Abandoned Children in Literature: The Orphans in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Abstract: Orphans and abandoned children have been a prominent motif in literature for centuries. In modern times, one of the most famous orphan stories is J.K. Rowling’s book series about Harry Potter, who is an orphaned wizard. The aim of the following essay is to show how three orphan characters are characterized in Rowling’s book Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, namely Harry Potter, Voldemort and Neville Longbottom. The focal center of interest of this essay is how these three different characters’ personal developments vary as a consequence from their respective situation in infancy.