Blog 1
The Time-Turner was first introduced in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As the name suggests, this powerful magical device could let the wearer go one hour back in time and allows them to have control on where they want to appear in the advent. It was given to Hermione by Professor McGonagall for her to attend more classes than physically possible and for the sole purpose of academic work. However, towards the end of the book, we see that Hermione and Harry use the time-turner to go back three hours and save Sirius Black, Buckbeak, and Harry himself. Understandably, this time traveling ability creates significant complications in Rowling’s current and future plots as the main characters can essentially rewrite their plot to rid any future problem therefore rendering any sequence of events useless.
For example, a classic response to Voldemort would simply be “turn back time and kill him” but because of Rowling’s limitations placed on the Time-Turner device, this solution would actually be impossible. Firstly, we must establish the rules for the time-turner. Seemingly, In the Harry Potter universe, time travel cannot change the past because the past has already been set. It introduces a second person or a copy of you that is more knowledgable than the past-you however, this second-you has already shaped the past. This is the con to creating the Time-Turner as it complicates the timeline and forms paradoxes but we can utilize the sequence of events in Prisoner of Azkaban as an excellent example of this rule being followed.
The first sequence was set during chapters 16-17: “There was a jumble of indistinct male voices, a silence and then, without warning, the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe…Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling”. The trio assumed Buckbeak was executed. However, when Harry and Hermione used the Time-Turner to save Buckbeak, they watch the exact same sequence unfold. The executioner swung his axe at the fence in frustration because Buckbeak was gone and the howling was from Hagrid who cried tears of joy thinking that Buckbeak cleverly escaped. This means that they followed the time rule of the past remaining unchanged because they technically didn’t prevent Buckbeak from execution, they wrongfully assumed Buckbeak to be dead. This is the same with the first and second sequences of when Hermione and Harry went back to save Sirius Black. They never changed the past events as it was revealed that Harry never got the Dementor’s kiss because it had always been the second-Harry to save his life. Therefore, the Time-Turner was more of an enforcer of a time loop that never gets broken as the past never changes.
Additionally, Rowling finds a solution to any potential plot holes about the Time-Turner by writing on Pottermore: “Firstly, I had Dumbledore and Hermione emphasize how dangerous it would be to be seen in the past, to remind the reader that there might be unforeseen and dangerous consequences as well as solutions in time travel. Secondly, I had Hermione give back the only Time-Turner ever to enter Hogwarts. Thirdly, I smashed all remaining Time-Turners during the battle in the Department of Mysteries, removing the possibility of reliving even short periods in the future” (Rowling, 2015). The most important takeaway from this is how Rowling managed to maneuver through a gaping plot hole device and create a working solution for it within the story instead of ignoring it or destroying it without proper explanation.
This teaches us the vitalness of coherency in story-making and world-building or else the rest of the climax writing would be solved without exhilarating thought. It also creates an important message to future writers to hold themselves accountable throughout their work on what they choose to create and how they have to handle the consequences of their creations. Although the author creates their own reality and rules, they still must follow within those boundaries to provide a stimulating experience. Arguably, this could’ve be avoided had Rowling chose to not introduce the Time-Turner as time travel has always been a convoluted concept in literature but, this challenge presents authors and readers to exercise creative thinking and thus isn’t the biggest mistake in writing. Rather, it is an opportunity to learn.
2 responses to “Is the Time-Turner J.K. Rowling’s Biggest Plot Hole?”
Great blog post, Karen. I did a lot of thinking about this plot point in the Prisoner of Azkaban and about the Time-Turner itself because I was very confused about how exactly it worked.
I really like how you discussed how potential plot holes can be created and how this may be something that J.K. Rowling did not foresee when writing about the Time-Turner.
I think you did a great job including evidence in your blog post and referring to specific chapters in the book. I also think your thesis is clear in the first paragraph, and you seemed to use your evidence to provide support for the argument you made. I think using outside evidence was also an interesting approach and especially by using Rowling’s own words about the subject.
I think talking about how Harry and Hermione’s interaction with Sirius might’ve not followed Dumbledore’s warning of not being seen. I think this was the most confusing part for me.
Overall, you did a really great job!
Karen I think your explanation regarding time turners was great. Even for me, as a person who has read the books and seen the movies, time turners were a point of confusion for me. After reading this blog post, I can now speak to what it is as well as the problems a device like this creates for the story and the author. I also found it interesting how you included Rowling’s voice and her explanation behind the devices. 10/10 Post and I am really glad I was able to read this information. Thank you!