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The theme of rebellion in children’s literature is not new. Challenging the establishment has been a staple in children’s canon for long – be it fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm or texts of the twenty-first century. The present paper investigates whether J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, maintains the status quo or valorises rebelliousness in the seven books. In a generic mystery, the child protagonist who refuses to conform is reprimanded by adult authority and the conventional order is restored. In the Potter books, on the other hand, the conventional order is thwarted. The key question, therefore, is whether breaking rules is mere derision or is it in response to systemic injustice? It needs to be understood that defiance or rebelliousness in children’s texts is not about ‘acting out’ but rather about how young people perceive power and relate to authority. When anarchy is let loose upon the world, rebelliousness, courage, and daring are the very traits that become the need of the hour.
Dr Navjot Khosla. “Validating the Status Quo or Valorising Rebelliousness: Analysing J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 3, June 2026, pp. 129-146. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n3.10.
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