Harry Potter--Heroics Comes With Sacrifice

In Harry Potter, I think that Harry is definitely the overall hero.  I know that he’s the main character, and it’s to be expected and all, but there are reasons.  Dumbledore and Snape helped him accomplish his goals, but then so did Ron, Hermione, Neville, Sirius, Lupin, Kingsley, Fred, George, the rest of the Weasleys, and really all of the rest of the characters.  If that’s how you judge a hero, then every single one of them is the main hero.  I think its their actions, not how they help the main character that makes heroism.

Harry came from the worst situation of all of them.  He had no parents, no family, no love, and a lot of enemies.  Dumbledore had a family, and was liked.  Snape was not liked, but he had a family and some friends.  Harry had more reason to hate his enemies than either of them did.  Harry and Dudley hated each other for years and years.  But when the time came, he saved him from the dementors.  He could have left him there, let his soul be sucked out.  Dudley had never done anything to anything to Harry but make his life miserable.  However, Harry pushed aside all those years of torture to save him. 

And then there’s Malfoy.  They hated each other from the first moment.  They dueled several times over the books.  Harry accused him of being a Death Eater, and Malfoy did his best to get Harry expelled.  But after all of that, when Harry had suffered so much at Malfoy’s hands, even when Malfoy didn’t thank him for it, and repaid him for it by trying to rejoin the Death Eaters, Harry saved his life in the fire.  It was unexpected.  Even Ron said, “If we die for them, I’ll kill you.”  It’s hard to forgive seven years of antagonism.  But Harry did, in that moment where he saved Malfoy’s life. 

And in the end, it’s Harry’s final choice that truly separates him, not only from the others, but from Voldemort.  Dumbledore and Snape were essential in his victory, but it was him who needed the strength to throw away the elder wand.  This was the strength that Dumbledore lacked, and Snape never really had the chance to try.  Harry decided he was finished with any sort of trouble, and left the wand where it was.  This was an enormous choice, and took a lot on Harry’s part. 

As Dumbledore pointed out, harry is an incredibly selfless person.  Every single thing he did was for the benefit of others.  He sacrificed himself to save all his friends.  He gives away everything for them, and this is what I think makes a hero.  Harry is loyal, selfless, and kind.  He would do anything to help people.