Abstract

The Harry Potter Series, published since 1997, are characterized by a typical presentation of good and evil, which is a traditional category of binary opposition. This paper will analyze how the binary oppositions of the good and evil are presented in Harry Potter Series from two aspects: the characterization of major characters and the characterization of minor characters. As a positive image in the novels, Harry and his supporters are portrayed as the representation of good, whereas his archenemy, Voldemort, as well as his followers, represents the force of evil, thus creating a world of binary opposition.

Key words: Harry Potter, binary opposition, major characters, minor characters

摘 要

哈利波特系列书籍于1997年开始发行，其好与坏的对立表现特点是一种传统的二元对立方式。本文将分析善与恶的二元对立思想在哈利波特系列小说中的两方面呈现：主要人物和次要人物的性格特征。作为小说中的积极形象，哈利和他的支持者是正义的代表,而他的敌人，伏地魔，以及他的追随者，代表邪恶力量的,从而呈现出一个二元对立的世界。

关键词： 哈利•波特；二元对立；主要人物；次要人物

1.    Introduction
     Harry Potter Series consist of seven books which have been published since 1997. They are Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003), Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince (2005) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). It tells the growth and the experiences of the young wizard — Harry Potter in the magical world. The Harry Potter series received critical praise which took the books as a unique, imaginative fantasy, and Rowling won the British Book Awards Children's book of the Year, the Smarties Prize, Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998, School Library Journal Best Book of 1998, and the Parenting book of the Year Award 1998.