Wolfgang Iser’s argument of expectations scarcely being fulfilled in true literary texts is true for J.K. Rowling’s novels, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” In both novels, the reader assumes the antagonist to be Professor Severus Snape, who has an extreme dislike for Harry, as does Harry in return. Rowling created Snape’s character for the reader to believe that Snape somehow wants revenge on Harry. Snape calls out Harry in class, gives Harry odd looks, creates multiple reasons to expel him, and is even believed to be casting spells on Harry’s broom during an important Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Snape’s House team, Slytherin.
Rowling reveals that although it is true Snape has a deep dislike for Harry, just not for the reasons the reader originally believes. We find out that Harry’s father, James was responsible for saving Snape’s life. Snape therefore feels indebted to Harry in some way, and looks out for him when he learns that Professor Quirrell is trying to attack him.
Some readers may be saddened when they learn that Snape is really looking out for Harry’s best interest. Rowling creates this unusual bond between two polar-opposite characters to intrigue the reader and keep them interested in the peculiar relationship for future novels. It is important for the reader to feel a sense of unhappiness when not being fulfilled with their expectations; this way when the reader closes the book, they want to continue to the next book in the series to see if their expectation will ever become fulfilled.
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