“Marx, Magic, and Muggles”

In Susan Hall’s chapter on “Marx, Magic, and Muggles”, she discusses how the Industrial revolution changed the lives of people from Great Britain. The severity of the situation pre-revolution was so bad, as she says, “that the only possible outcome must be a bloody revolution” (269). However, the steam that was supposedly coming from the ears of angry mobs was soon transferred to the engines of trains. Fueling the train for purposes of movement can be a metaphor for the social classes seen in the wizarding world. Whatever you use to fuel the train (and, also, how you fuel it), will ultimately lead to whether or not the transportation will be any good. But, I’ll get to that later.

As in any revolution, there is expected to be some sort of change. In this instance, it can be argued that social classes didn’t really change that much. As Hall says, “class conflict is fueled by unjust treatment of various groups in any society based not on inherent merit but on external factors such as wealth or family connections” (274). Pre-18^th and 19^th centuries, the only way you were of any wealth in Great Britain is if you were born into it or if you were a landowner. This was the upper class. This same pre-revolution social class structure can be seen in the lives of witches and wizards in the wizarding world.

Under the enactment of the Statue of Secrecy in 1692, which, “requires all witches and wizards to conceal evidence of their powers from Muggles,” non-Muggles have to be careful (273). When Harry shuns off dementors in Order of the Phoenix, he breaks the law and is sentenced to a court hearing. Because of his relationship with Dumbledore, he’s let off the hook. But it makes me wonder, is Harry getting special treatment simply because of his reputation and whom he is? Would any standard witch or wizard be given the same treatment considering the circumstances? It’s clear that Harry’s name is a clear “get out of jail free” card. Also, it tells us that knowing people in the wizarding world is just as helpful as knowing people and having connections in the muggle world. These “connections” split a line (tracks, if you will) where law and order was thought to be. This leads to the Malfoy family, a family that certainly has plenty of connections.

From one of Harry’s first encounters with Draco in Philosopher’s Stone, Harry knew exactly what kind of family Draco came from. He comes to this conclusion when he hears Draco scoff Hagrid about being “sort of savage” and asking him if was raised by “the right sort” (273). This, ultimately, leads to Harry siding with the victims of Draco’s words. As I quoted from Hall before, this clashing of classes was “fueled” by an external factor. In this case, it was the wealth of Draco’s family and his inability to see past anything other than what he thinks to be true. If Harry and Draco are on the same train, Draco’s fueling of external criticisms is resulting in their train not moving anywhere. Speaking of transportation, let’s talk about the driver of the Knight Bus, Stan Shunpike.

Rowling uses Stan to represent the underclass version of the proletariat in the Muggle world. She also gives Stan an accent and let’s the readers see it visually in the books. As Hall puts it, she “clearly labels him as ‘other’” (285). This contrasts from the prim and proper speaking of the wealthy Malfoys and even most of the Hogwarts school staff, leading to a difference in the system. When Draco compares Hagrid to a savage, he was another “other” because of the way he dresses and speaks (and Rowling does justice by letting us visually see Hagrid’s accent like Stan).

Back to Hall’s quote: “Class conflict is fueled by unjust treatment of various groups in any society based not on inherent merit but on external factors such as wealth or family connections” (274). Through Harry, the Malfoy’s, and a simple bus driver, Hall’s thoughts stand true. The fact is, fueling unbiased kindness or external criticisms is what, ultimately starts or stalls your train.