Goblet of Fire Make Up Post: Kelsey Kennedy

Rowling uses memory as a reoccurring theme in the Harry Potter series, especially in Goblet of Fire. The fourth installment in the series is definitely more darker. This is the book where Voldemort comes back. Harry feels that he is contributing to the rise of his nemesis. By feeling the occasional pain in his scar, it gives Harry and the reader a sense of ominous foreboding.

When we discover Dumbledore’s pensieve, we realize that it is a source for keeping memories. This is essential to the plotline because it shows how essential memories can be to the wizarding world. In our world – the muggle world – we succumb to our old age and lose our memories. Whether that loss of memory is through diseases like Alzheimer’s or not. As non-wizards, we don’t have room to store our lost memories. So we phase them out, letting new experiences penetrate our minds. When Harry and Voldemort’s wands meet, not only do the recognize each other as the same, but they remember each other. This creates a magical phenomenon, and Harry’s wand overtakes Voldemort’s.

The pensieve is so significant because it gives Dumbledore the opportunity to store his memories for safe keeping.

Dumbledore chose to deposit his memory of the sentencing of Barty Crouch Jr. into the pensieve. I believe Dumbledore finds it necessary to “have it on file” but not let the memory bother him all the time. Perhaps this is why Dumbledore seems to be the constant optimist in the first four books of the series. 

Memories are not only responsible for reminding us of the good in the world, but reminding us of the bad. Bad memories are essential to growth - so we can choose to learn from them.