"Of course it is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?" Harry is told in the final installment of the Harry Potter series… n for a magic-crazy Muggle like myself, the lines describe the entire series and its significance for me! Having read, re-read and read again all of the previous six books, I was waiting with delirious anticipation for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to release and let me get aboard the Hogwarts Express one last time… The questions uppermost on my mind were—
1) Will Harry survive?
2) When I finish reading the book, will I be disappointed??
Thankfully, Harry does survive…coming back from the jaws of death to destroy his nemesis in a glorious battle at Hogwarts. And I don’t think anyone can be disappointed after reading The Deathly Hallows… even though the epilogue seemed a bit too neat and predictable :)
The book is haunted by the themes of love and death, and has the most action of all the books in the series. Rowling unleashes Voldemort right from the beginning with an exhilarating getaway from the Dursley residence to a disastrous end to Bill and Fleur’s wedding and a nerve-wracking escape from Gringotts Bank on the back of an one-eyed dragon after a daring robbery!!
In the 1st book, immortality was represented by the Philosopher’s Stone and here again there comes a moment when Harry can become the master of death, coming in possession of the Deathly Hallows---the unbeatable Elder Wand, the elusive Resurrection Stone and the impenetrable Invisibility Cloak. It is a major test for our hero…and sets a sombre mood. But he chooses to obey Dumbledore’s instructions, inspite of some not-so-favourable insights into his previous Headmaster’s past, and keeps up his hunt for the Horcruxes, thus holding true to the message throughout the series, and particularly the last book, that chasing immortality will lead to your demise and that even the seemingly worthiest of contenders is destined to fail in this quest.
Without the familiar backdrop of Hogwarts, the tale still maintains an unmistakable tone that marks all of Rowling's volumes, though with decidedly less humor (other than Potterwatch which was hilarious!) than usually found, an indication of the darker mood. As Ron, Hermione and Harry battle hunger and persecution in their agonizing quest to defeat Voldemort, several deaths, injustices and beatings along the way serve as constant reminders of why Harry must defeat He Who Must Not Be Named. Hermione’s tortured screams under the Cruciatus curse and Dobby’s death at the Malfoy Manor serve as catalysts when the trail for the Horcruxes seemed to have gone cold. A major personal setback for Harry, in the event of his wand- a shield against Voldemort- snapping in two almost gave the impression that he’ll fail…there seemed to be no hope for the wizarding world!
In contrast, the reconciliation of several estranged characters, such as Kreacher, Percy Weasley, and Dudley Dursley, seemed to give a feeling of hope and rightness, even in the midst of battle. The "connections" in the novel were all delicately put together; not forced to connect. Rowling pieces her story together so meticulously it's flawless. What impressed me most about the story are not only the flawless plot lines, but also the loopholes… “It’s like an amazingly big jigsaw puzzle ... of which you’ll have no clear perception until you struggle to put everything into place and view it from a high vantage point, when the sheer beauty of the thing will stun you.” – writes Riaan Wolmarans. I agree, if not whole-heartedly, because I still have some questions regarding how Neville, in his darkest hour, is given Gryffindor’s sword by the Sorting Hat, since we have no idea how it magically ends up back in the hat after being stolen by the nasty goblin Griphook; and yes, I can’t deny having wanted a fiercer duel between Harry and Voldemort instead of the single incantation that was uttered! !
Admittedly, I sobbed my way through much of the book, but I find myself most saddened by the life story of Severus Snape (‘cause like Harry, I had hated him from the very 1st book and now I regret it) as well as the deaths of Hedwig, Fred Weasley (one of my all time favourite characters), Tonks and Lupin. I was sobered by Albus Dumbledore's life, too, but in many ways, Dumbledore might have been happier, if only he'd allowed himself to be. As he himself had once said “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are." However, the book has some of the best scenes of the series too, and a personal favourite is the one where an enraged Mrs. Weasley duels and kills Bellatrix Lestrange.
Quite a few of the much discussed and debated theories have come true: the most important being Harry is the seventh Horcrux. In the final chapters, when the readers are certain Harry is about to die, Rowling finds a way to bring the bespectacled de facto leader of the wizarding world back to life, without making it completely unbelievable, thereby proving that there is honest hope for all. Which is what I believe is the message intended all along: Despite evil in the world, there will always be hope at the next turn.
1) Will Harry survive?
2) When I finish reading the book, will I be disappointed??
Thankfully, Harry does survive…coming back from the jaws of death to destroy his nemesis in a glorious battle at Hogwarts. And I don’t think anyone can be disappointed after reading The Deathly Hallows… even though the epilogue seemed a bit too neat and predictable :)
The book is haunted by the themes of love and death, and has the most action of all the books in the series. Rowling unleashes Voldemort right from the beginning with an exhilarating getaway from the Dursley residence to a disastrous end to Bill and Fleur’s wedding and a nerve-wracking escape from Gringotts Bank on the back of an one-eyed dragon after a daring robbery!!
In the 1st book, immortality was represented by the Philosopher’s Stone and here again there comes a moment when Harry can become the master of death, coming in possession of the Deathly Hallows---the unbeatable Elder Wand, the elusive Resurrection Stone and the impenetrable Invisibility Cloak. It is a major test for our hero…and sets a sombre mood. But he chooses to obey Dumbledore’s instructions, inspite of some not-so-favourable insights into his previous Headmaster’s past, and keeps up his hunt for the Horcruxes, thus holding true to the message throughout the series, and particularly the last book, that chasing immortality will lead to your demise and that even the seemingly worthiest of contenders is destined to fail in this quest.
Without the familiar backdrop of Hogwarts, the tale still maintains an unmistakable tone that marks all of Rowling's volumes, though with decidedly less humor (other than Potterwatch which was hilarious!) than usually found, an indication of the darker mood. As Ron, Hermione and Harry battle hunger and persecution in their agonizing quest to defeat Voldemort, several deaths, injustices and beatings along the way serve as constant reminders of why Harry must defeat He Who Must Not Be Named. Hermione’s tortured screams under the Cruciatus curse and Dobby’s death at the Malfoy Manor serve as catalysts when the trail for the Horcruxes seemed to have gone cold. A major personal setback for Harry, in the event of his wand- a shield against Voldemort- snapping in two almost gave the impression that he’ll fail…there seemed to be no hope for the wizarding world!
In contrast, the reconciliation of several estranged characters, such as Kreacher, Percy Weasley, and Dudley Dursley, seemed to give a feeling of hope and rightness, even in the midst of battle. The "connections" in the novel were all delicately put together; not forced to connect. Rowling pieces her story together so meticulously it's flawless. What impressed me most about the story are not only the flawless plot lines, but also the loopholes… “It’s like an amazingly big jigsaw puzzle ... of which you’ll have no clear perception until you struggle to put everything into place and view it from a high vantage point, when the sheer beauty of the thing will stun you.” – writes Riaan Wolmarans. I agree, if not whole-heartedly, because I still have some questions regarding how Neville, in his darkest hour, is given Gryffindor’s sword by the Sorting Hat, since we have no idea how it magically ends up back in the hat after being stolen by the nasty goblin Griphook; and yes, I can’t deny having wanted a fiercer duel between Harry and Voldemort instead of the single incantation that was uttered! !
Admittedly, I sobbed my way through much of the book, but I find myself most saddened by the life story of Severus Snape (‘cause like Harry, I had hated him from the very 1st book and now I regret it) as well as the deaths of Hedwig, Fred Weasley (one of my all time favourite characters), Tonks and Lupin. I was sobered by Albus Dumbledore's life, too, but in many ways, Dumbledore might have been happier, if only he'd allowed himself to be. As he himself had once said “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are." However, the book has some of the best scenes of the series too, and a personal favourite is the one where an enraged Mrs. Weasley duels and kills Bellatrix Lestrange.
Quite a few of the much discussed and debated theories have come true: the most important being Harry is the seventh Horcrux. In the final chapters, when the readers are certain Harry is about to die, Rowling finds a way to bring the bespectacled de facto leader of the wizarding world back to life, without making it completely unbelievable, thereby proving that there is honest hope for all. Which is what I believe is the message intended all along: Despite evil in the world, there will always be hope at the next turn.
All through, I was mesmerized by the magical world and once exposed to the both the beautiful and ugly facets of human life, I could identify with them instantly. The emotions experienced by the trio due to their vulnerable isolation, the uncertainty of what lay ahead—as a Muggle about to come of age, I’m facing almost the same things, even if not on such a magnanimous scale. It goes without saying that HP7 is superb in so many countless ways that it is almost mind-boggling; the storyline is exquisitely fluid, the suspense and action are constant and utterly satisfying, the emotional content is multidimensional and personable, and the character development and interaction is simply incredible. I, and probably millions of other fans, leave Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the whole wizarding world with a heart-wrenching bittersweet feeling.
"All was well," as Rowling says, but we shall keep going back to draw strength and inspiration... :)
