By Jordan Glunt
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire begins with a haunted house and a murder, which a 14-year-old boy sees in his dreams. For Harry Potter and its titular character, these markers of danger are characteristic of practically every step of his life thus far; however, the particularities of the threats and the significance of how they are presented by the text are indicative of how story elements such as genre shift to accomodate and strengthen the developments happening both around and to Harry.
The genre that is instantly cued by details such as strange visions and mysterious death is undoubtedly Gothic. Harry Potter as a series loosely borrows aesthetics and traits of the Gothic often, such as an ancient castle as a primary setting and near-constant supernatural and paranormal happenings. While these scratch the surface of what the Gothic genre looks like, these mere visuals alone do not call up implications of the Gothic - that is, until Goblet's opening changes things. After the reader receives a glimpse into the foreboding Riddle House and the murderous activities occuring inside, Harry reveals that he has dreamt this, albeit vaguely:
"And who had the old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Harry had watched him fall to the ground. It was all becoming confused. Harry put his face into his hands, blocking out his bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as he tried to hold on to them...Voldemort and Wormtail had been talking about someone they killed, though Harry could not remember the name...and they had plotting to kill someone else...him" (Rowling 17).
A common characteristic of Gothic fiction is entrapment of some kind - mental, physical, or otherwise. In this case, it is both. This is due to the layering of narrative that occurs at the beginning of the book, which ultimately sets up both Harry's inner world and the outside forces he must contend with over the course of the story. In the same way that the Riddle House is a literal trap for the unfortunate house caretaker, Frank, it is also a space of mental entrapment for Harry, one that keeps him in fear's grasp, as well as frustratingly evades his memory. A reason why entrapment is crucial to Gothic storytelling is because the typical Gothic protaganist is young, vulnerable, and being preyed upon in some way; therefore, that character also faces entrapment from their own lack of strength and maturity to overcome their circumstances, which they would ideally accomplish in order to take back power. This mimics coming-of-age experiences in real life, in which young teenagers take on the seemingly impossible task of working through their inabilities in order to mature and be freed of their weaknesses.
Visions are another key detail in the Gothic genre, which usually cause the character experiencing the vision to feel simultaneously misunderstood by the thing only they can see and called to action by something only they can do. This dichotomy mimics reality, as it is a pubescent struggle to realize oneself and the surrounding world, despite feelings of inadequacy. As the story progresses, Harry must grapple with the weight of this dream on top of tangible and deeply personal stressors, from the Triwizard Tournament to the horrors of asking a girl on a date. While the latter two are not entirely unique to Harry, the vision of Voldemort serves a dual purpose: it prepares Harry for Voldemort's impending attempt at rebirth and proves to himself that becoming a young adult - and stepping into the role of the Chosen One - requires an acceptance of his singularity, as well as a realization that his same-aged peers are also battling confusions in their inner worlds.
Goblet proves that maturation is not a mere sudden gathering of strength; even Harry, a powerful wizard with an uncommonly high number of life experiences for his age, is brought down to his lowest point of capability before he can step further into maturity. Perhaps this is because maturity is not just an exercise of capability, but rather a realization of one's position in the larger world, followed by a gradual understanding of how that should be navigated. The Gothic genre relies on this push and pull between power and weakness in many ways, as its characters must overcome or succumb to the forces beyond their control. Therefore, the notable Gothic concepts that frame this leg of Harry's journey force Harry to reflect inward and recognize what he lacks before he can move forward into a role of increased responsibility. Regardless of where he falls in the arc of maturity, there is so much Harry is not equipped to handle as part of the looming war between good and evil. The goal of his leap into maturity and the Gothic elements that catalyze it is not to eventually deem him "mature enough" to successfully shoulder this responsibility on his own. Instead, Harry is caged by nightmares so that he knows where to turn to when day breaks.
Works Cited
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Bloomsbury, Scholastic Inc., 2000.