A quick glance at British literature will show us that it is
frighteningly abundant with gloomy childhoods. British child
protagonists are many a time lonely, unloved orphans who are but
a burden to their cruel guardians. From Charles Dickens’ Oliver
Twist and Nicholas Nickleby to modern-day Roald Dahl's Matilda,
British novels tend to portray childhoods which are fraught with
neglect and abuse. Two of the most prominent examples are
Charlotte Brontë’s renowned classic, Jane Eyre, and J.K.
Rowling's beloved Harry Potter series. Jane Eyre’s childhood,
not unlike Harry’s, is a positively heart-breaking narrative of
loneliness and misery. And yet, it is not the mere fact of both
protagonists’ sad childhoods that makes these two literary works
comparison worthy. Jane Eyre's childhood's manner of misery is
so startlingly similar to Harry’s that I believe this similarity
is worth some looking into. Riches to Rags We shall begin with
the beginning. What exactly was Charlotte Brontë’s famous
protagonist’s situation a