Harry Potter\u2019s eyeglasses with\nround lenses are iconic, as widely recognized as his lightning bolt scar. It is\ntrue that some members of the older generation seeing the glasses alone might\nimagine John Lennon, but the scar and glasses together in outline create a\nuniversally recognizable symbol of Harry Potter. Try to imagine Harry Potter\nwithout his glasses. Actually, J. K. Rowling does in the King\u2019s Cross scene in\nthe seventh book, but that’s another subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In J. K. Rowling\u2019s world of\nwizards, witches, and Muggles, glasses and other items that correct, improve,\nor enhance vision play important roles and provide clues about the characters\nwho wear them. Most maladies and physical problems in this wizarding world can\nbe cured or corrected by magical means. Considering the head and face only, the\nlist of things fixable by magic includes overly large teeth, a broken nose, and\na skull fracture. Apparently, however, poor eyesight is an exception to the\nrule. In addition, the need for corrective lenses seems to run in families,\nnotably the Dumbledore, Potter, and Weasley families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the course of the seven-book\nseries, 20 named characters are described making use of eyewear to see better.\nThe list does not include Mad-Eye Moody\u2019s magical eye, which despite the way it\nis shown in the Harry Potter <\/em>movies, is described in the books as an\norgan in his eye socket rather than a manufactured orb strapped to his face.\nHowever, the list does include Luna Lovegood\u2019s Spectrespecs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No Death Eaters appear in the\nnarrative wearing any kind of vision aid equipment, and for that matter, no\nMuggles do, either, but that doesn\u2019t mean they see clearly or have perfect\nvision. Metaphorically, all Death Eaters and certain Muggles are shown to be\nshortsighted and subject to badly distorted vision about their worlds. And they\ndo nothing to correct the problem. Might this be why Rowling deprived Death\nEaters and the Dursleys of visual assistance? Was the author intentional about\nthis phenomenon or was it a subconscious expression? Or coincidence? My guess\nis that J. K. Rowling has a fondness for glasses or else she wouldn\u2019t have\nplaced them on her hero\u2019s face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, not all spectacle wearers in the series are nice people or sympathetic characters. Some are depicted as threatening, mean, scheming, or foolish, but in the end, it seems that only two of the twenty remain unredeemed. Every character in glasses whose name is reported in the narrative is a witch or wizard. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to named characters, anonymous goblins use glasses to examine precious stones and gold coins, and Ron Weasley jokes about a midget wearing glasses. Various characters also use devices such as telescopes to view the heavens, protective goggles in Herbology, crystal balls to discern the future, and omnioculars to watch Quidditch, but these are tools used by characters regardless of the refractive condition of their eyes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eyewear users fall into four groups: Hogwarts faculty, Hogwarts students, Ministry of Magic staff, and miscellaneous others. A fifth category, Order of the Phoenix members can be created by taking individuals from each of the four groups. Here they are by category:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hogwarts Faculty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n +Albus\nDumbledore, Headmaster, is the first character in the series described wearing\nglasses, in his case, half-moon spectacles, allowing him to peer over them when\nwatching students. The shape of the glasses provides a hint as to the\nidiosyncratic nature of this character, including his odd sense of humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Minerva\nMcGonagall, Transfiguration professor, is the second character presented in\neyewear, having square glasses, the outline of which appears in a facial\npattern when she transforms into a cat. The shape of her glasses seems to match\nher personality, a classic, no-nonsense square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Sybill\nTrelawney, who first appears in the third book as Divination professor, wears\nlarge glasses that eerily magnify her eyes. They are further described as\noutsize spectacles. This reinforces her development as an airily comic character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Wilhelmina\nGrubbly-Plank, who joins the faculty in the fifth book, substituting for Hagrid\nteaching Care of Magical Creatures, sports a monocle, befitting a character\nwith a hyphenated name. Completing the caricature but delightfully reversing\nexpected gender roles, she also smokes a pipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Harry\nPotter is introduced wearing glasses with round lenses that are repaired with\nSellotape. Stereotypical heroes don\u2019t wear glasses, especially ones taped\ntogether, but Harry is not typical and would be an example of the nerd-hero,\nexcept that he\u2019s not brainy. Indeed, the brainy heroine, Hermione, does not\nwear glasses and even comments on how bad Harry\u2019s vision is when trying on his\nglasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +James\nPotter has glasses that are lopsided on his face. Like father, like son. Both\nalso have unruly hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Moaning\nMyrtle wears thick, pearly spectacles, the only ghost to have eyewear. She must\nlike her glasses, because as a ghost she wouldn\u2019t need them to see, and when\nshe was alive, they didn’t protect her from the Basilisk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Percy\nWeasley (who also fits into the Ministry staff category) wears horn-rimmed\nglasses. Here, at last, is the nerdish stereotype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Luna\nLovegood occasionally puts on Spectrespecs, enormous, colored, psychedelic spectacles\nthat she detaches from the Quibbler and uses to read that periodical. The key\nword here is psychedelic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Arthur\nWeasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, like his son Percy, wears\nhorn-rimmed glasses. This parallels James and Harry Potter wearing the same\nkind of glasses. Since he deals with Muggle objects, it is entirely fitting\nthat Arthur would have very mugglish glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Amelia\nBones, of the Wizengamot, wears a monocle, an odd choice for someone\nessentially kind and egalitarian, but worthy of an important jurist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Professor\nTofty, Ministry OWL examiner, wears a pair of pince-nez, the better to see\nHarry’s Patronus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Rufus\nScrimgeour, head of the Auror office and Minister for Magic, wears wire-rimmed\nspectacles. A highly focused, no-nonsense public servant who demonstrates valor\nin the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Bob Ogden,\nof the Magical Law Enforcement office, has on enormously thick glasses that\nreduce the appearance of his eyes to tiny specks. Presumably they help him see\nsnakes nailed to cottage doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Mafalda\nHopkirk, who sends warning letters about Harry doing magic out of school and\nserves as court clerk for Dolores Umbridge, wears spectacles, as any\nself-respecting, officious clerk should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Mr. Borgin,\nof Borgin and Burkes, wears a pair of pince-nez to better examine items to buy\nor sell. Though dealing in dark objects, he is never described as a Death Eater\nand reacts in fear when shown Draco Malfoy\u2019s Dark Lord mark. He cooperates with\nthem because Death Eaters are some of his best customers, but he sneers at the\nMalfoys when they leave his shop. His fate is not recorded, but there is no\nhint that he ever changes into a decent person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Ernie\nPrang, driver of the Knight Bus, wears very thick glasses. His visual\nimpairment, presented as comic relief, is consistent with his erratic driving,\nnarrowly avoiding collisions as well as violently abrupt starts and stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Rita\nSkeeter, reporter who trades in sensationalism, wears winged glasses decorated with\nfake jewels. Thus the decorations on her glasses match her form of journalism,\ngaudy and fake. She remains malicious and villainous to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Aberforth\nDumbledore, brother of Albus, wears glasses, variously described as rain-washed\nand with dirty lenses. The dirty lenses of his eyeglasses match the dirty\ndrinking glasses in his pub. Aberforth is usually discounted, but out from\nunder his brother\u2019s shadow, he proves to be brave and even heroic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +Molly\nWeasley puts on spectacles a little lopsided to scan a to-do list, so perhaps\nshe only needs them for reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aberforth\nDumbledore <\/p>\n\n\n\n Albus Dumbledore<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minerva\nMcGonagall<\/p>\n\n\n\n James\nPotter<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arthur\nWeasley<\/p>\n\n\n\n Molly\nWeasley<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering the grand scope of Harry Potter <\/em>themes, this is not a major matter, yet I find it one more example of J. K. Rowling\u2019s amazing attention to detail in matching characters\u2019 behavior and appearance. Bespectacled as I am, I quite enjoy literary characters who need glasses and confess a little disappointment that my favorite bookworm Hermione Granger did not at least occasionally wear reading glasses. Oh, and I\u2019m not ashamed to admit that when I see eyeglasses with round lenses, I think of both John Lennon and Harry Potter. In my imagination, they know each other and are dear friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Harry Potter\u2019s eyeglasses with round lenses are iconic, as widely recognized as his lightning bolt scar. It is true that some members of the older generation seeing the glasses alone … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nHogwarts Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ministry of Magic Staff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Miscellaneous Others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Order of the Phoenix Members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n