The Finale
J.K. Rowling delivered an excellent closing to the phenomenal
Harry Potter series. My favorite part was the epic, breath-taking battle between
good and evil at Hogwarts Castle. Furthermore, I appreciate how J.K. let the
characters evolve throughout the series and revealed their major breakthroughs
in the series’ epic finale. The execution of this evolution helped deliver the
message that anything is possible and encouraged us not to judge a book by its
cover and look forward to growth. Upon the finale of the series, we see the
beloved Dumbledore become distant and mysterious while Snape transitions from a
spiteful enemy to a surprising ally. We see Harry find his identity and move
from lost to found, Hermione transition from insecure know-it-all to proud heroine,
and Ron to find individuality and to shine through the shadows of his siblings
and friends. Not only do we become a part of the growth of the characters
within the series, we see an ongoing battle between “good and evil” as the
Death Eaters wreck havoc, class battles—both between years in Hogwarts and
bloodline (i.e. 7th year > 3rd year & pure-blood
> Mudblood.), and much more in one of the best stories written in our time.
My favorite part of reopening the series is being able to
take the perceptions I had as an adolescent reading the series and comparing
them to the feeling I have now, especially viewing the series from an
analytical perspective versus one of sole recreation. I am ecstatic to be a
part of the fandom that gets to recognize the series as an exceptional piece of
literature of our time that compares to the likes of historic pieces created
other great writers of their time, possibly even Shakespeare. (Or better!)
The characters that stood out to me the most in the end were
Dumbledore and Snape. What intrigued me about their stories was the
contradiction their trues selves had in the end against their former selves in
the beginning. Snape was the asshole professor who really had it against Harry.
He was the head of Slytherin, the “enemy house”, was believed and perceived to
be a Death Eater, treated Harry and his friends crudely, etc. to prove to be a
bad guy. This transition is revealed when we see the story of the past showing
Snape’s love for Lily. In that moment, we begin to questions whether Snape
hates Harry because he’s the child of James, or love him because he is the
child of Lily. In the end, we then see Snape reveal himself as quite a hero,
protecting Harry the entire time and working with Dumbledore and crew to take
down Voldemort while playing “double agent” with the Death Eaters.
Yin to yang in this bad-to-good story is Dumbledore’s
good-to-bad story. Dumbledore is first perceived as one of (if not the) greatest wizards of all time, but
throughout the story he starts to become more cold and distant, throwing Harry
through all sorts of hoops in his journey. In addition, the media taints his
perception and his overall view from the people changes into a bit of a
letdown. Rowling takes the readers on a bit of a rollercoaster of trust and
emotions with this one, leaving him to be quite the mysterious character that
could throw anything at his audience. As the plot continues, he become more
distant, cold, and confusing for Harry and gang. We can’t believe our thoughts
as we begin to challenge his intentions and who is really is as he fades into
darkness, leaving Harry a bit frustrated and melancholy. She then delivered a
great storyline in Dumbledore’s death, restoring his greatness and thickening
the plotline with Snape as his slayer who is later revealed to have been
ordered by Dumbledore! Great writing!
While I really enjoyed the ending of Harry’s career at
Hogwarts, the prologue has me a bit torn. While I respect Rowling for trying to
adjourn the series into a close, it sort of ruined the experience for the
readers to fantasize about the future of the characters and crushed the dream
of the series continuing on.
…Or has it?
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