As a
huge fan of the Harry Potter books I would have to say that I truly enjoyed the
way in which J.K. Rowling chose to wrap up the series. The only issue that I,
and many others, seem to have with the end of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows is the epilogue. I can
understand the frustration that many Potter fans have with this ending because
of how brief the conclusion is. But in the grand scheme of things I would have
to say that the feeling of finality that it creates for me severely dampens my
feelings of frustration. Following Harry through these seven novels has been a
rollercoaster of emotions. The extreme lows and highs that we experience with
Rowling’s characters is a true testament to how masterfully the series has been
written. To finally get to see Harry and his friends truly experience a world
of joy, lacking fear of evil and impending doom is refreshing. Although there
are some aspects that are not covered in the epilogue, how life has turned out
for characters like Luna and George are particularly disappointing to me, it
may have been too much to add in an epilogue for Rowling to discuss how every
characters life has turned out. Most of the questions that were left unanswered
by the epilogue were discussed by Rowling in a later interview speaks to the importance
she places in her fans.
As far
as problematic aspects of the series I would say the only thing that left me
somewhat confused was the true owner of the elder wand. If the only way to truly
become the master of the wand is to win it in a duel with its current owner,
how did Grindelwald come to own the wand? Unless I missed an important section
of the novel it seems that he broke into Gregorovitch’s shop and stole the wand
from him. I understand that Grindelwald shot Gregorovitch with a stunning
spell, but that hardly seems like a duel. Maybe my confusion stems from not completely
understanding how the wand chooses a new owner but to me it still seems
somewhat murky.
As far
as my feelings towards Dumbledore and Snape are concerned I would have to say that
my opinions of them have been altered by the information that we have learned
from this final novel. I have a new found, dare I say it, respect for Snape.
Considering all that he is done for his love of Lilly is touching to me.
Although I was never a fan of his treatment of Harry, considering Harry’s resemblance
to the man that has caused him so much pain and torture, it is almost
understandable. It was also relieving to know that Dumbledore was right to put
so much faith in Snape. As an audience we really get to see the flaws of
Dumbledore in this novel as well. He has clearly made many mistakes in his
past, but I would not consider these flaws to diminish his character, but
actually, they enhance it. It is sometimes easy to forget that these wizards
are in fact human and capable of making mistakes and to see Dumbledore in this
light makes him a better character because most of the time we only get to
experience and read about the good deeds he has accomplished.
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