Corey Ewald
AP English Lit. And Comp.
9.18.13
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows vs. Twilight
Obviously thousands of people around the world have either read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, or both; but not everyone has noticed the similarities and differences between the two. Both franchises remain very successful, and there is a question; “Is Stephenie Meyer the next J.K. Rowling?” The novels are extremely well-known and of the fantasy genre, but have numerous differences, from themes and content to writing style and structure. The books are of the same genre and have related themes, but have attracted a vast difference in readers.

While similar in many aspects, the two novels bare many differences as well. Twilight can be summarized as a romance, fantasy novel about a girl, Bella, who moves to a new town and ends up falling in love with a vampire named Edward, while Harry Potter is the tale of a boy who lives with horrid relatives and finds out he’s actually a famous wizard in a secret, magical world unknown to non-magic folk, also known as “muggles”. One of the few similarities the two books have in plot is that there is a hidden world of magic or fantastical creatures concealed from the rest of humanity. An equally important difference is that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a complex tale in which minor characters and small objects have just as big an impact on the plot as the main characters and major events, whereas Twilight is simplistic with no major twists or surprises. Both novels have different, but also related themes. The theme of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is good triumphing over evil whilst Twilight has the theme of love overcoming all obstacles. The themes are similar in that the love in the theme of Twilight can be equal to the ‘good’ in Harry Potter and the ‘obstacles’ can be viewed as analagous to the ‘evil.’

The novels have several similarities in that both series attract a number of readers, although there is much diversity between them. Twilight is a four book series whereas Harry Potter is an eight book series. Also, Twilight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have both captivated thousands of readers and been translated into several languages. However, the books are more different than similar. Whilst Harry Potter appeals to audiences of all ages and genders, Twilight is read more by teenagers - mostly females - and younger to middle-aged mothers and women. Another difference is that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows centers on Harry and his friends’ struggles with adolescence and the re-rising of powerful, dark wizards; yet Twilight is about Bella and Edward’s relationship, their feelings for each other and the complications caused by Edward’s thirst for her blood and conflicting desire to protect her. Lastly, Harry Potter is about the magic and problems Harry and his friends face, whereas Twilight focuses on the romance between the two main characters and the complications caused by it. focusing on content, Twilight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are as similar as they are different; nevertheless, the discrepancies far outweigh the likenesses for the writing style and structure. Twilight is simple and straightforward, without any major twists; however, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shows far more complications with dozens of plot twists and shocking surprises. In addition, Twilight concentrates on the characters’ actions and emotions with characterization as the key literary element, meanwhile Harry Potter zeroes in on the events and characters with the plot as the key element. Thirdly, Harry Potter is written in 3rd Person Ltd. while Twilight is in 1st Person so that in Twilight the reader knows more about Bella’s feelings and thoughts, but in the former you get a broader spectrum on what’s happening outside of Harry’s perspective and the feelings of other characters. Finally, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Twilight share one component in common which is that the books become more serious and dark as the series progress.
Furthermore, Twilight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, two very distinctive novels, have many similarities as well. They’re hugely popular, but have more discrepancies than likenesses in plot, theme, writing style and structure, and content. While Twilight is about the Romeo and Juliette –like romance between Edward and Bella, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows revolves around Harry and his friends’ fight against the rise of evil wizards with a sub-plot of romance. Additionally, the two novels have similar themes, yet differ greatly in writing style and structure in that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is complicated with numerous twists and turns in which nothing is as it seems whilst Twilight is straightforward and simple with very few twists or surprises at all. Both are splendid and wonderfully well-written tales, but differentiate greatly while at the same time attracting much of the same crowd of readers.