Posted on 07/21/2007 5:18:11 PM PDT by JenB
So you finally know what happens to Harry. All our questions are answered. Or not. What are your reactions? Whose death hurt the most? Do you want more, and about whom?
SPOILERS are ok on this thread! You have been warned!
Wow. It's over.
7 books.
Heinlein wrote because he had to, too, no matter what he said. You can’t do otherwise and write something worth reading.
Also, her name is “Rowling”, pronounced like “bowling”, fyi.
I was most taken by the explicit bible verses on the grave stones, the description of the sword as a silver cross in an icy pool of water (which then led into what I can only describe as a baptismal experience, complete with the starting of a process of sanctification.)
The clear Good Friday imagery as Harry went to his death was pretty overt.
But the most obvious Christian imagery to me was the whole “King’s Cross” Chapter (now there’s a title ‘eh?). The conversation between Harry and Dumbledore is basically the Patristic version of the Doctrine of the Atonement (ala Gregory of Nyssa).
Now that Rowling has tipped her hand to my mind as an explicit member of the Inklings, I think I understand the Pilgrim’s Progress flavor of the whole series. And why it was such an important thing that Harry played “Seeker” on the school team.
Amazing. Loved the book. Especially since it so clearly puts the whole series into the traditions of Lord of the Rings and Narnia.
Oops, sorry about that. She deserves to have her name spelled correctly ... write seven books about anything and you realize it isn’t easy. Write seven best sellers regardless of the topic and you are a star writer. She’s darn near established her own style! Good on ‘er.
BTW, when I saw the ‘readciton’ I was drawn immediately to the thread. Sounds like a Potteresque word. I love to ‘create’ new words. ‘SinkEmperor’ for bj clinton is one of mine.
Oh yeah. I recognize those elements though there are others that I still have to think about- the pool of water and sword also call to mind Arthurian legends, and if it’s a baptism stand-in does that make Ron John the Baptist?
Harry was wounded head, arm, and heart (side) before he died. He went willingly and suffered a mortal blow that was more deadly to his opponent than to him. He explicitly died “for his people”.
I was surprised just a little that he was allowed an ordinary life afterward, I was half expecting him to lose his powers or something.
Good :-) If it had been “Readaction” I wouldn’t have minded ;-)
Well now I will have to work harder on my own world. It’s magic too but with spaceships :-)
I think the implicit nods to Arthurian and Lord of the Rings imagery sort of cement for me the now explicit morality play and Christian allegorical style of the whole series.
As one who really came to faith by reading the Narnia books as a child, this new series will hopefully have a similar effect on new generations.
It took away the impact for me that Fred and George weren’t together, but that also removed my “If one goes, they both go.” prediction, because Percy did what I would have expected George to do.
Tonks’ actions really seemed wrong to me. As a mother, I would not have put myself in danger knowing my child would be left alone.
I wanted to know what happened to Luna in the epilogue, and whether Minerva was headmistress.
Someone predicted Minerva was a Death Eater, but I knew that couldn’t be right, and actually her screaming first when she thought Harry was dead was heartwrenching.
And I KNEW that Snape was an unregistered animagi, the bat references were just too pointed.
I was expecting him to get a Phoenix somehow.
Also, to whoever said there was no “Romulus”...PTTTTHHH!!!
I don’t think he is a bat animagus, I took it to mean he was flrying without a broom like moldy-voldy during the attack on the seven Harrys.
MEGA SPOILERS INSIDE!! CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK!
(Sorry if I left anyone off the ping! I’m on a different computer then normal)
I’ll have to wrestle the book back from my daughter and check.
I have to say my favorite part- Molly v. Bellatrix.
“Stay away from my daughter, you b——!” had me rolling!
That and I loved when Neville stood on the Hogwarts steps and yelled, “Dumbledore’s Army!” right in front of all the deatheaters. And he got to kill a horcrux! I love that guy.
Thanks for pinging, retro!
I loved that... was so scared Neville would die but he triumphed! I wonder... maybe the prophecy meant both of them after all. Neville was marked too, by the followers, even if not physically.
I ordered two books - one for my son here at the house, and one for my daughter away at college. Both arrived today and I tore his open to read the last few pages. I was stunned when I read Ron's name!!!! Yeah!
I KNEW Snape was awesome and on the right side. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!
Right side? Yeah. Awesome? Maybe, maybe not... but at least we know why that was really truly his worst memory.
Barnes Stupid & Nobles
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