldemort possess his mind. Therefore, this book is all about a constant struggle with the self to claim an identity that eventually triumphs over self-doubt and uncertainty.

FAQs

Who are the members of the Dumbledore’s Army?

Dumbledore’s Army is a group of Hogwarts students created to learn defensive magic, something that was denied in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Harry Potter is the leader and teacher of defensive spells at Dumbledore’s Army. Other members include Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, George and Fred Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, Luna Lovegood, Hannah Abbott, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, and many others.

Was Dolores Umbridge a death eater?

Despite being a very wicked and demanding witch who constantly made life difficult for Harry and his friends, Dolores Umbridge was never a death eater. She stayed very loyal to the ministry and the Minister of Magic himself. She, however, supported several death eaters indirectly in the story of ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and later supported them directly when they took over the ministry in later books.

How did Harry and Hermione escape Umbridge at the Forbidden Forest?

Harry and Hermione were both waiting for an appropriate moment to get rid of Umbridge when they took her to the Forbidden Forest under the guise of showing her Dumbledore’s supposed secret weapon. However, they got their chance when Grawp, Hagrid’s giant half-brother, showed up in the forest. It made the escape far easier when the centaurs too, arrived, and Umbridge insulted them, after which they forcibly took her captive.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review - A Pinnacle that Tackles the Struggle of the Self
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix Digital Art

Book Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Book Description: 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,' the series' longest book, is celebrated for its character development, setting the stage for pivotal future events.

Book Author: J. K. Rowling

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Bloomsbury Publishing

Date published: June 21, 2003

Illustrator: Mary GrandPré

ISBN: 978-0-7475-5565-4

Number Of Pages: 870

  • Story
  • Characters
  • Setting
  • Writing Style
  • Dialogue
  • Conclusion
  • Lasting Effect on the Reader
4.4

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest book ever written in the Harry Potter series but remains one of the most interesting and entertaining books in the series too. It has a lot of interesting characters, plot lines, and incidents. However, it is most popular for how well it focuses on the development of its characters. Almost every character in this book undergoes significant change and prepares themselves for the rest of the series which is meant to be loaded with very interesting and polarizing events.

Pros

  • It is a very interesting book that ties several different tropes into one standard plot trajectory.
  • It consists of several new details and characters that make the magical world all the more interesting to read about and engage with.
  • It is filled with several life lessons that a careful reader could easily learn a lot from, especially the tropes that show how well the characters develop from their childhood to an emerging adulthood.

Cons

  • It is the longest ever Harry Potter book, making it very time consuming to read.
  • It is not always very accurate in continuity and skips several existent canon points to adjust itself to the new developments.
  • It is mostly restricted to events at Hogwarts like exams and new school rules, without anything interesting like its predecessor, where there was a tournament.
/28

Harry Potter Quiz

Summon your wit and wisdom—our Harry Potter Trivia Quiz awaits you! Do you have the knowledge to claim the title of Master Witch or Wizard? Take the challenge now!

1) Which spell is used to open the Marauder's Map?

2) What was the last Horcrux to be destroyed?

3) What does the incantation "Obliviate" do?

4) What is the name of the goblin-made object that is supposed to bring its owner prosperity, but also brings them into conflict with goblins?

5) Who was the Peverell brother that owned the invisibility cloak?

6) Who originally owned the Elder Wand before Dumbledore won it?

7) What animal represents Hufflepuff house?

8) What is the effect of the Cheering Charm?

9) In the "Order of the Phoenix," who is NOT a member of the original Order of the Phoenix shown in the old photograph that Moody shows Harry?

10) What is the core ingredient of the wand owned by Harry Potter?

11) Which creature can transform into a person's worst fear?

12) What is the name of the book Hermione gives to Harry before his first ever Quidditch match?

13) What specific type of dragon does Harry face during the Triwizard Tournament?

14) What is Dumbledore's full name?

15) What potion is known as "Liquid Luck"?

16) Who is the Half-Blood Prince?

17) What is the name of the train that takes students to Hogwarts?

18) In which Harry Potter book does Harry first speak Parseltongue?

19) What is the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?

20) What is the name of the goblin who helps Harry, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringotts?

21) What creature is Aragog?

22) Which object is NOT one of the Deathly Hallows?

23) Which potion did Hermione brew in her second year that allowed her, Ron, and Harry to assume the identities of Slytherins?

24) What are the dying words of Severus Snape in both the book and the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?

25) Who teaches Herbology at Hogwarts?

26) What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take?

27) Which character is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts?

28) What does the Mirror of Erised show?

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Mohandas Alva

About Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

Mohandas is very passionate about deciphering the nature of language and its role as a sole medium of storytelling in literature. His interests sometimes digress from literature to philosophy and the sciences but eventually, the art and craft of narrating a significant story never fail to thrill him.

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