So I was thinking today, everything is in the wizarding world normally has a distinct meaning and use for being put in the books. House elves, Muggles, Wizards, Portkeys, and the like. However, when it comes to squibs I can only think of two in the series: Mrs. Figg and Filch. Filch honestly could have just been a grouchy old janitor. I just liked the idea that he was a janitor he disliked messes. His nonmagical skills added a touch of flare, but nothing that ever added-if I recall correctly. Same for Mrs. Figg, did her being a squib ever play a pivotal role?

So my big question is: What was the importance, if any, of squibs?

I haven't reread the entire series recently, and am currently doing so and on PoA. I was just wondering if anyone else had the same thoughts or could clarify any of this.

Thanks!

Honestly I was wondering the same thing. I mean I know what a squib is....in a few of my friends' words "A Wizard Retard". But as far as I have noticed a squib is a person that can see magic being done and can see people and creatures of the mogical world, but they themselves can not do magic....is this right? Well one thing is for certain, I do hope that when JKR writes the HP encylopedia I hope she includes info. on squibs.

Squibs, in my opinion, are very important in this series. So let's start off witht he first squib that comes to mind...

Argus Filch, if you recall, is a squib. Now there's really not much to say that can defend squibs with him, however without him the series wouldn't be the same. There are so many Filch moments that couldn't be written well without him. So there's one squib needed.

Also, Dumbledore's sister, Ariana, was a squib of some sort. She had magical abilities but never used them and ended up being a squib with an occasional outburst of magic. So this whole coverup of her was vital to DH.

However to really answer the question I think we have to look at JKR and her writing style. JKR likes to refer to real life themes in her books. Death Eaters are one possibility but squibs could be another. I think that she included squibs to take the place of those with mental handicaps in our world. This allows it to be like a more normal society. Nothing is perfect including a society/world. So making squibs allows it to be more believable and more relatable to our world.

~Nick~
HJP

I had totally forgotten about Ariana.

I can see the parallelism to the "real world" idea. I actually like that theory. It shows Rowling truly thought out all aspects of her wizarding realm. This is theory that makes the most logical sense to me.

Harry James Potter- what was the idea with death eaters? you mentioned it then moved onto squibs. I would like to hear more on that idea.

So its agreed. Squibs are for the parallelism to the real word. Anyone else have any other theories?

I'm not sure if this was where Harry James Potter was going. But I have noticed several distinctions between the Death Eaters and the Ku Klux Klan, a group in the U.S. that believes in white supremacy and generally used violence to oppress minorities. Another similarity is that they both wear cloaks and masks. Also, the Klan would normally leave a burning cross in front of a house which could be seen as a parallel to the dark mark in the sky.

Actually, Weasly_Girly_83, you're correct, I was headed in that direction. Since you stated it I won't bother with it, however this is a past discussion in the club DARN and can be found here. In one of the posts by SeriouslySirius, it relates the Death Eaters to gangs and such crime related activity. It's quite interesting ut yeah I was going to relate to this and the KKK in which I discussed somewhere else that I can't remember unfortunately.

-Nick
HJP

I thought they were just included as a counterpart to Muggleborns - just as Muggles could give birth to a wizard child, wizards could give birth to what is technically a Muggle child.

I found the whole idea very sad; imagine being part of a wizarding family like, say, the Weasleys, but being unable to attend Hogwarts or perform any of the magic you've grown up around.

Ariana isn't a squib, she's just untrained, unskilled and eventually mentally imbalanced. Wizardness is genetic; you are or you're not.

Actually if my memory serves me right, Ariana wasn't technically a aquib. She was a witch like any other. But after the abuse and beating from three muggle boys at a young age, it pretty much scarred her for life and she psychologically thought that if she did amgic again she will be killed. We don't know that but it was possible. So she never did magic and went against her wizardly instincts. Until she had a magical outburst as stated and yea.

I know she wasn't a squib. What I was referring to was her treatment as a squib and her unwillingness to perform magic so that she basically was a squib except she chose not to use her magic. Besides, whether or not she is a squib is not the question at hand but more what she represented and because of her close relation to a squib, how does it affect the series.


-Nick
HJP

Good points that I strongly agree with.

I really like Nick's point about squibs represented the handicapped population of the wizarding world. It makes it relate more to our world, and it is very fitting. Same with the point about the Death Eaters, it give our world and the magical world some equality.

And as Tanuki pointed out, it would give another equality to the worlds. Muggles can have wizard children, wizards can have non-magical children. Another thing that makes both worlds the same and equal in my mind. What I'm getting at basically, is that Squibs were created to create an even balance between both worlds.

When Argus Filch was first mentioned to be a Squib, it made perfect sense in my head. He never demonstrated any magical abilities and he wasn't that great at catching rule breakers in my opinion. Therefore, a Squib is the perfect excuse for his being there. Muggles can't be in Hogwarts, and if Filch can't do magic, then why is he there? That thought ran through my head, until the other Squibs started popping up.

--x Lauren

Well really I think they are just showing us that if Muggle-borns are possible then so are squibs. Like i said in some other forum it's a gene pool in which some people get it and others dont. the more magical people in one family the more probable becoming a witch or wizards is for you.

Thanks for all the input everyone!

I guess really we can chalk squibs up to somewhat of a mystery, but somehow related to balancing out the muggles having wizards and vice versa. In thinking about it after finishing the series, I realized something:

J.K. Rowling did create an amazing series, but she couldn't have possible put EVERY detail in for an exact reason. It is one of those ideas we can only hope she elaborates on in the Encyclopedia.