Is this what Harry Potter's broken glasses signify?
It's not just clumsiness...
Harry Potter has a troubled relationship with his specs. When we first meet him they are snapped and bound together with a bunch of tape, and that's far from the last time they end up looking a little worse for wear.
As a fellow spectacle-wearer, I feel his pain. Mine don't sit at all straight on my face, and, I'll be honest, it's not the optician's fault. It's because I once sat on them throughout an entire episode of Game of Thrones.
But there could be more meaning behind Harry Potter's optical issues than just plain clumsiness...
"When we first meet Harry his glasses are described as being broken, held together by sellotape and in bad condition overall. At this time he is living with the abusive Dursleys. Shortly after being introduced to the wizarding world, however, his glasses are repaired and are described as being good as new. Then in the Chamber of Secrets they were broken over the Summer when he was with the Dursleys but, once again, upon entering the magical world they are repaired," writes Redditor xboxg4mer.
"To me this is symbolic of Harry's current view of the world," he continues. "When he is with the Dursleys his view of his life around him is that it's broken and, in general, a mess. Yet when he is in the wizarding world his view of life changes and is clear and happy. I don't know if this is actually something important or if it's been mentioned here (though I don't remember it being). As we know, the glasses represent that Harry has weakness' and vulnerability too, despite being a wizard, but I like the idea that his current situation is represented through the state of his glasses.
"Tl;dr: Harry breaks his glasses and has them repaired several times throughout the series (I only mentioned two times) usually when he is in the muggle world but in the wizarding world they are repaired, this represents how he sees things. In essence, broken glasses = muggle world, repaired glasses = wizarding world."
Interesting, eh?
What do you think of this Redditor's theory? Let us know in the comments box below...
