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by R.J. Carter Published: July 30, 2007
J.K. Rowling has blessed the world with a unique and wonderful gift, and if there's any justice in the cosmos, she'll be rewarded for the use of her talents beyond mere finances. To say that the Harry Potter stories have entered the fabled realm of literary classic has been said so much now as to leech the phrase of all its impact meaning, and whenever a new author comes on the scene with an interesting tale for kids, it's standard to issue praise along the lines of Move over, Harry Potter. But the series is a classic nonetheless, and for all the right reasons: it's an epic quest that threads through all seven novels, culminating in this final chapter of the saga of Hogwarts. I've heard a number of people say that they haven't started this book yet, because they're re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to get back up to speed before jumping in. Let me say this: that is not enough. To fully appreciate what Rowling has wrought, you should start over with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and move forward from there, because there is minutiae in all the books that -- while seemingly trivial at the time -- have various impacts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I also realize that a number of people are avoiding book reviews for fear of having things spoiled. And to be fair, I'll have to spoil a few things -- else there's precious little to discuss. But it will hardly be anything worthy of a true experience spoiler, so if you haven't read the book yet, nothing here should ruin your experience. One of the things I found of interest early on in the book were the words of gossip-monger Rita Skeeter, as she's interviewed regarding a poisonous biography she's written of Albus Dumbledore. Particularly, I found it entertaining that Skeeter was both very much against having the juicy bits of the book spoiled for readers before it hit the shelves, while simultaneously dropping in little hints of might bes and could bes, and I could easily see this as a reflection of Rowling's same comments given in interviews leading up to this final publication; and I wonder if this was intentional on Rowling's part, allowing a bit of herself to slip through the persona of Rita Skeeter. Skeeter's biography of Dumbledore feeds Harry's growing doubts of the man he's placed so much faith and trust in. Through Skeeter and others, Harry learns different versions of the tragic tale of Dumbledore's family, and of things Dumbledore did in his youth that make Harry think twice about the seeming altruism Harry had seen the Hogwarts headmaster express in his presence. "For the Greater Good", was a motto of the young Dumbledore, and it's a historic phrase that's been used to excuse a ton of evil in the world, and as the story progresses, we're forced to reevaluate the wizard: Was he truly who we believed him to be all this time? Throughout the adventure, Voldemort and the Death Eaters gradually take over, beginning a purge to leave the wizarding world full of purebloods only, a cleansing with echoes of the Hitler's Nazi regime. First they come for the Mudbloods, then the Blood Traitors (purebloods who associate or marry into Mudbloods) and finally for anyone who disagrees with them at all. Voldemort sets the entire Ministry of Magic on Harry's trail, putting Harry, Hermione, and Ron on the run -- which they were planning to do anyway, since Dumbledore had given Harry the mission to find -- and destroy -- the horcruxes into which Voldemort had stored pieces of his soul. But Harry has discovered the existence of something else -- the Deathly Hallows, which, if united, could make him powerful enough to defeat Voldemort. And so he is torn between what to seek out -- hallows or horcruxes. What did Dumbledore really want Harry to do? In this story, we really see the characters come into their own, leaving their childhood and becoming the heroes they were all meant to be. There are areas where Ron Weasley is the leader, where Neville Longbottom is the confident revolutionary -- and we see Harry Potter address Lord Voldemort in a way no one has ever dared. Sadly, we'll also say goodbye to a great number of characters we've been introduced to over the course of the story. I won't confirm who they are here, but if you have a pet theory about who will die, then let's just say that the odds of you being right are probably fairly high. As for quoting any of the text, I'll deliver to you only this little tidbit -- advice given to Harry about Voldemort that, with very little effort, could just as easily apply to the Harry Potter series of stories, for those who simply don't get why a children's tale has so firmly grasped the fascination of readers across continents and across generations: Thank you, Ms. Rowling. Well done. |
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