Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling

Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts marks the most difficult year he has faced yet. After somebody conjures the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup, everyone becomes a little more vigilant waiting for the next sign of Voldemort. Traditional school competitions like the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup are cancelled as international students come to Hogwarts to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. But this year, the Triwizard Tournament includes four competitors – some unknown person has submitted Harry’s name. Harry’s participation in the Triwizard Tournament threatens to unravel everything Harry loves about his life at Hogwarts. Rita Skeeter, special correspondent, fills the newspaper with lies about him, while Ron has stopped talking to him, and he has no idea how to prepare for facing and overcoming unknown tasks he is magically bound to participate in for the Triwizard Tournament. Not to mention difficulty handling his newfound desire to talk to Cho Chang. With his world shifting underneath his feet, Harry finds support and guidance from the people around him as he encounters unforeseen challenges.

In the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series, Rowling introduces new characters and complexities that both reveal and obscure overarching plot lines. More information brings more misunderstanding about what happened in the past and what the implications will be in the future. The new professor, who turns out to be a Death Eater in disguise, shifts everybody’s understanding of the past because they had all believed him to be dead. Meanwhile, Voldemort’s return to power complicates relationships as levels of secrecy and protection are restored. Throughout all this, Rowling quietly draws attention to obstacles in forming relationships, and how they manage to exist and thrive anyway. Rowling parallels social expectations in how people react to giants and house elves, invoking quick and thoughtless reactions from some characters, and unswerving acceptance and loyalty from others. As always, Rowling skillfully manages to weave all these elements together into a cohesive whole that reflects Harry’s growth through adolescence. Although the story focuses on Harry, the cast of characters and plot points in the larger wizarding world grow significantly as Harry gains greater awareness of what is happening around him, and as he learns the importance of other people in times of need.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is in close competition for my favorite Harry Potter book. I love how Rowling expands Harry’s world to include international characters, and also brings back characters from past books. I was just as heartbroken as Harry was to hear that the Quidditch Cup was cancelled for the year, but was equally excited for the Triwizard Tournament. Everything that happens in this book evokes the same reaction for me as it does for Harry - the injustice of Rita Skeeter’s articles, the frustration of temporarily losing Ron as a friend, and the overwhelming disbelief at Voldemort’s return. If you’ve been following the series – as everyone should be – the emotional attachment to these characters just continues to grow as everything in Harry’s world becomes more intricately connected.