While the sorting hat has the ability to look inside oneself and examine one’s intent and purpose, it only really sees the potential one may have. Sadly, most people do not fulfill their greatest potential, most make decisions that send them down the wrong path. Therefore, we see that sorting is a problem. The sorting hat does not have the ability to see what one will do in their life; it has been seen that the sorting hat can rely on lineage to sort a student. For example, the sorting hat had barely grazed the top of Draco Malfoy’s head before exclaiming “SLYTHERIN!” and all of the Weasley family members have been sorted into Gryffindor. While using families as a structure for sorting, it also poses a problem as it has reinforced the stereotypes of the houses as the hatred of one another is passed on from and elder generation to the younger.
Sirius Black is an example of an exception to the trend of sorting for the continuity of houses within a family as his entire family are historically Slytherin and he was sorted into Gryffindor. This makes sense as we know through Harry Potter's experience that the sorting hat does take one’s opinion into account. As Sirius genuinely loathed his family, what they stood for, and was vocal about his hatred, it is no surprise he was sorted into Gryffindor.
When sorting Harry’s year, the sorting hat mentioned students having a “strong mind.” Each house provides a different context; thus, having a “strong mind” could mean many things. However, one could infer that this is most likely connected to the will of the student being sorted. If the student has hope, ambition, or opinions, the sorting hat has the ability to sort based on these qualities.
First years start at Hogwarts at the age of eleven. They are young, so their brains and thought processes are still developing, they do not have fully formed opinions at such a young age. While magic has the ability to render science useless, this fact of neuro-cognitive development cannot be ignored. The sorting hat makes this decision that will influence the students greatly in their development, and for an undeveloped brain it is ridiculous.
The simplest, yet also troubling, problem that sorting presents is the possibility of uneven houses. It is almost statistically impossible for there to be a group of first year students that divide evenly into four groups based on who they are and their personal characteristics, yet it happens year after year. What if one year every child should be sorted into Gryffindor? This is a problem that often gets overlooked. Sorting is a flawed yet necessary part of Hogwarts and encourages introspection. However, only at the end do we really understand how little it matters what house one belongs to, as love and magic are common between all of wizardkind.
