To wrap up my series on action, I will examine the chess sequence in J.K. Rowling’s Sorcerer’s Stone. Personally, writing a novel about shrunken people confronting mental and physical challenges, I am always intrigued by scenes of disproportion. Once again, Rowling doesn’t disappoint, even if you aren’t a chess player. And for this sequence I’d like to pay particular notice to Rowling’s verb use.
Spoilers Ahead!
The chess sequence comes at the finale of the book, the fourth trial of a seven-piece defense of the sorcerer’s stone. Dumbledore tasked several Hogwarts professors to create a magical puzzle to protect the stone and hinder would-be thieves. Each of these trials is unique and requires a different approach and skill set to solve, which Rowling uses to showcase the individual talents of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, respectively. Really, all seven trials combine for one action sequence, but I’m most interested in the chess battle, which puts the spotlight on Ron.
I always emphasize that action requires setup and scene. In this case, the whole book sets up the final action sequence, because Harry, Ron, and Hermione bring to bear every new skill they’ve learned during their first year at Hogwarts in order to meet ultimate challenge. Among these skills is chess. Early on, Rowling ‘inceptions’ chess into our consciousness in an off-hand, fun moment. Wizard chess just seems like a cool diversion because the pieces move by themselves in dramatic fashion. “Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess…Ron knew [it] so well he never had trouble getting [the pieces] to do what he wanted.” (199) This section reads almost as a throwaway, coming during a short reprieve in the novel’s tension, during the Christmas break when we readers are focused on the mystery of Nicholas Flamel. You really don’t expect chess skills to come into play, so when the intrepid threesome realizes they must surpass a gigantic chessboard, the reader instantly realizes it’s Ron’s time to shine.
In designing the language of the chess passage, Rowling does something interesting with her passive and active voice. She switches between the two whenever Ron, Harry, and Hermione talk, and when the magical board pieces execute an action. “At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.” (281) Sprang; pawed. Here Ron touches a knight, and it reacts in the active. When a chess piece gets taken, Rowling moves the scene along by using crisp verbs in active voice. Any time a piece gets taken, “The white queen smashed [the knight] to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.” (282) All the verbs are active, and the reader can’t help but to read through the sequence quickly.
Conversely, Rowling often has her three heroes speak passively. “’We’re nearly there,’ he muttered suddenly. ‘Let me think – let me think…’” (283) Harry and Hermione stand and wait while Ron puzzles through the best approach. “’Yes…’ said Ron softly, ‘it’s the only way…I’ve got to be taken.’” (283) After different captures on the board, the trio step back to take stock of the situation. Using this technique, Rowling achieves a two-pronged success. She inserts breaks in the action, which is important to keep her reader from getting lost, and she also captures the essence of chess--careful consideration coupled with explosive action. Rowling juxtaposes the two frames of pace in a unique way with successful results.