Episode Sixty: Harry Potter- Kind of Like Batman meets Jane Eyre

So I was treated to a midnight showing of the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part two.  After I graduated last summer I finally had time to sit down and read the series.  While the six hour wait wasn't particularly fun, there were some definite perks going on opening night in the US.  For example, a girl dressed up as Bellatrix offering people cupcakes shaped like cauldrons- too adorable.  It was fun hearing everyone laugh and cry at all the same scenes.  Yet, a few months ago I found myself realizing another British orphan who pre-dates Harry, and a few weeks ago my fiance and I realized the famous near-sighted wizard has a lot in common with another fictional icon- Batman.

Batman, Jane Eyre, and Harry Potter, perhaps three of the world's best fictitious orphans.  Now some may argue- why am I roping Jane into the  mix.  I happened to be re-reading the first chapters of Jane Eyre when I realized how much Jane's experience living with the Reeds set the stage for Harry's life with the Dursleys.  Jane and Harry both live in the heart of misery.  They both lost their parents as infants and live with an insufferable Aunt who hates them for just being them.  They're both considered odd by their overly conventional relatives, and both have a male cousin that bullies them.  They're second class citizens and then early in their story they're shipped off to boarding school.  The similarities generally end there- Hogwarts is made of awesome and Lowood, well, you'd be better off in most prisons than Lowood.

However the real parallel comes down to Harry and Batman.  Their stories continually pull back to the same hook- their parents were murdered and they want justice for their parents.  Both have inherited a pretty sum of money- you take your pick whether you prefer a vault of gold at Grignotts or stock in Wayne Enterprises.  And let's face it, the more you think of the parallels to Harry and Bruce Wayne, the more it all sort of clicks.  Ron, unfortunately for him, is a lot like Robin.  There's also the wise mentor in Alfred the Butler and Dumbledore. 

The reason I say Harry is like Jane Eyre meets Batman is because, Harry has all of Batman's angst but ultimately finds his peace.  Now I'm sure a comic book aficionado would have some case to argue that Batman eventually finds happiness- but generally Bruce Wayne is the ultimate loner.  Sure, he has girlfriends (briefly), various young boys as Robin (does he recruit from a van with candy?), and of course, his Butler/Confidante.  None the less, the theme of Harry Potter is that Harry ultimately finds his strength from those around him.  It always comes back to Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione, to his relationships with his mentors (Sirius, Albus, Remus, Hagrid), and he does have his peace despite being hunted by a sociopath-wizard for 17ish years.  In that respect Harry pulls a Jane Eyre.  Jane Eyre has had a horrible life full of loneliness and adversity- but in the end she has a family, friends, and a husband who is her mental equal. 

Episode Fifty Nine: The Business to Get In?

The other day I ran into a woman at work who was ranting because Blockbuster did not have "Meet Me in Saint Louis" (And no, I don't work at Blockbuster or any other video rental place).  Then she asked me what place in the area would have that video available to rent that night.  I told her most of the video stores went under, and I was relatively new to town- so I did not know of a place.  I said she could check Redbox, but mostly Redbox carries new releases, but she could look on Netflix to see if it was on instant queue.  She continued to ask me again if there were any stores in the area and launched onto a rant about video stores. She ended the rant with "Video Rental, that's the business to get in"- and she didn't mean that angrily or facetiously, she was serious.

I realize it's frustrating when you can't find something you're looking for.  However, I believe this instance, while really more of my average Monday at work, explains multiple problems I have with our current culture.


1. We are obsessed with Self-Gratification: if we cannot get what we want when we want it, we feel wronged instead of recognizing the situation for what it is- a moderate inconvenience.

2. We think that if we keep asking the same person the same question that "I don't know" will eventually turn into a magical answer that solves our problems

3. We hate change and will tout the superiority of a more costly and poorly organized institution because we aren't ready to try something new. 

4. We have delusions that if something falls into our personal whimsy that it must surely be profitable.

And number 4 takes us home.  It goes without saying why you can't find video rental stores anymore.  Instant streaming is genius, it takes out the cost of a traditional store (staff, building leases, insurance for the store, tangible inventory) and puts in a convenient system to watch movies and television from home.  There is a reason movie rental places went out of business.  However, I suppose if you want to take your life savings and use them to fund such an ill conceived business venture, go for it- it is your money. Myself, I think I'll keep an open mind and peruse the selections on Netflix instant queue, my fiance and I have found some unexpected new favorites that way.