Blog #3

The end of the series brought about many waves of emotion but the final one was definitely relief. The moments that stood out to me the most in Deathly Hallows were all the deaths. Death had always lurked in the Harry Potter series yet in the final book it was completely overwhelming. There were so many innocent deaths. Deaths of people and creatures that represented hope, laughter, and freedom. First Hedwig, then Dobby, and finally Fred, Tonks, and Lupin, all characters that brought joy to Harry’s life. I can understand why these people died but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t devastating.
Greatest moment of The Deathly Hallows for me was when everyone started fighting together. It started with the centaurs, then house elves, and thresals all jumped in all in unity. It was so moving. I absolutely loved it.
My feelings toward Dumbledore have always been kind-hearted and endearing. Throughout Deathly Hallows I did begin to feel some resentment toward him for leaving such a mess for Harry to sort out. After the chapter at Kings Cross all ill feelings toward him disappeared and as it was clear to Harry, it was clear to me why he did the things he did. Deathly Hallows made me appreciate his wisdom and humility even more. However, the discovery of Snape’s true allegiance was less fluffy. Even though find that Snape is really a good guy and madly in love with Lily it is still hard for me to forgive his cruelty.
I would place it in a larger cultural context as one of the greatest pieces of writing for our generation. Harry Potter is the equivalent of The Beatles for novels. There never has been, and probably never will be a single series that influences a generation, and future generations the way Harry has. Yeah, we’ve had Twilight. But that is nothing. In the words of Stephen King, “Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.” It has been an honor to be in this class and learn in-depth about such a fantastic series. Reading the books critically has only made me appreciate them even more, understanding meanings and life lessons I overlooked before. I don’t think I have ever been able to say that I have taken a class whose essay helped me get through personal devastations. Long live Harry Potter!