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soloorganaas · 2 years

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Sirius Black is heavily coded as queer, especially in his relationship with Remus, which HP fandom has been discussing for two decades. But Sirius is also heavily coded as neurodivergent, specifically with bipolar disorder, and that’s just as essential to his character (and the awful treatment he gets from JKR) as his queerness

for those who don’t know, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterised by extreme swings between mania and depression. each phase lasts from days to weeks, and is usually separated by some period of relative stability. these mood aren’t entirely related to external events - these can trigger a manic or depressive episode, but they are ultimately moods that happen to you, like an emotional weather system. this leads to people with bipolar disorder feeling a constant sense of inner instability, because they know loss of control is always just around the corner

bipolar disorder is still deeply misunderstood and portrayed awfully in the media. people with BD are seen as mad, unstable, unable to participate safely in society, unable to hold down jobs or have relationships, not to be trusted, not to be respected, and generally people to be kept away from us all. and this is exactly how Sirius ends up being treated by JKR

Sirius as bipolar-coded

- tendency towards mania or depression

Sirius is portrayed as a person of extremes. both explicitly and implicitly he’s described as someone with high energy, a lot of passion, an ability to undertake feats impossible for others, extremely extroverted, driven to take risks, and an inability to still or control his restlessness. at the same time, he is also capable of sinking to incredibly low places, carrying round a dark, crippling sadness that is unmatched by even other traumatised characters.

- hints at these being long lasting periods

bipolar disorder doesn’t mean someone is just moody or dramatic, and manic or depressive episodes don’t happen just for a few hours or a day. but the capacity to reach these extremes is a strong indicator of bipolar disorder. It’s hinted that Sirius has gone through longer phases like this. he is full of manic, restless energy when we first meet him, able to accomplish things impossible for other people. he survives outdoors, taking huge risks to help Harry, without appearing to be in the least bit scared or even considering an alternative. then, during OoTP, he’s described as being in a deep, unshakeable depression whilst living at 12 Grimmauld Place.

- sudden switch into mania or depression which seems impossible for other people

I always found the description of Sirius’s escape from Azkaban interesting. it’s not just his ability to transform into a dog that allows him to escape, but his strength of mind. he talks about how seeing Peter in the Daily Prophet “lit a fire under him” which ultimately drove him to escape from Azkaban, at high risk of death and of being caught. these kinds of sustained bursts of energy that allow someone to accomplish things which aren’t possible or conceivable for others, often involving extreme risks, are characteristic of bipolar disorder. the switch between depression and/or stability to mania also is. Sirius doesn’t slowly come back to himself, but turns on an instant. in my personal experience, this is what switching between manic and depressive episodes is like.

- strong emotions

as mentioned above, bipolar disorder is not just daily mood swings or having an emotional personality. But strong emotions are definitely common with bipolar disorder, because of the lack of emotional regulation and limits we have. as the emotions happen to us in manic/depressive episodes, it is hard to learn what our own emotions are the rest of the time, and therefore how to regulate them. we also have the capacity to feel things extremely strongly, as I mentioned, and we’re so used to living outside the normal emotional range it doesn’t seem problematic, even when people criticise it. Sirius is repeatedly described as having very strong emotions, much more so than any other character, despite the strength of other personalities and the emotional circumstances that exist in the books

- lack of understanding from others

again and again, people around Sirius do not understand why he has such strong emotions, do not share them, and at many points judge him. this is particularly emblematic in Molly Weasley, but is also shown through off-handed comments from other characters about him being wild, or dramatic, or erratic, or feeling things much more strongly than other people - for example, Sirius desperate loneliness that impacts his desire to be close to Harry, and protect him from the same experience, which some just see as a selfish desire to have James back

- irritation at others holding him back and sense of being an outsider

this is so well portrayed by Gary Oldman in the films, but comes across in the books as well. Sirius clearly gets frustrated with other people who don’t feel the way he does - particularly, the depth of his empathy and compassion towards Harry, his urgency to protect him and inform him about the war and his anger at the limits placed on him/them. he’s clearly used to people reacting like this, and sees himself as slightly outside as a result. in OoTP he’s constantly rolling his eyes and raising his eyebrows in irritation at other people, as well as consistently physically removing himself. he stands in the background or in the doorway watching, looking amused and uncomfortable at the same time, but still being a little bit provocative. he knows that other people don’t feel like he does, and most importantly don’t trust his emotions

Sirius’s negative treatment by JKR

Sirius is quite literally forced into a box by JKR. in OoTP, he is trapped in his old house without any actual logical reason. (the Ministry doesn’t know he’s an animagus so he can freely travel around as a dog; Voldemort would already know he’d be working with Lupin and Dumbledore so he can’t ‘discover’ Sirius is hiding with him; and Sirius is in no greater risk of being a target for Death Eaters when he’s outside and visible than Moody, Lupin, or other known Order members.) he is mocked and belittled by others, who either see him as deserving of his treatment, or to be pittied, but never as someone to be trusted or respected (aside from by Harry).

OoTP as has been discussed is the first book where JKR begins to respond to fandom. she also has a vicious tendency to curtail characters that have run away from her, particularly with regard to traditional norms. her attitudes really have to be taken into the concept of British society and her insistence on upholding rules that are seen to keep things “as they should be”. in this case, those who are queer, neuro-divergent, challenge gender norms, are of a racial or ethnic minority or are disabled are not playing by the rules, and are to be forced into submission or exiled.

Sirius is fundamentally a character who does not play by JKR’s norms. he rebelled against his family’s snobbery and pureblood supremacy to an extent he became an unloved, abused outsider. he is strongly implied to be queer and with some romantic involvement with remus. he is unconcerned with traditional gender norms in his appearance or demeanour. (this is something which is much more evident in the films, but his long hair and comparatively dramatic, flamboyant clothes against the ridged masculinity + femininity of the other characters is a sharp contrast.) added together with the fact that he is coded as bipolar, he is therefore someone in every way rebelling against the role set out for him, and taking up too much space.

when this becomes apparent, and it’s clear Sirius can’t be forced into submission (he’s had a lifetime of rebelling and has an iron will, at this point), JKR literally locks him in a “mad house”. he is trapped in the very place which he was taught how he “should be”, and where he was punished for not following the rules. he continues to be punished through being forced to suffer the abuse of kreacher and his dead relatives’s portraits, as well as re-live his own trauma. he has to face humiliation through taunts by Snape, control by Dumbledore, and public judgment and criticism from Molly. he is an outsider in his own home, unable to control his life, under the thumb of those deemed “less dangerous”. as readers, we’re encouraged to have empathy for Sirius but to side with Dumbledore and Molly, through Sirius’s continual portrayal as an over-emotional, untrustworthy, immature and irresponsible person, who doesn’t have Harry’s best interests at heart. this is a complete reversal from his role as the responsible, steady and caring godfather in GoF.

an important sidenote is that Remus and Harry are the only ones who both understand him and respect him. they both in their own aways have suffered with significant tragedy, the mental health problems that stemmed from it, and being shunned by society. I would argue that it’s in part of this they don’t see Sirius’s bipolar disorder and/or queerness as something to be hidden or punished.

Sirius’s overall story is heartbreaking because of this. he suffers enormously as a child because of his queerness and neurodivergency, among other things, and is left desolate and outcast. but he finds a new family in James, Remus and Peter, and is accepted and embraced by them. in James he finds someone he can run wild with, whose sharp mind, love for risks and high energy levels are similar to his. in Remus, he finds a calm and reassuring balance, and someone who sees through well-acted defenses to the person underneath. Remus is consistently the only person to calm Sirius down, without being patronising or aggressive. he never shows any disrespect towards Sirius (even when he still - at least partially - believes him to have betrayed and murdered their friends). but then this family is ripped away from him in the most unbelievably tragic way, he’s locked up in a torturous prison for 13 years, and he’s forced to shoulder the guilt of his friends’ murders for the rest of his life.

he then gets a reprieve through reuniting with Remus. Remus instantly believes him and defends him. it’s clear in OoTP they have a romantic relationship, through their emotional intimacy and intensity both in the books and the movies, the fact that they’re living together, and their consistent portrayal as a pair - they give Harry a joint gift, they are on the same side against Molly, they are rarely in conversation without the other, shots of them pan to the other instantly etc. Sirius has someone he loves, can trust and feel secure with.

and now, he also has a godson who loves him unconditionally, who is unconcerned by his trauma or tendency towards mania and depression or his queer portrayal - and in fact seeks reassurance from him specifically because of these things (going to speak to Sirius when he feels he’s going mad, for instance). the bond between Sirius and Harry is beautiful, and instills a constant sense of hope for a happier future in Sirius.

obviously, this is all ripped from him, in a way that’s portrayed as a result of his own inability to follow the rules. he leaves the house when he shouldn’t, rushing into defend Harry without a forethought, and it gets him killed. when JKR can no longer lock him up, she has only one option left.

Conclusion

these stories are important because they tell non-bipolar people how to view and treat bipolar people, and they teach bipolar people the limits they should expect from life. we already live with an at-times scary disorder, which we know has the capacity to tear our lives apart. it can be hard to believe our lives will be okay, or that we’ll find acceptance, friendship, love or family. seeing stories like this where our fears come to life hurts, and it’s scary. Sirius deserved better, and so did every bipolar person who had to read his story

#sirius black #prisoner of azkaban #order of the phoenix #wolfstar #remus lupin #harry potter #bipolar disorder #ch: we choose who we really are #otp: i'm mental about you #hp meta #meta

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