Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Information, Rumors, and Fear
Prejudice vs. Respect
Friendship, Loyalty, and Bravery
Fate, Choice, and Identity
Rules, Rebellion, and Doing the Right Thing
Summary
Analysis
Harry is amazed by life at the Weasley home, which is both chaotic and wonderful—and, even more amazing, everyone likes him there. Mr. Weasley often asks him about the “ingenious” ways that Muggles get along without magic, like telephones. About a week into Harry’s stay, letters from Hogwarts arrive with their list of books for the year—including all seven volumes of Gilderoy Lockhart’s books.
In contrast to the way in which some other wizarding families (like the Malfoys) despise Muggles, Mr. Weasley not only works to protect Muggles but is also truly interested in and supportive of them. His respect for and interest in Muggles also extends to Harry, who has a lot of insight on Muggles.
Themes
Ron also receives a letter from Hermione, asking him if he was able to retrieve Harry and if Harry is okay. She also suggests they meet up to buy their books together in Diagon Alley the following week, which they agree to do. Harry spends the rest of the afternoon with Fred, George, and Ron practicing Quidditch in a small field surrounded by trees so that people won’t be able to see them flying.
When Dobby was stopping his letters, Harry felt extremely vulnerable and cut off from his friends. But now, surrounded by their love and concern, and realizing that they had been loyal to him all along, he regains the confidence and support that he had lost at the Dursleys.
Themes
The next Wednesday, the Weasleys and Harry set off for Diagon Alley using Floo powder. Ron explains to Harry, who has never traveled this way, that he simply has to take a pinch of the powder, throw it into the fireplace, and shout “Diagon Alley.” But Harry doesn’t speak clearly enough and he ends up in a menacing-looking shop. Harry tries to get a sense of where he is, but when he looks out the shop window he knows the street he is on is not Diagon Alley.
Harry’s lack of knowledge about Floo powder drops him into unknown territory, which makes him more and more nervous when he realizes that he doesn’t know where he is. This is something that he experienced quite a bit in the first book and will as well in this book: that lacking information can lead him into scary situations.
Themes
Harry starts toward the door, but then he sees Draco Malfoy and his father, Lucius, walking toward the store. Harry immediately hides inside a large cabinet. Harry eavesdrops, hearing Draco complaining about how everyone thinks Harry is so smart and wonderful, and about his ability to have a broom at school—which he says is only because Harry has a scar on his forehead. Lucius warns Draco that he shouldn’t so openly dislike Harry, whom most people regard as “the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear.”
Harry continues to contend with others’ conceptions of his own identity. Draco laments that Harry is famous for doing nothing, a critique that has some merit, as Harry was only a baby when he made the Dark Lord disappear. At the same time, Draco acknowledges something that Harry is starting to realize: that people’s perception of him is somewhat out of his control because of their preconceived notions about what he has accomplished.
Themes
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Lucius then addresses the owner of the shop, Mr. Borgin, and says he wants to sell some items that “might embarrass” him if the Ministry were to raid his home. He expresses frustration over the rumors of a new Muggle Protection Act, saying it must be the work of that “Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley.”
Although readers got a taste of the Malfoys’ prejudice through Draco in the first book, here it becomes clear where that prejudice stems from, and the fact that it is specifically directed towards Muggles.
Themes
Mr. Borgin laments that “wizard blood is counting for less everywhere,” but Lucius responds, “not with me.” He also insults Draco by wondering why Hermione Granger, who is “of no wizard family,” beats Draco in every exam, although Draco protests that she’s merely the teachers’ favorite. Lucius then haggles with Mr. Borgin; once the items are sold, he and Draco leave.
Not only does Lucius dislike Muggles, but it is also evident here that he dislikes Muggle-borns or anyone associated with Muggles. His dislike of Hermione also illustrates the generalizations that he makes: despite the fact that she is the best in the class, he still believes her to be inferior because of her blood status.
Themes
Harry waits for Mr. Borgin to disappear into a back room and then slips out of the shop. He is in a dingy alleyway and feels quite afraid of the shabby-looking people in the street who eye him from the shadows. A street sign reads “Knockturn Alley,” but he doesn’t know where that is. He tries to stay calm as an old witch approaches him, leering and wondering if he needs any help.
Again, Harry’s lack of knowledge about the world around him brings him a deep degree of fear, as he is not sure of how he might get to Diagon Alley. He also knows that he is very recognizable, and that that knowledge imbalance—that others know who he is while they remain anonymous to him—makes him even more nervous.
Themes
Just then, Hagrid appears and asks Harry what he’s doing down there. Harry is relieved to see him and explains he’s lost. Hagrid steers him away from the witch and down an alleyway back to Diagon Alley, explaining that Knockturn Alley is a “dodgy place” and that it was lucky that Hagrid happened to be there buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellant. Harry explains what happened with the Floo powder. They then see Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys across the street, who have been frantically looking for him.
Hagrid, who served as a mentor and friend to Harry in the first book, here saves him from unknown dangers and fear. Harry greatly appreciates this rescue, and feels his confidence and bravery returning as Hagrid pulls him away from a frightening situation and returns him to the comfort of his friends.
Themes
Harry explains what happened and describes the exchange he saw with Draco and Lucius. Mr. Weasley is happy to hear that Lucius is worried about the Ministry raids, but he is quickly distracted when he sees Hermione’s Muggle parents, excited to talk to them. Everyone splits up to buy different things, with the plan to meet up at Flourish and Blotts after an hour.
Again, the difference between the Weasley family and the Malfoy family is highlighted by Mr. Weasley’s excitement over Hermione’s parents—people that the Malfoys would never interact with. This difference will come to a head later in the chapter.
Themes
At Flourish and Blotts, there is a large crowd because Gilderoy Lockhart is signing copies of his new autobiography, Magical Me. He is handsome, with a bright white smile and wavy hair. His table is surrounded by pictures of himself, each one winking and smiling at the crowd. Hermione is excited that they’re getting to meet him.
Regarding the question of how identity is shaped, Lockhart serves as another representation of the idea that identity is a choice. Despite the fact that Lockhart has actually accomplished very little himself, he has nonetheless worked to achieve the identity of a superstar.
Themes
Lockhart recognizes Harry and insists that they take a photo together, saying that the two of them together could make the front page. Lockhart then announces, before Harry can get out of the spotlight, that he will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. The crowd cheers and claps. Harry manages to get away, but Draco Malfoy, who has just entered the shop, comments, “Can’t even go into a bookshop without making the front page.” Ginny tries to defend him, but Draco only makes fun of Harry even more.
This is a key moment in which Harry starts to realize that his choices in the public eye matter as a way of shaping his identity. Harry is thrust into the spotlight, and despite the fact that he is incredibly humble, this moment opens him up to criticism that he is attention-seeking, just like Lockhart is. Harry will spend much of the book trying to shy away from the focus that gets placed upon him, as many people try to make him the center of attention.
Themes
Mr. Weasley tries to herd the kids outside, but he is confronted by Lucius Malfoy. Lucius coldly comments on the fact that Mr. Weasley has been working many hours overtime at the Ministry but still can’t afford to buy Ginny new books. He picks up one of her second-hand schoolbooks scornfully. Lucius also notices Hermione’s Muggle parents, commenting that he thought the Weasleys “could sink no lower.” Mr. Weasley, angry, knocks Lucius into a bookshelf until Hagrid comes over and pulls them apart. Lucius thrusts Ginny’s book back at her, and he and Draco leave the shop.
This conflict centers on the Malfoy’s prejudice not only against Muggles and Muggle-borns, but also against those who are less wealthy (the Weasleys) and who deign to interact at all with Muggles. This prejudice is so harmful that it leads Lucius to give Ginny Tom Riddle’s diary (unnoticed in this moment), which ultimately enables the attacks on Muggle-borns and other students that will later occur at Hogwarts.
Themes
Hagrid tells Mr. Weasley that he should have ignored Lucius—that the whole family is “rotten ter the core,” and that they have “bad blood.” The group then parts ways: Hermione and her parents walk toward the bus stop, and Harry and the Weasleys return to the fireside at the Leaky Cauldron, where they take Floo Powder back to the Burrow.
Hagrid and the Weasleys have their own prejudice against the Malfoys as a whole, but there is a distinction: while the Malfoys view others unkindly because of a perceived inferiority, Harry and the other characters dislike the Malfoys because they are simply hateful.
Themes
