DecodingSnakeImagesinHarryPotterandtheChamberofSecretsCollegeofForeignLanguages

ChengXiaofan

【Abstract】In recent years，the study of Harry Potter series has enjoyed great popularity.One of the charms of the books is that there are a lot of vivid and lively animals in them，both real ones and fictional ones.Among these animals，snakes are the most important ones.The paper attempts to discover the deep meaning of snake images in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by connecting them with world culture.The dominant snake images not only enrich the plot，but also help readers to have a better understanding of the storys themes and give them new insights and inspirations.

【Key words】snake image； harry potter； culture； theme

Ⅰ Introduction

Snake images run throughout the whole Harry Potter series.Among these seven books，the second book is the one in which snake images appear most frequently.The paper tries to make a detailed analysis of these snake images to achieve the following aims： to better understand why the author adopts so many snake images in the book and what is the real symbolic meaning behind these images； to figure out how images help to create the novels overall atmosphere and manifest the main subjects.

Ⅱ Snake Images in World Culture

The serpent，or snake，is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols.The word is derived from Latin serpens，a crawling animal or snake.Snake images can be considered as one kind of those symbolic images both in east or western culture.

2.1 Positive Meaning

First，snakes represent fertility and rebirth.Throughout time and cultures，a snake has often represented power or sexual energies.Snakes have vigorous vitality，for a snake can lay eggs more than ten once.In addition，there is a kind of snake who would eat its own tails，which we call ouroboros.Ouroboros is said to represent the self-destructive nature of earthly life.

Second，snakes have its blessing meaning.Snakes often live near water.In ancient times，the living environment is tough，drought and flood has a very close relationship with harvest.Ancient people thought that the snake could prolong life，and considered it to be a symbol of good luck，great harvest，and reproduction.Snake-themed cultural relics were often found.Sometimes snakes are seen as the god of rain or water.For example，in ancient Egyptian myth，many goddess have the body of snakes.In ancient China，some of the river gods which were worshiped were depicted in the form of some sort of snake or snakelike being.

2.2 Negative Meaning

Snake characters sometimes show up in several ancient mythologies as a powerful creature.Serpents serve as negative symbols，representing opponents or antagonists of figures or principles.The snake in Genesis plays the role of the devil，the fallen angel who had previously communed with God.

Moreover，snakes makes the serpent a creature representing a fear of the unknown.As such，snake symbolize that unknown fear.The fear can be an intuitive warning or an unfounded anxiety about some undefinable，hidden something awaiting.In some religions，serpents are connected with deceit，and are used to symbolize deceitfulness.An example is the serpent in the Garden of Eden，who tricks the Adam and Eve into partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge.The connection between serpents and deceit may depend in part that snakes have forked tongues.A forked tongue is a tongue which has not one end，but two，pointing in different directions.There is only one truth，but there are many lies.The forked tongue represents the disunity of deceitful speech.

Ⅲ Basic Plot of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

After one year in Hogwarts，the story begins with the summer holiday Harry forced to spend with his muggle relations.Harry Potter gets a real shock when he gets a surprise visitor： Dobby the house-elf，who warns Harry Potter not returning to Hogwarts，for terrible things are going to happen.Harry decides to ignore Dobby's warning and at Hogwarts，strange and terrible things are indeed happening：Harry starts to notice strange things around the castle： he hears a voice that no one else can hear.

Things come to a head when he，Ron，and Hermione are coming back from a ghost party on Halloween night.There is a creepy message painted on the wall.It is said that only Slytherin's true descendent will be able to open it.Harry，it turns out，is a Parseltongue（snake language）.Everyone thinks that it's him that has opened the chamber of secrets because that is what Slytherin was famous for.Then with his friends help，Harry finds out the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk who is controlled by the dark and evil wizard Voldemort.In the end，there is a big fight and the basilisk is beaten by Harry Potter.

Ⅳ Snake Images in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

In the novel，snake images serves as very important roles in both telling the story and enhancing its themes.

4.1 Representing Death and Hell

A snake image is closely related with hell，and snakes usually are the guardians of the hell，sometimes it appears as the avengers.They stands for the power of death.

Rowling creates a hell in the story—a mysterious chamber of secrets and a huge basilisk is in it.A basilisk is a snake able to kill with its breath or glance in classical mythology.Professor Binns explains that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by two witches and two wizards： Hufflepuff，Ravenclaw，Gryffindor，and Slytherin.They，“seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated" .Then，the other founders felt that the school should be open to all children who showed magical talent.Yet Slytherin wanted to limit Hogwarts enrollment to students from magical families.So Slytherin left Hogwarts when the other founders refused to give in.Then，" Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle，of which the other founders knew nothing”.No one can open this hidden chamber except a direct heir of Slytherin.Slytherin's heir would be able“to unseal the Chamber of Secrets，unleash the horror within，and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic”.In chapter sixteen，Harry finds out that the monster in the Chamber is a Basilisk.

Harry and Ron figure out that the entrance to the chamber of Secrets is a sink with a tap shaped like a serpent.Harry tells the tap to open in Parseltongue and eventually come across an enormous shed snake skin.Harry see a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents are carved.The Chamber is lined with columns in the shape of snakes.These are concrete forms of snake image.They are different in forms and expressions，but when put together，they construct as a huge group of snake images.All these detailed descriptions reflect that chamber of secret can be seen as a kind of hell，and snakes are the guardians of the hell.The basilisk attacks Harry intensely and tries to put him to death.Entering the chamber means entering the hell，and the guardian would never let go of anybody who wants to escape from the hell.

The collection between snakes and the hell is from the dark power of death.In the novel，the basilisk is described as “Its methods of killing are most wondrous，for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs，the basilisk has a murderous stare，and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death.” Moaning Myrtle remembers on the day she died，she looked up into a pair of “great，big，yellow eyes”.When Harry finds“Justin Finch-Fletchley lying on the floor，rigid and cold，a look of shock frozen on his face，his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling”.Next to Petrified Justin is something even weirder： Nearly Headless Nick is floating“immobile and horizontal，six inches off the floor”.All these descriptions show that the basilisk possess horrible power of death.The author uses magic skills to give the snake images metaphorical meaning of death and hell.At the end of the story，Harry kill the basilisk and rescuing Ginny stands for they escaped from the hell of death.The theme of life and death is highlighted by those images and its deep meanings.

At some degree，snake images are also a reflection of avenger.In the first book of Harry Potter，Hagrid tells Harry about his parents that when Harry was one year old，Voldemort tried to kill him but failed.Voldemort also lost his body and power because of it.So Voldemorts heart is filled with so much hatred and anger.Deep in his heart，the ultimate goal for him is to kill Harry Potter.In this way，snakes and the basilisk are the roles of avengers.

4.2 Representing Darkness and Terror

In the book，snakes never appear in the bright daylight.And horrible events usually take place in darkness.In most cultures，dark nights often stands for conspiracies and plots.Killing the basilisk means destroying darkness and embracing brightness.So，these snake images in the book represent darkness in the magic world.

There are four attacks in the book and the author write them directly.The first one is in the midnight，it is the first time Harry hear the Parseltongue； the second time is on Halloween night，Harry，Ron，and Hermione troop down to the dungeons to attend the deathday party.After the party，bad things happen.The third time is the night when Harry get hurt and live in the hospital wing.The fourth time is in a dark and snowy day，the basilisk attacks Ginny and drag her into the chamber.The whole school is shrouded in darkness.Everybody lives with fear and terrified to be attacked.

The basilisk's attacks on Hogwarts students create a panic which causes divisions.Ravenclaws，Gryffindors，and Hufflepuffs all fear and hate Slytherin House，because nearly all Dark wizards come from Slytherin.And most students fear Harry because they think he is the heir of Slytherin.Once the panic is started，there appears to be little or nothing that anyone can do to stop it.That's the core of Voldemort's power： he's a terrorist，in the literal sense that he spreads terror.His manipulations are successful enough that he doesn't even have to be alive to turn decent wizards and witches against each other.

4.3 Representing Distortion of Humanity

Snake images play essential roles in constructing identities.When facing snakes，Voldemort and Harry make different choices.Not only Voldemort accept the basilisk，but also use it as a weapon to kill people.Voldemort is often described to have snake-shaped face.For Voldemort，as the heir of Slytherin，snake is both torchbearer and guide or even a tempter to him.For westerners，snake has long been seen as a symbol of temptation.Voldemort is proud that he can speak Parseltongue and use it against others.When Voldemort was young，he opened the chamber once and frame it to someone else.He did not resist the dark powerful and chose to follow the path of evil.

At the end of the novel，Professor Dumbledore tells Harry that when Voldemort tried to kill Harry eleven years ago，he left a bit of his power in Harry.So he can speak Parseltongue.Even so，this doesn't mean that Harry is going to become the next Voldemort.Professor Dumbledore confirms that Harry is truly a Gryffindor： he drew Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat when fighting with the basilisk.Harry has chosen to follow the path of good，which separates him from Voldemort.At the bottom of his heart，harry believes in kindness and justice.

In Chamber of Secrets，Professor Dumbledore presents the all-important message： “it is our choices that show what we truly are，far more than our abilities”.Though Harry and Voldemort have a lot of life circumstances in common，it is their choices that define them and make them truly different.There are lots of limitations on people's choices that they can't control.For example，Harry can't choose not to face Voldemort because Voldemort won't let him.Even when Harry isn't looking for Voldemort at Hogwarts，he still encounters him by chance thanks to a cursed diary in Ginny Weasley's hands.

Through vivid snake images，readers can have better understanding of three themes of the book： justice always beats evil； future is destined to be bright； and the most important one is how you choose when facing evil and temptations.

Ⅴ Conclusion

Although image is the smallest narrative unit，it serves as an important and unique role in interpreting the themes of the story.The paper made a detailed analysis of snake images in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.It attempted to decode the deep metaphorical meaning of snake images and classified them.The frequent appearance of snake images not only promote the story to develop，but also help readers to better understand the writing purposes of the author.

Reference：

[1]Joseph Campbell.The Masks of God： Primitive Mythology[M].Martin Secker & Warburg，2005.

[2]Rowling，J.K.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets[M].London： Bloomsbury Publishing，2010.

[3]Zhang Ying.Harry Potter and Characteristics of Children's Literature in New Period.Journal of Northeast Normal University （Social Science），2005（5）：13.

作者簡(jiǎn)介：程小凡，女，（1991—），漢族，安徽寧國(guó)人，長(zhǎng)春理工大學(xué)2013級(jí)英語(yǔ)專業(yè)在讀研究生，研究方向：英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言文學(xué)。