I adore these books for several reasons. First, J.K. Rowling is a gifted writer. Her plots are full of twists, her characters are true-to-life, her humor is warm yet sophisticated. Second, the topic of magic holds enduring interest. I think most people believe that forces beyond our physical senses are at work in the world, whether we call it God, love, imagination, or creativity. Magic is a fanciful explanation for those things that are beyond empirical explanation. Third, the books deal with some of the weightiest, most universal topics: loyalty, sacrifice, integrity. Most importantly, they grapple with death. As the series has progressed, we readers have learned that the evil wizard Voldemort's motivation is his quest for immortality. "There is nothing worse than death!" Voldemort declares as he fights with Harry's mentor Dumbledore at the end of Book 5 ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"). Here is Dumbledore's response.
"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore, still closing in upon Voldemort and speaking as lightly as though they were discussing the matter over drinks. ... "Indeed, your failure to understand there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness ... ."Children's literature often deals with these primeval issues better than adult literature, because it's not embarrassed to address them directly, again and again.
Finally, Harry Potter has an extensive and active online fan base that writes endlessly about the series and what it means. My favorite site it MuggleNet. (Muggle is the name for a non-magical person), particularly the brilliant editorials that fans write explaining the books. My favorite recent editorial is about the role of death in the books. Read it here.
Here are a few of my own predictions for the series:
I think Harry or Dumbledore will inevitably die before the end of the series. Dumbledore's death would fall into the Obi Wan Kenobe archetype of the loyal teacher who sacrifices himself, thereby passing on the mantle of wisdom to his student. Harry's death would fit into the Christ archetype, the innocent who gives his life for the greater good. There's a great deal of Christian symbolism in the Harry Potter books, because the books draw on a lot of European folklore and symbolism. (But I don't think the Harry Potter books are a Christian allegory in the way that C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia are.) If Dumbledore dies, it will be in Book 6; if Harry dies, it will be in Book 7.
My sister and I have read all the Harry Potter books and discussed them together. One of my earliest childhood memories is my sister saying, "Let's play 'WITCHES!'" We'd then make frightening concoctions that included my dad's discarded aftershave, flower petals and food coloring. Yikes!
One final addendum ... McSweeney's has published a note about what we can all learn about the book based on the previously released cover art work. Read it here. Sample insight:
Given his prominent placement on the cover, it is unlikely that the first line of the book will be "Harry was surprised and saddened by Dumbledore's sudden death, and he vowed to never think of the old wizard again."You can see the cover art work here.
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