In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, courage is one of the most admirable qualities a person can have. The main characters all belong to Gryffindor house, known for being the house of the bravest students. This establishes courage as one of the most highly valued traits in the story.
One of the most interesting characters in this respect in Neville Longbottom, who appears to lack this trait at the beginning of the novel, despite belonging to Gryffindor. However, over the course of the book he becomes gradually more capable of standing up for himself and what he believes to be right, and this is eventually rewarded.
One of the most memorable moments that shows this development is the first time that Neville stands up to Draco Malfoy. After Malfoy insults Neville for his seeming lack of brains, Rowling writes, “Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. ‘I’m worth twelve of you, Malfoy,’ he stammered” (223). This is important because while the other characters demonstrate bravery as though it is a part of their nature, Neville has to develop this courage.
In this passage, he is repeating a phrase that Harry previously said to him, showing the importance of friends who build each other up. Furthermore, Neville shows fear more than any other character, and the fact that he “stammers” and turns “bright red” and is still able to stand up for himself shows that it is possible to be brave even if it doesn’t come easily.
- Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic US, 1998.
