About 15 years ago, I read The Stand by Stephen King. If you haven't read it, here's a synopsis: A killer virus that the US was developing as a weapon gets out and most people in the U.S. are wiped out by it. The survivors, along with having to face the gruesome scenes of loss and destruction all around them, have to try to band together to decide what to do next. All survivors seem to be drawn to one of two places - a cornfield somewhere in the Midwest, or Las Vegas. They have one of two dreams. Some have a dream about an old African American woman sitting on her porch in the middle of that cornfield, and some have a dream of a man walking down a road with a crow following close behind. You find out in reading that the cornfield people are inherently good, and the Las Vegas people are inherently bad. And within the two factions you still have people who are instinctive leaders and followers. It truly is one of the best books I've ever read, because the people seemed so real. The people in the "good" faction were heroic and strong at times, and scared to death at others. Some of the "evil" faction were actually having the cornfield dream, but were afraid to tell anyone, and went along with the group. So many different levels of the human psyche were shown in such a realistic way that it was hard to read at times.
Now, I would really like to know if J.K. Rowlings ever read The Stand before embarking on her Harry Potter series. Because the same theory is at play - it's just taking place in a made up world between wizards instead of "normal" humans (or muggles - if you're a fan of the books). I am blown away by her vision of this complex set of stories, and find it hard to conceive that she had it mapped out in her head from start to finish before ever starting to write. And even though it's obvious with some characters that they are on the "good" or "evil" side, with some the author keeps us guessing (Professor Snape, for example). And even Harry has flashing moments where he wonders exactly where he falls in the overall picture. People keep telling him he has all the talents of Valdemort (the leader of the "evil" faction), and seems to be the only other wizard that can hold a candle to him. Harry worries that maybe he is destined to be on the other side. These kids all have such a wide range of emotions and are such the angst-ridden teenagers, and you forget that they also cast spells play tricks with time. That all becomes secondary as you follow the story. And as they grow up, the problems they have to deal with become more and more grown up.
The reason I started thinking about how alike, but different these two stories are was hurricane Katrina. There was a good example on every network of those instinctively good and evil people. People shooting at rescuers. People sacrificing their own safety to help the elderly or infirm. People having to steal just to have food and water while others stole televisions. People saving trapped pets from rooftops and second floors of houses. People who used their government-furnished debit cards to frequent a strip club. People who set up fake Red Cross donation banners and collected cash from people. These are extremes of human nature, good to bad, and they seem to worsen in a crisis. But there are alot of people who fall somewhere in between.
The genius of these two authors is that they both captured this range in their stories. I know how The Stand ended. I can't wait to find out what Harry's destiny truly is.
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