Relationships with “The Other”

To one degree or another, in one way or another, the context, relationships, and narrative lines of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them are all defined by explorations of relationships between individuals or groups that define themselves by their relationships with an “other.” This particular term is used to define, in essence, those whose perspectives on the world, and experiences of the world, are fundamentally different. In Fantastic Beasts the “other” is defined by differences in species (human / animal), in type of humanity (magical / non-magical), in perspective on magic and its use (protective / destructive). Meanwhile, reactions to the “other” are defined by a range of feelings and attitudes. These too appear to exist in opposition – fear vs. compassion, respect vs. derision or disgust, curiosity vs. judgmental-ness.

The permutations and combinations of experiences of other-ness and experiences of feeling in the story are...