Harry Potter and Philosophy Essay Seven: The Mirror of Erised

1. I was intrigued by the idea of the "reality machine", this seems to be a common theme in futuristic movies these days (the most recent is that Bruce Willis movie) and most do seem to support the theory that a machine like that would be bad. At the same time, scientists are surely working on this kind of stuff now. I had a point when I started typing, but I've lost it. Feel free to try to make one!

2. I like the idea of using the Mirror of Erised as a way of determining your deepest desires. I struggle with figuring out what it is I really want and end up feeling like I'm just living without true purpose. It'd be really handy to be able to look in a mirror and figure out what I really want!

3. Ummmm....did anyone else start daydreaming about a Hogwarts Holodeck program? How awesome would that be?! (Really hope it's not just me!)

But is it really so hard to know your deepest desire? and what about when that desire is acheived, or outgrown? As A little girl, I longed for a horse. Not a pony,mind you, a horse. I outgrew that longing (No I didn't I still want a horse) At any rate I outgrew the feeling that not having a horse was grossly unfair and all my mean parents fault. So have my deepest desires changed? I wonder if I looked into the mirror would I myself standing with my own beautiful horse? or something else?

I think the book itself shows that your desires can change. Remember when Harry sees the mirror after going through the trapdoor he sees himself with the Stone. Sometimes our desires are not so difficult to ascertain, if I'm thirsty I'm going to want a drink more than anything. But on a deeper level, things can be very confusing, for me anyway. Part of me wants to be a Development Director for the NPO I work for, part of me wants to go to school to be an archivist, and another part of me wants to be a freelance writer and work from home. I can easily get confused between what I truly desire for my future and what logic tells me I should desire. Do I really want to be a Development Director, or am I clinging to that because it seems the most realistic of my dreams? It'd just be handy to have something to help me figure that out.

I agree with bib. I too find it hard to decide what I reallly want to do with my life and career. There are so many things I would love to do, but I find myself often leaning toward the more practical choices. For instance I would love to go to grad school near D.C. and study the Holocaust and work for the USHMM. but I also have to look at the fact that I have an entire family I can't just uproot. I would also love to go to Grad school in Ireland or England, but alas those aren't possible either.

I wonder if I looked into the mirror what I would see? Would it be different from day to day? Hour to hour?

Bib: A Hogwarts Holodeck program would be soooooo awesome! Maybe one of us HEr's should become a scientist and create one!

Thank you everyone for sharing your deepest desires! The funny thing to me is that I was also left wishing for the mirror to see what my deepest desires are, when the essay was basically meant to steer us away from the dangers of the mirror. LOL!

I think if I looked in the mirror I would see myself winning the lottery!

To be honest, Rowling doesn't develop her characters as much as she should have. With the brief and barely there exception of Snape, she paints characters either black or white. Why should we expect any different from the Mirror of Erised? While one could theoretically argue that all humans share basic wants and needs, however, except for the extremely impoverished (both physically and emotionally) these 'basics' are not on an average persons mental table. Likes, wants, needs, desires change periodically and I don't beleive that people would always see the same image. Would Harry still see himself among his family after he is basically adopted (and marries into!) the Weasely family? Would Ron still see himself trumping his brothers on extraordinary achievments after going on a horcrux hunt, avoiding snatchers, and fighting death eaters? No, people grow up and they mature. Like I said, she does a great insult to many of her characters by not portraying them as human beings rather than cartboard cutouts.

Well R.C. ,can I call you R.C?, I'm sure Harry will always desire to remember and feeling the love of his own parents and I'm sure Ron has other desires now but they were only 11 years old when they first looked into it

In point of fact, the first book proves that one doesn't see the same thing every time you look in the mirror, as Harry looks in the mirror twice and sees two very different things. That moment shows that the things that are going on in your mind/life at that point and therefore the mirror could be entirely useful for helping you sort out your current desires.