Mark Miller Quotations

Like many stories, 'Harry Potter' is making an appeal to kids' desire for independence and their anxiety about it. ... It may not be a conscious effort, but seasoned story tellers develop a certain instinct for what will fascinate.

The effect of the fantasy is based in part on the ambivalence kids feel toward their parents and independence. Kids want and fear being left alone. These stories and film deal with that ambivalence.