Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

By: J.K. Rowling

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO HEAR SPOILERS!!!!!!!!

The final chapter to the story of Harry Potter has finally been made. Did it live up to the hype? Did it meet it’s readers expectations? Was it everything I had wanted and expected? After a three-day run I finally closed the book feeling both pleased and a little depressed. My feelings of conflict seem to be a bit more clear now that more time has passed on to reflect.

The theme was based around two main storylines: Horcruxes and Hallows. The Hallows don’t come to light till nearly halfway through the book, and the Horcruxes even remain strangely obsolete until about a third of the way into the storyline. I’ll break it down into two parts: My likes and dislikes:

Starting with Likes: The book started off magnificantly. From Malfoy Manor to the final goodbye at Privet Drive I was enthralled. When the idea of the “Harry’s” was introduced I knew this book was going to be different from the rest, and immediately thereafter, the death of Moody and Hedgewig, and the injury of George (or Fred, I am endlessly confusing them) told the reader that anything goes, and anyone could die.

Throughout the woods and hiding portion, the mysterious Patronus and the stories about Dumbledore’s dark past was enrapturing. Finally after six novels we have a clear picture of what Dumbledore was actually like. His vieled personality up to this point has been a frustrating, yet compelling mystery, but in Hallows it was no more. Not only was Dumbledore power hungry, but he dabbled in dark magic, and was not only tempted by it, but to an extent driven as well. His connection to Harry, his own mangled childhood, and his final plotting for the destruction of Voldemort was laid out perfectly.

The development and end for some of our favorite charecters was fantastic. For Neville to finally come into his own and become a hero in his own right was more than merely satisfying. The fact that Dumbledores Army continued after Harry, Hermione, and Ron were no longer there to lead it. Hermione and Rons growth into adulthood, yet still the youthful same qualities. (I.E. Ron’s stubborness and infiriorty complex-leaving Harry and Hermione) The resolve of all of those left to the Order of the Phoenix to be willing to lay down all of their lives, so those thereafter had a chance to actually live.

The explanation at the end of the Hallows and the Horcruxes was laid out brilliantly and delivered perfectly in the end, and the mystery of Harry and Voldemorts actual connection was wholely and completely revealed.

The most satisfing aspect for me was the revalation that Snape was in fact all along a good guy, even though he was still a yuckity greasy gross man who was obssessively in love with Lily. It was true to this charecter and still allowed him to be a good guy. I was so happy after seven novels to be proven right about my instinct.

Onto the bad: It began with the woods. How many pages of it was there? The repitition, the fighting, the dullness, and the depression of those few hundred pages were nauseating. I read the majority of the book in one day, but spent at least two just on the wood scenes. The worst of the worst was the description of the locket Horcrux for me. The wearing it around the neck, the tearing each other apart, and the evil it gave to whomever wore it was way too Frodo and Lord of the Rings for me, and everytime there was mention of it, it irked me.

The next issue I had was the Deathly Hallows themselves. I thought they were cool, the idea behind them smooth, but as a friend pointed out, with the exception of the Eldar Wand and the walk with Dumbledore, how did they really push the plot forward? What did they have to do with the story, other than create a distraction for Harry away from the Horcruxes? I’ve wondered about this and though still not sold think it was possibly a test from Dumbledore to see if Harry could overcome to urge and desire for power himself, to do what was neccessary, because even Dumbledore succumbed to temptation by trying the Horcrux ring on, and thereby ending his own life, but his own greed. Harry overcame that desire by finally making the choice to get the Horcruxes instead, even though he desired the Hallows more and knew Voldemort wanted the Eldar Wand. This epiphany has changed my mind about the relevance of the Hallows as I now believe they were an intricate and important part of the story itself.

After that, I had only a few small reservations: Essentially the deaths of Lupin, Tonks, and Fred (or GEorge????). Sure they were at the climatic ending of the story but the vagueness of emotional detachment to their deaths seemed awkward and out of place, and I don’t understand why Molly was trying to take Bellatrix down, instead of mourning her dead son. Someone else should have had the kill on Bellatrix, too many had personal vendetta’s against. I personally thought it should have been Neville. Yes, he got the wicked scene of taking off Nagini’s head, but really he suffered the most from Bellatrix’s evil, and he should have been the one to end her.

Other than that, just the fight between Harry and Lupin. It was strange and really seemed to serve no point, even Tonks having the baby seemed a bit out of place in the story, almost like it was just shoved in with a sentence here or there and then immediately ignored thereafter.

And lastly I LOATHED the epilouge. LOATHED it. The rest I could have done without, but didn’t ruin the story for me, but the epilouge was just terrible. I really wish it would have just left the rest of Harry’s life open ended, we all knew he’d be happily ever after and marry Ginny. We didn’t need to have their kids being sent off to Hogwarts being named Lily, James, and Albus. Way over the top for me. Maybe some people needed that closure, but I like the idea better of giving the reader their own imagination to decide how it all ended up, instead of writing it for them, but that’s a personal choice.

All in all great book. And mostly a fantastic ending to a beautiful and wonderful epic tale, that in reality just kind of dealt with the evil trials and tribulations that is adolescence which I believe J.K. captured perfectly. Joss Whedon, the creater of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, said the reason he made her a teenager and the reason he put monsters in high school was more or less a tongue in cheek metaphor for his own adolescence in which high school was, “a nightmare”. In a lot of ways I saw this tale about Harry as the same. I can’t wait to read the stories to my boys s they get older and grow. Bravo.

In Order of My favorite:

1.Prisoner Of Azkaban
2.Goblet of Fire
3.The Order Of the Phoenix
4.The Deathly Hallows
5.The Socerers Stone
6.The Half Blood Prince
7.The Chamber of Secrets