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July 23, 2007
Harry Potter and the End
I read the first four or five Harry Potter book, mostly for work purposes - I wrote about the series a couple of times, and since the issue was on the front burner of the religion - pop culture stove for a cuople of years, I needed to keep up.
But it's not exactly in my consciousness in the same way now, even though Katie did get her copy (not at midnight, though), and proceeded to read it in about 7 hours. (She, unlike many, didn't re-read the first 6 again before this release, but reading the last one (which she loved) moved her to go back now and re-read, to see how the puzzle pieces all fit together in hindsight. I went up to her room last night and she was half-way through the first one, a volume which looked like a Gideon Bible in comparison to the last few tomes.)
So...do you have any Harry Potter stories? If you read the latest, what did you think? What did your offspring think? I've read here and there that there are, indeed, Christian allusions - to Matthew Matthew 6:21, for example. Were John Granger's predictions correct?
And the epilogue...some readers think the epilogue is lame. I wondered if was in part an attempt to head off at least some potential fan fiction at the pass...
Fr. Z....Harry Potter and the....Libation Bearers?
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
Here is a really long post by one of my offsprings that you might be interested in reading:
http://susalyn.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Linda at Jul 23, 2007 9:59:15 AM
I thought the epilogue was necessary, since all the death and destruction involved in bringing the story to a conclusion made it difficult to have a "happy" ending. I mean, could you imagine Ron and Hermione and Harry all looking at each other and having a laugh -- even a rueful one -- as they sit in the corpse-strewn ruins of Hogwarts? The flash-forward epilogue allowed the book to end with us seeing the principles happily together. And if you recall that this at least started out as a series of children's books, I don't think the attempt to have the characters happy at the end is a bad thing.
One aspect I did find troubling was Dumbledore's choice of what might be called "Wizard-assisted" suicide. I'm not sure his actions need to be interpreted in exactly this way, but certainly could be.
I also found it interesting that Harry did not recognize the quotation from Paul ("The last enemy to be destroyed is death") on his parent's tombstone. Not only does he not recognize it, he doesn't even understand it, until Hermione explain it to him. In part I think this is a reflection of just how secularized England has become -- Harry is a typical English boy, with no knowledge of Christianity. But it is also interesting how Rowling insinuates this Christian text into the book, without even identifying it as such. Let those who have ears to hear. . .
Posted by: F C Bauerschmidt at Jul 23, 2007 10:03:53 AM
And the epilogue...some readers think the epilogue is lame. I wondered if was in part an attempt to head off at least some potential fan fiction at the pass...
I read that Rowling wrote the Epilogue seventeen years ago when she first began the series. She always knew that is how it would end.
Posted by: francis at Jul 23, 2007 10:21:06 AM
There's really too much in the book to put in a comment.
I liked it. It was an impressive ending and well-written, maybe the best of the series. I think Newsweek had a story about it last week called "The Only One Dead In Harry Potter is God", comparing it to the more identifiably Christian fantasy lit of LOTR and Narnia. And it's true, in the midst of this flood of Christian ethics, there is no God. At all. And that makes the book ring slightly hallow (no pun intended) for me...because I read it as everything but God, but there is no God, so with God there is nothing, and it's just a little weird.
To be candid, I think the Mt 6:21 allusion is accidental. It's a common phrase that has jumped the Biblical barrier into pop culture.
I think the 'planned death' piece (Snape killing Dumbledore) is very questionable ethically, although when put in Just War terms...let's say I'm bothered by the way it is presented and not convinced, but thinking about it.
Yeah, the epilogue was a little lame, but it would have felt weird without knowing some of the basics of the rest of their lives. I thought one line was great.
It's a good read, and gives you some food for thought. I'll leave it at that.
Posted by: Ironic Catholic at Jul 23, 2007 10:24:10 AM
I flew from Houston to Baltimore on Saturday and I would say that at a minimum, 10% of the flying public was reading Harry Potter. Even the airport security personnel were walking around with their nose in Harry Potter.
Posted by: Catholic Mom at Jul 23, 2007 10:55:51 AM
If you hated the epilogue, then you must have hated the last chapter of "The Return of the King." But Sam saying "Well, I'm back" in the heart of his family has grown to be my favorite scene in the trilogy, and i suspect the Potteriad epilogue will grow to occupy the same place in the hearts, if not the critical faculties, of fans as they grow older.
Your mileage may vary.
Posted by: Jeff at Jul 23, 2007 11:02:19 AM
Thomas Hibbs has an excellent review of HP and the Deathly Hallows at the National Review Online: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODkyNTkxZDlkNzljNjJmNzgzMmZlYzhhODJkYTJmN2Q=
I think you're right about the epilogue. Personally, I didn't mind it at all, although I did think it was a bit unnecessary.
I was happy to see confirmation of my view about horcruxes (in comments at http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/2006/09/let_harry_potte.html) which I now know is also stated in Granger's book (second edition) Looking for God in Harry Potter.
Overall, I liked HP and the Deathly Hallows a lot. As usual, Rowling's prose could use more aggressive editing, but nonetheless I think the book brought the series to a satisfying close.
Posted by: Michael Kremer at Jul 23, 2007 11:04:55 AM
Besides Matthew, the line on his parents' tomb is "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" - from 1 Cor 15.
This isn't an explicitly Christian work, but love triumphs. And if you can give Narnia to kids, why not this?
I suppose it would have been nice to put the references into an author's note at the end. In our secularist world, I am not terribly sure that people would recognize these as quotations from Scripture, just nice aphorisms that sound vaguely familiar.
I thought that the end of the book actually would not 'stopper up' fan sequels. But further "Next Generation" stories of Hogwarts wouldn't have the cachet of the struggle against evil and Voldemort. (Of course, Star Trek did manage to do this, without always fighting Klingons.)
One last thought: Most of this seems to be a commentary on Nazism, with a temporary takeover of government, a campaign for pure blood and an underground resistance. Maybe it is so obvious it doesn't merit commenting, but if it is an analogy to anything, it is to the Third Reich.
Posted by: anon at Jul 23, 2007 11:13:56 AM
I am not a fan of potter. The occult is nothing to think innocuous. I have seen the 'spell' kits and other 'toys' relating to this phenomenon. And we had 'fortune tellers' there at the bookstorss for this new book.
I had a spiritual director who was also an exorcist. He rued the day the harry potter books came to light. I know many say they are wonderful and their children are reading. Would they say that about a poison because a picky eater was eating?
Withcraft and wizardry are no joke and to make it seem like a harmless fairy tale is a great disservice.
But 'all is well' says the evil one; there is no harm here...
Posted by: Ave Maria at Jul 23, 2007 11:17:33 AM
Matthew 6:21 was quoted in there explicitly, as an epitaph on one of the tombstones in Godric's Hollow churchyard. (That's not much of a spoiler, I hope.) There were others, too, although I'm at work and can't cite them right now.
Posted by: craig at Jul 23, 2007 11:32:06 AM
I've enjoyed the series and thought this last one wrapped things up nicely. Bit disappointed with the two "effing"s, the "BITCH!" and the wand/penis joke.
Posted by: Boko Fittleworth at Jul 23, 2007 12:04:43 PM
Ironic Catholic:
The quote from Matthew is in no way accidental. It's too close to the direct quote from 1 Corinthians 15: 26 ("The last enemy to be defeated is death") which is inscribed on Harry's parents gravestone.
Note also: there is no direct reference to God, but Harry visits his parents' grave on Christmas Eve (and: they're buried in the church graveyard) -- and there are carols being sung in the church, and light from the stained glass windows coloring the snow...
There is no God in The Lord of the Rings, but that doesn't prevent it from being a deeply Christian book -- as I believe Harry Potter to be as well.
Posted by: Michael Kremer at Jul 23, 2007 12:40:30 PM
The scriptural references are not at all accidental - JK Rowling is a member of the Church of Scotland, and this last book is thouroughly inspired by the Christian Gospel. Now it's not perfectly 'Catholic,' but the Christian message is definitely in there.
Posted by: Jim at Jul 23, 2007 12:46:55 PM
I appreciate Ave Maria's concerns about occult, but only a little. What, condemn books about witches and warlocks, and NOT condemn every other form of sorcery - the Internet, video games, 'roid rage, mind altering chemicals, organized sports, organized politics, processed food, Sadaam, Osama?
Don't be such a literalist.
Anything that distracts from the love of God in Christ, proclaimed by the Church, is suspect, kids book or not. An overt focus on the Rowling books as evil because (gosh) they deal with the occult is also hardly innocuous. The best way to teach our kids about the hazards of the world in general, and the personification of evil in particular is to NAME IT. Name it, show it, fight it, which Harry and his mates do admirably.
Posted by: Mark Andrews at Jul 23, 2007 1:01:47 PM
The inscription on another grave is "Where thy treasure is they heart also shall be" which is also Biblical.
The epilogue is very like the discarded one for LOTR, available in THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE EARTH. Readers will be curious how the characters turned out afterwards. No harm.
There were many good sequences in DH and the characterizations of Harry, Ron, and Hermione deepened. The Christian parallels were made more explicit. But the structure is jerky, with large dumps of exposition and throngs of spearcarriers milling around. I objected to the introduction of a brand new category of magical objects this late in the game. At least, those are the reactions of my younger daughter and I.
Posted by: Sandra Miesel at Jul 23, 2007 1:04:02 PM
I resisted rushing out for the fifth and sixth Harry Potter books when they went on sale (too much hype); but since this was the last, I picked it up Sunday from a huge stack at Stop & Shop while I was there to pick up my daughter's birthday cake. (Hey, if they're cheesy enough to sell it at Stop & Shop, don't blame me for being cheesy enough to buy it there.)
Finished it off last night. All in all, Rowling wrapped it up quite well, but I don't think in the last analysis she killed off anywhere near the number of major characters the media was hinting at. Mr. Weasely had 'Star Trek security guard' written all over him from the get-go....
Posted by: John Farrell at Jul 23, 2007 1:10:09 PM
Will try to keep this slightly vague w/o too many spoilers.
Initially I was slightly disappointed with the book because I had discussed it so much with friends that I think I went into it with unreasonable expectations of how the themes of love and sacrafice, which have always been in the novels, would play out, forgetting that this is children's literature and not a theological treatise. Also, I think JKR as a writer got slightly over her head in trying to deal with these issues. Her prose has always been a bit clumsy, and I think she got bogged down at some points, for example when Dumbledore and Harry were talking at the end, by her own imagination and the explanations of what had happened didn't work that well. There is a reason why Christianity refers to these things as mysteries.
Ultimately, though, I am pleased with the book and love the series. HPDH was a riproaring good read. Sadly, fantasy seems to be the only place in our current society where topics of good and evil, love and sacrafice, what sin can do to souls (her description of Voldemort in the chapter 'King's Cross' is chilling), is allowed to be discussed because, it isn't real you see (insert sarcasm). I think she is an heir to Tolkein and Lewis, not as great, but certainly allowed in their company.
Whether there is a hollowness to the books because there is a lack of God... I don't know. I never got that sense, because everytime she mentioned Love, I thought of God. (Tolkein doesn't have God in the LoTR, either, if I remember correctly, only from the Simarillion do we know there is one; see also JKR Vancouver interview mentioned by Gardiner). If these books had been written 75 years ago, I think they would have been seen as much more Christian than people see them now. Any Harry Potter internet board that discusses symbolism or the like (and I frequent some) is filled with posts like, 'Oh, yes, he was a sacrafice like Jesus, but really, don't all mythologies have something like this?' An almost willful blindness to see what's there, and that is the saddest thing to me. Because these people, who have so loved these stories and been moved by them, can't look for the real thing, can't look beyond the myth for the myth that is true.
Posted by: Mary at Jul 23, 2007 1:14:33 PM
One thing to bear in mind, in this discussion of whether the book is "Christian", is Chesterton's point that all myths are ultimately about Christ. Any observer would have to admit that the Christian themes and images in this book are quite striking, especially that of salvific, self-sacrificing love. The point is even driven home by the title of the next-to-last chapter.
All in all, I found it a very exciting and at times moving book. I greatly appreciated the epilogue -- if you care about the characters, wouldn't you want to know?
Posted by: Ed Mechmann at Jul 23, 2007 1:24:44 PM
I agree Ed, about the epilogue, and let me just say, it is nice to discuss this with people who have both finished the book and are coming from the same point of view.
Posted by: Mary at Jul 23, 2007 1:42:12 PM
Just finished this morning around 4 a.m. trying to keep ahead of my eldest daughter. I was determined to get to the end before her to better answer her questions. From a writing point of view, HP7 ties up everything neatly yet I kept feeling throughout that it was so rushed, jumping from scene to scene, plot resolution to plot resolution mercilessly; quite a feat for a 700+ page book.
The epilogue I felt was a harmless sweet ending but also I felt Rowling was trying to end where she had begun (nearly), using repetition to bring a more artistic closing scene.
Disappointments: Harry's blood relatives don't have as much a role in the story as I had hoped they would. The explanation of Dumbledore's death yes, was a bit iffy. I wish she had taken more time to write a stronger scene. Maybe she didn't realize she was tapping into a cultural minefield with some of her language there. Finally, the use of the "b-word" in humungous capital letters; one instance only but it was annoying. I can stand the use of a few hells and damns sprinkled thoughout even in a children's book but maybe because it's a vulgar personal insult it bothered me more (not that the insulted character didn't deserve it).
Favorite moments (trying not to spoil things!): Harry being strengthened by the presence of the "saints" and his decision to enter the final conflict in the way he did (much like Aslan).
Generally I appreciated the continued chasteness of the romances in the story and overall elevation of marriage.
Thinking about that epilogue again, I am sure that one thing that Rowling will be scorned for (by certain feminist, politically correct or new age types) is her insistence on a conventional happy ending. As a parent of four, I think it is wonderful that the most popular book series of this generation ends the way it does.
Posted by: LeeAnn at Jul 23, 2007 1:52:19 PM
I think we as a society have forgotten how to write happy endings -- and how to read them. Rowling's epilogue was satisfactory for me, taken in this light. Why wouldn't we want to know how things turn out down the road? This is the "and they grew up and got married", which would have happened in a couple of paragraphs in just about any children's book you care to mention fifty or sixty years ago. Look at the end of "The Horse and His Boy" for a comparison. If we need it to be longer for Harry Potter, it is because the book is so much darker. And if the book is darker, I think that reflects on our society as well as on Rowling's vision.
Posted by: scotch meg at Jul 23, 2007 2:06:19 PM
I don't think that the epilogue was pat or conventional. The point it was making had to do with the reason for sacrifice. It's not for ourselves, nor for the people who have gone before. It had seemed in the earlier books that Harry's motivations were often the dead, particularly his parents. It seemed like revenge. But the reason for making the world better is for the sake of, well, you know...
Posted by: Kathy at Jul 23, 2007 3:01:40 PM
Actually, Michael and others, I do this is a book with many substantial Christian themes. It is not an allegory, though. That's all. I guess, personally, I'd prefer an allegory. And it's hard to guess authorial intent. I still guess the Mt 6 reference was not terribly deliberate, but it's just a guess.
I liked the comment from Chesterton about all myths ultimately having to do with Christ. Some better than others, I suppose.
Posted by: Ironic Catholic at Jul 23, 2007 3:10:53 PM
I could wish that the book had been better executed in some ways, and maybe there'll be a revised version or some kind of worldbuilding info to tell us more. (I do feel sorry for Slytherin House.)
But all in all, Rowling finished her series respectably. She also threw all her Christian cards on the table, very plainly. I don't know how much more plainly she could do it, without including a giant flashing neon sign and an explicit plea to come to Jesus.
Of course, that's not stopping those Christians who see her as some kind of Wiccan propagandist who sold her soul at the Glasgow crossroads. But it does make their misreading much more obvious.
*waiting for my clansman Michael O'Brien to apologize to the lady, but not holding my breath*
Posted by: Maureen at Jul 23, 2007 3:29:11 PM
Because these people, who have so loved these stories and been moved by them, can't look for the real thing, can't look beyond the myth for the myth that is true.
Mary is right on here. As much as I love the HP books, their popularity makes me inwardly sigh when I think of what so many readers are missing right under their noses.
Posted by: J. Christian at Jul 23, 2007 3:46:14 PM
