Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
JK Rowling's Book and the Legacy of the Potter Series
Reviews and spoilers have focussed upon the body count and the plot of the final Potter installment, but what is the legacy of the series and the hype surrounding it?
Muggles have been waiting for up to a decade for JK Rowling’s seventh and (she has insisted) final novel about the world’s most famous boy wizard. The media hype surrounding the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows grew to a fever pitch as the extraordinary security measures taken by publishers to guard the book’s plot secrets were tested by internet spoilers and unauthorized reviews in some major newspapers.
However, The Deathly Hallows is not simply about plot points or casualties gathered together with 600 pages of filler. It is about a group of beloved fictional characters with whom Rowling and her fans have developed relationships over many years spent together.
The book is packed with action and twists and it is engrossing in true Rowling style; thus, it will not disappoint fans. There is a lot of explaining going on in this book, and younger readers may have a difficult time grasping it all, however Rowling manages to tie up an extraordinary number of loose ends in a coherent fashion.
The Deathly Hallows is also the most cinematic book of the series, featuring complex visual compositions, action and special effects described in three-dimensional detail. The device of the Pensieve – which allows the characters (and the reader) to travel like an omniscient observer through many linked episodes of another person’s memories – appears once again as a convenient means of conveying a lot of background information in a short period of time.
The novel is packed with wholesome moral and philosophical values, perhaps more melodramatically and blatantly demonstrated than ever before but after all, this is the grand finale and the one last chance to hammer home the messages of the entire series. Rowling reminds readers about the value of friendship and empathy, as well as the importance of courage and responsibility. She has long explored the impact of self-esteem and self-confidence on one’s success in life. In that sense, for all the discussion of mythic creatures, the classic battle of good vs. evil and the complete lack of modern technology within the stories, this is a thoroughly modern series.
Neither the epic complexity nor the positive values embedded in the text will dissuade Potter cynics, who claim the novels are shallow, clumsily written and fail to contribute to a culture of literacy beyond themselves. However, that is a significant burden to place upon any book or single author, however wealthy she may be.
Is The Deathly Hallows any good? Sure, and it is a lot of fun. Contrary to the assertions of intellectual snobs, reading Harry Potter will not interfere with a child’s ability to appreciate or gain access to the many classics that have endured for generations.
Unlike other books, Harry and his adventures have become a true pop culture phenomenon. However, in a mass media environment where the lifespan of trends has become increasingly short and the expression of trends increasingly managed by corporate executives, Harry Potter has outlasted the competition. Fans insist this is because the books are more satisfying and challenging than other pop phenomena, making Harry truly unique.
Fans who have devoured the last book are already looking forward to more Harry Potter movies, not to mention related merchandise. Rowling insists that she will (probably) not write another book about the Hogwarts gang, but she has included a rather unnecessary short chapter entitled “Nineteen Years Later” (following the inevitable blowout between our hero and the evil Lord Voldemort) at the end of The Deathly Hallows, implying that life does indeed go on.
