The Hobbit and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Similarities and Differences

Fantasy lovers often say their favorite books are The Hobbit and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. As for me, I love both of these books equally, and I have also watched the movies. Today, I will compare The Hobbit and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone so you can discover how they are similar and different.

First, The Hobbit was written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1937, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was written by J.K Rowling in 1997. Tolkien was a professor of English at Oxford University. However, J.K. Rowling was an English Teacher in France. Tolkien's The Hobbit came to bookstores worldwide in 1937, and after 60 years, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published. The Hobbit is what we would call 'high fantasy' taking place in Middle-Earth while Rowling's books are 'low fantasy' happening on Earth in our time. Finally, In Harry Potter, magic is learned in school. In The Hobbit, those who perform magic just use their natural abilities.

Meanwhile, some Tolkien fans and Rowling fans noticed that the two shared some major similarities. In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins refuses Gandalf's offer of going on an adventure. In Harry Potter, Uncle Vernon refused to allow Harry to go to Hogwarts. Also, the magical items are different. In The Hobbit, they want to destroy the ring, while in Harry Potter, they want to destroy many things. Rowling took the idea of the ring and separated it into horcruxes and the invisibility cloak. Both The Hobbit and Harry Potter take the reader to an imaginary world of intriguing magic with dark mysterious forces lurking in every corner. However, both of the main characters have similar but different journeys. Harry had to fight because of his family, but Bilbo was chosen to help others. Regardless, both Bilbo and Harry didn't have a choice but to follow their destiny. Last, the books contained similar looking characters. All of the characters wear clothes that are typical of wizards. However, the wizards in Harry Potter looked more like normal people because they are in our world. Interestingly, Gandalf inspired Rowling to make Dumbledore. The two have a similar look and they have great powers.

In conclusion, The Hobbit and Harry Potter have lots of similarities and differences. They take place in a similar world and feature main characters who are struggling in a situation that they did not choose. However, if you look closely, you can see that the two books are different. Why don't you read them for yourself and see how they are similar?