Finding Yourself Within
Chamber of Secrets is largely characterized by Harry’s struggle to find his true identity. As if being told he was a wizard a year ago wasn’t enough to deal with, Harry gets another ball thrown at him: Could he possibly be the heir of Slytherin? Was he meant to be wearing silver and green, not red and gold? What exactly makes a person who they are, and who they aren’t? Especially after learning that nearly all Parselmouths are descendents of Salazar Slytherin, Harry seriously begins to question his place in Gryffindor. He begins to think that maybe he’s not as honorable as everyone thinks he is.
Diary-Riddle even points out the similarities between him and Harry that Harry has been too afraid to admit himself: both half-bloods, both orphans raised by Muggles, both Parseltongues. It’s not until his conversation with Dumbledore at the end of the book that Harry begins to understand the crucial difference between him and Voldemort: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities,” Dumbledore says.
It’s because Harry chose to be in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin that defines who he is, not the fact that —yes— Harry probably does have the capacity to become a dark wizard, just like anyone does. Just because a person is able to do something doesn’t mean it becomes a part of who they are. There is both good and evil inside every human being. Everyone has the ability to lie, to deceive, to steal, to kill — but it’s choosing whether or not to act on those abilities which defines human character.
Not Asking Enough Questions
Another theme evident in The Chamber of Secrets is the danger of passively consuming information. Believing, listening, and acting without asking questions. This may not be a problem if everyone in the world had good intentions. But, as it is, people and things are always subjective; and often have ulterior motives. Tom Riddle’s Diary is the perfect example of information with its own agenda: a part of Voldemort looking for someone to feed off, in order to lead another in his footsteps and finish Salazar Slytherin’s goal of preserving only purebloods.
Without questioning the diary’s motives, Ginny puts her confidence and trust into it. She believes the author has true intentions to be her friend, and console her woes about her family and about Harry. Meanwhile, Riddle gains strength and pours his soul back into hers. But by confiding in the alluring diary-Riddle, Ginny inadvertently leads to the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Of course, this is not to say that it is all Ginny’s fault.
Rather, it is not her fault, and that is danger: anyone can be misled by false information. Like Mr. Weasley said after Ginny was rescued, “Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain!” Anything in our non-Wizarding community could refer not to evil diaries, but to the news, public figures, or the internet.
