Dangers of Dwelling on Dreams

The Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone poignantly establishes a defining trait within Harry, one that surfaces in all of us as emotional beings: seeking what we have lost or what we will never have. However, this sort of longing is risky. Dumbledore articulates the dangers of dwelling on desires after he catches Harry tiptoeing to the Mirror of Erised a second time: “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”. One of the most moving quotations in the series.

Refraining from dwelling on such desires becomes especially important in the finale of the series, when Harry chooses Horcruxes over Hallows, essentially choosing to destroy Voldemort and rid the Wizarding world of evil over bringing back the loved ones he has lost. This decision in Deathly Hallows is surely influenced by the very conversation between young Harry and Dumbledore in front of the Mirror of Erised in Sorcerer’s Stone; only by resisting his desire to bring back his dead parents via the Resurrection Stone is Harry able to have the power to ultimately defeat Lord Voldemort.

This brings up another important question brought up by Dumbledore: does a person become much more powerful when he has rid himself of desires? Well, is it even feasible to become free of personal desires, no matter how impossible they are? Dumbledore himself is not even that powerful of a man. Even though he tells Harry that he sees a warm pair of socks when he looks into the Mirror of Erised, it is the simplicity of wanting a pair of socks that leads us to believe that Dumbledore desires something more than what he has.

To be a normal wizard, perhaps — which of course can never happen. “Another Christmas has gone by and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books,” he says. At that moment in time, all Dumbledore wants is to be a simple man. Obviously, we all have our desires — but what’s important is to keep them in check, and not let them consume us. A man free of desires is not a man at all, but a man full of desires who masters them is the most powerful man in the world.

Mortality vs. Immortality and the Human Condition

The Sorcerer’s Stone also stitches together the theme of mortality versus immorality, which runs throughout the entire series. Voldemort is the ultimate example of the weakness of the human condition: avoiding death at the expense of innocent human life. The first major instance of Voldemort’s ruthlessness is how our story begins: Voldemort sets out to kill Harry, an innocent baby, and ends up murdering Harry’s defenseless parents in the process.

Ten years later, Voldemort possesses the body of another man-—Professor Quirrell-—and ends up leaving him to die, all in the desire to acquire the Sorcerer’s Stone that will make him immortal. Voldemort is fueled by a fear of mortality, a loss of control. He accumulates as much power and followers as possible simply to gain control and avoid death. On the other hand, Harry represents a triumph of the human condition. In the climax of the story, he faces Voldemort/Quirrell knowing that there is a high possibility of death, all in hopes of keeping the Sorcerer’s Stone away from evil.

One of the most crucial traits of Harry is established in this book: he does not live by fear of death. He, unlike many, is fueled instead by love — the love of his parents who died for him, which is what ultimately allows him to defeat Voldemort.

Voldemort’s search for immortality prior and up to his search for the Sorcerer’s Stone also brings up an important relationship between death, virtue, and corruption. Following his quest for immortality, Voldemort, in his body-less state, drinks Unicorn blood to stay alive. However, as Firenze explains to Harry in the forest, this comes at a price: “You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life.”

Well, we think it suitable for Voldemort’s punishment to be a cursed life, since he is such a wretched…thing. But what about an innocent person who drinks unicorn blood to stay alive? Well, too bad. It seems that no matter the reason, the person who drinks the blood of such an innocent animal will nevertheless be cursed. In a broader sense, the person who seeks to avoid death at the expense of others will become corrupt, while only the person who can face death and accept it, like Harry, can find true virtue.