Activity

J.K. Rowling uses taboo in her Harry Potter books. In her story world, wizards are scared of saying the villain Voldemort’s name and simply refer to him as You-Know-Who or  He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This emphasizes the story world’s history and builds the villain’s reputation. Voldemort was such an evil person that, even after his supposed death, people are scared of saying his name.

It also allows for cool character development moments later. When a character steels him or herself and calls the dark lord by his name, readers know this character is serious about taking a stand. It’s a subtle, symbolic show of bravery that I think readers see whenever a character decides to address a taboo subject.