On July 20th, 2007 I went to Diagon Alley ( Or a town square that looked like Diagon Alley...perhaps transformed by magic?) with my friends. We were merry, made wands, pointed out wizards and felt a little bit sad that this was our last night to be real nerds.
Then we headed on over to a Barnes & Noble to celebrate some more.
Hours of Harry trivia, absurd picture taking and a loooong wait in line led me to the latest and final installment of Harry Potter. Oh those Deathly Hallows!
The truth is, my sister had a leak of the book a week before it came out. Tempted by its availability, I would sneak glances at the shitty digital photos that revealed Rowling's words. But alas, I could not bring myself to read it!
When I finally did receive the book, in all its orange glory, I saved it for the morning before I could read it. And trust me, I read furiously all the next day until I finished at 1am on Sunday.
My thoughts: My predictions were all wrong (with the exception of Snape) but I wasn't disappointed in the least. Some parts I didn't grasp right away (the whole wand switcheroo in the end) but Rowling's imaginative story telling and charming wit did not fail. I thought the epilogue was frivolous and painfully cheesy but Harry Potter's final story was definitely the best.
What makes the Harry Potter books so great isn't their plot, but their characters. I ached for their losses and cheered whenever Ron, Hermoine, or anyone else turned up victorious. But despite my genuine concern for the imaginary world I longed to be a part of-I couldn't help but notice that the most important character was the least dynamic. Harry Potter was never my favorite character. Even though exciting things happened to him, I always thought Harry himself was a terrible bore. The truth is, he is awfully static.
The characters around him, who displayed natural feelings of doubt (Ron) or greed (Dumbledore) may have seemed bad compared to Harry, but by revealing their darker sides they became human. I could relate to them. I understand Harry's ability to succeed comes from his selflessness and pure heart, but c'mon! How am I supposed to feel close to a saint? Harry's most prominent trait may save him from Voldemort, but it keeps me from regretting our departure.
I will miss Harry, but I think I'm done with children's literature.
3 comments:
Admittedly, I was very excited at the prospect that Harry Potter was finally coming to a close. I thoroughly enjoyed reading books 1-5 after my 12 year old sister shamed me into reading them; however, books 6 & 7 thoroughly and completely disappointed me in every single way. (Further details on my disappointment in book 7 can be viewed on my blog: jpcurlylocks.blogspot.com
Am I sad that it's over? No. I'm just ready for something new and interesting to read! Hooray!
So do I! Hope that harry can come back very soon '>
i think im just upset that it was over and now i have to start reading my school books.
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