Welcome Guest - Register Today!

[Craboy]

HEllo all
my name is Craboy, I am an avid Potter fan. AQnyway, I have been thinking, How many times does JKR use the numer 4?


4 privit drive,
Platform 9 3/4
Maruaders( 4 of them)
The 4 Weasly kids in the first book
Voldemort comes back in the fourth book
The four best friends( Harry, Ron, Hermione, and neville)
the 4 different attacks in CoS
The four students in the triwizzard cup
The four houses
The four slytherins mentioned by name is COS
The four ghosts of Hogwarts
I know i am missing some things, but what in the world Is JKR playing at? What is her porpose in the use of the number 4?

[Darren]

I guess that a quantity or descriptive word (adjective? never did pay much attention in English) are used on average throughout the books in fairly equal amounts. it's just when JK uses something that works, like green, purple, 4, 12 etc. she may, unknowning use it again cause it's worked before.

i dunno, just waffling...

[zyra123]

That's the mysterious way of how JKR's mind work, isn't it? I mean, you've seen how she repeatedly using number 12 and purple color... although from your list, I think four houses are usual, well, at least to me... all schools I've been to would have four different houses...

Did you know that in Chinese superstitious belief, number 4 is associated with death.... dunno where I'm heading... but the books are getting darker and JKR had said that there'll be death in HBP... so....

Anyway, welcome to the forums, Craboy! Hope you enjoy it here....

[taks]

hmm its interesting how many times she used the number four, but I don't think that there is any special meaning behind it. I think JK might just be using that number subconiously, you know? Although that is interesting that 4 can be associated with dath so maybe I'm wrong...

Welcome to the forums, by the way!

[Lulu]

Might this mean it will be four death's trough the series?
In PS/SS Quirrel died but he wasn't any close to Harry so I don't think that the death's beyond *Harry's circle* will count. So far Sirius died, I'm not sure if will shall count in the death's of Harry's parents, Lilly and James?

Any thougts?

[secretkeeper]

While were on the subject with numbers, i remember in an astrology class i learned that the number 7 was a number that delt with destiny. & books & years of hogwarts and a prophacy that is the main focal point in the last 2 books and Harry and/or Voldermort will die in the 7th book.
Anyway, a correction on the 4 ghost, there are many ghost and 4 HOUSE ghost.
Comment to Lulu's last post, I think that Harry's parents were important deaths. On the other hand, Harry and/or Voldermort is going to die and im sure others close to Harry will die but I think that 4 MAIN characters will die.

[Ghost]

Well that's interesting, and I think there definetly might be a reason she is useing surtain things alot. But I also think that there is just as much chance that it may be purly on acident. Now I know when I write I find myself using thigs over and over without meaning to, and usaly it's things that were semi big parts of my life or things that I just like that I put into the story without meaning to.

[therearethree]

Is JKR obsessed with the number 4? Well, no more or less than she's obsessed with the numbers 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 20, 21 and most especially 3. Take a closer look at how many times that one occurs in various forms the next time you're reading one of the books.

[Luke_57]

how can you put NEVILLE into the best friends? lol its definitely always been Ron, Hermi, and Harry...i doubt most people would say "oh yeah - dont forget about neville!" lol

[Ghost]

Well I would consider him a close friend of all three of them, but I woulden't think of him as part of Harry's inner circle. But that is off topic.

I think the next time I read the books I'll keep track of how often she uses any number and get a final count.

[PicassoTurgeon]

9 and 3/4 is more of a 9 thing.
i don't think the four weasley kids matter, because there ends up being more.
I think voldemort just comes back in the middle of seven books, not because of 4.
Neville is no more of a friend than Dean Thomas.
Most schools are divided into four, and since a ghost goes to four houses.
The triwizard tournament is three. Harry had to be in it for a plot to exist.

So the only true fours I see are # four privet drive, mauraders, the four attacks. its interesting that four means death though. You do bring up a good point. The marauders are dying off. And the four attacks were fake death. So what about # 4 privet drive. Is a dursley going to die?...