Tom Riddle vs. Harry Potter: The two orphans and the paths they each chose

Harry Potter saw Lord Voldemort as his greatest foe but Tom Riddle and Harry Potter had more in common than they’d like to admit and somehow evolved past each other.

Voldemort targeted Harry Potter because of a prophecy but really, the two were not that different. And maybe that has to do with the fact that part of Voldemort was in Harry all along but the two were connected from the start with Tom Riddle’s life and they just chose very different paths from each other.

Harry was the kind of character who was always forced into doing the right thing but he had people around him who helped him make that decision. Voldemort did not. Tom Riddle grew up alone and without friends and “found” people by using fear to guide them.

Harry never had that, he was always looking for someone to love him and to be there for him and he found that at Hogwarts and continued to grow and learn how to rely on those around him. So maybe Tom Riddle would have chosen a different path had he had someone there to help him and guide him. Maybe he’d not have become the Dark Lord.

But because he was so alone, it was the path he decided to take and it led to Harry Potter learning what not to do and how to turn to those around him for help and advice and, in the end, it is also what led to the downfall of Lord Voldemort.

Do you think that Harry Potter and Tom Riddle are more alike than they are different? Or what separates them from each other? Let us know what you think in the comments below!