JK Rowling considered suicide
Image credit: Daniel Lynch on flickr
J. K. Rowling made a startling revelation in which she admitted contemplating suicide while going through a rough patch in her mid-twenties. The best-selling author had separated from her former husband and was living with her young daughter in a cramped apartment. It was at that time when Rowling started having suicidal thoughts.
We’re talking suicidal thoughts here, we’re not talking ‘I’m a little bit miserable.’
Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted. The thing that made me go for help . . . was probably my daughter. She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn’t right, this can’t be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state.
While the 42-year-old author has spoken of the depression and her life before Harry Potter, this is the first time she admitted having suicidal thoughts. Her first book was published in the year 1996 and eventually sold 325 million copies translated in 64 languages around the world.
Rowling has authored a best-selling series of fiction books that have enthralled millions of audience across the globe, mainly young adolescents. Her genius is palpable from the near-perfect world of magical dreams, wherein the young protagonist, Harry Potter, battles the forces of Evil and the most powerful Dark Wizard the world has ever seen. She is a gifted storyteller and her work never predictable. From the dark twisting lanes of the Knockturn Alley to the secret passages of the Hogwarts castle, her words evoke a sense of graphic details in the minds of the readers. But there is a lot more to her genius.
Harry Potter is a protagonist of a story, but a hero unlike others. He does not possess any superior abilities that make him stand out among the Wizarding community. However, he is a man of character, emotive and faithful to his friends. He is brave but never averse to his feelings. He is courageous but never fool-hardy. He is not perfect and still has a persuasion. Rowling’s romantic genius lies in rousing that part of our soul which relates to Harry, and appeal to the righteous hero that lies dormant within us.
It is explicable why Rowling’s work has been an enduring influence on the minds of young people. I have been a fan of her books since I was 14. The morality she exposits in her books is praiseworthy, indeed. Love and respect and tolerance and fidelity.
Her work has come under harsh criticism by conservative groups and her books banned, at least temporarily, in places around the world. The Church has criticised her for glorifying witchcraft and having a corrupting influence on the impressionable minds of the young. As a liberal, I have always scoffed at such criticism.
After the publication of the final instalment of the series, Rowling divulged that the Great Dumbledore, the epitome of righteousness and the perfect hero, was gay. This allowance received mixed reactions from all over the world. Some were critical and some others were disappointed. And then there were those who greeted this with adulation. But Rowling had the gall to challenge the conservative morality of the society. Dumbledore was a hero. How could he be gay? He had been so perfect.
Some refused to believe it and some let off relentless tirades against the author, for again, being a corruptive influence on the minds of the young. These are the same people who criticise the Bush administration for waging a preemptive war against Iraq.
But what do I say when my role-model makes such shocking comments in public? I am aghast. There are millions of people around the world who adore her, and much like me, consider her to be their hero. How will this piece of information affect their lives? I just wish Rowling had pondered about that.
I understand that Rowling underwent hardships that a lot of us have not had the misfortune to experience. I empathise with her for being honest. I love her for being a survivor. I love her for her creativity and expression. But as our hero, she is clearly wrong to be so vulnerable in the public. It is almost equivalent of saying that she would have committed suicide but for her daughter. It is wrong for her to be vulnerable, when there are so many vulnerable in the world.
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I liked your post except for the last two paragraphs. You praised her above by saying she created Harry as brave and honest all that, and that “the morality she exposits[sic] in her books is praiseworthy”. Therefore, I can only find it a contradiction that you don’t realize that her having “the gall to challenge the conservative morality of the society” makes her brave; And that her admission of her suicidal thoughts make her a honest person and as you admit it yourself, she “underwent hardships that a lot of us have not had the misfortune to experience”, and is a survivor. What else makes a hero, to you? Perfect heroes are found only in children’s stories — and even in her fiction, Harry is nothing but perfect — but still undoubtly a hero. You expect her to be perfect — well, as a human being, a real-life hero, I expect her to be real. And she became a bit more of a hero, to me, after each of those comments she made.
I agree with Waldir. The fact that J.K. was in such a miserable place in her life and yet found the courage to rise above it and go on to write Harry is amazing. She should be commended, not penalized for being honest with the public. I think that people being so scared of honesty is what is wrong with the world now. We need to express our emotions and opinions and not have to worry about being condemned for being human. Depression effects women more than men. So for her to have considered death and chosen life is what this time of year is all about. Wake up…
i like your blog. Its so informative. cheers :).