Priorities is a main theme seen in the relationships and the plot. Each of the characters is asked to choose between very strong temptations and decide what is most important to them. The actions of Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry of Magic reveal their true priorities. The book starts with Harry giving in to the very strong temptation to retaliate when his aunt relentlessly provokes him during her visit. She says horrible things about Harry, his past, his parents, and his school. Harry is used to being treated very harshly by his family for most of his life. His aunt and uncle who took him into their family when he was a baby, have never made him feel welcome or wanted in their home. Harry has heard nothing but the most negative comments about himself, his parents, and their magical world every day he lived with the Dursleys. Now, when his uncle's sister comes to visit, her behavior pushes Harry to an extreme reaction that is common of young wizards who cannot yet fully control their abilities. However in doing so he risks everything that is important to him in order to stand up for himself.
The rest of the book continues to present each character with choices about their priorities. Ron and Hermione jeopardize their friendship in an ongoing argument over their pets. They argue and refuse to speak to each other and make life very uncomfortable for Harry. The situation that Harry learns about involving his parents, their childhood friends, and the events that led to his parent's death is centered around people having to prioritize what is most important in the face of impending death. His parents and their friends were forced to make very hard decisions about who to trust and who to help and Harry hears several versions of these events that causes him to realize some very shocking things.
The actions of Professor Lupin, Professor Snape, and Sirius Black are all motivated by their strongest beliefs. The reason Snape helps Lupin by making him the potion he needs to survive, the reason Lupin teaches Harry to perform a very difficult spell, the reason Sirius Black hunts down a former friend, and the reason Snape comes to the Shrieking Shack. These events are all driven by feelings from events that happened between these characters many years ago. They continue to make choices about how to treat each other that clearly reveal what is truly important to each of them.
There are many themes present within J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, many of which address and critique real human and social issues.
One of the most prominent themes is that of the failings of legal systems across the world to effectively and justly deal with those who have been accused of a crime. One of the tenants of the modern justice system is that an individual is innocent until proven guilty; however, within the book, we see both people and creatures suffer time and time again for crimes they did not commit. Buckbeak is sentenced to death after attacking Malfoy, despite the fact that the animal was provoked by Malfoy's malicious spirit. Sirius Black is locked away in Azkaban and tormented by Dementors, despite being innocent of the crime he has allegedly committed, mainly for the sake of the Ministry appearing tough on crime. Even Ron and Hermione's friendship suffers when Ron rashly and incorrectly accuses Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, of eating his rat, Scabbers. Meanwhile, those who actually guilty of horrible acts continue to walk free throughout the wizarding world: Peter Pettigrew, Lucius Malfoy, etc. Clearly, these are all huge miscarriages of justice.
The book also examines the duality of our world, where not everything is always as it seems (demonstrated by Hermione's use of the Time-Turner) and the role that betrayal and loyalty plays in human relationships (brought to light by the revelation that Pettigrew had betrayed Harry's parents, leading to their untimely death).
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