This was my first time reading Book 7 ... and I feel like I could read it about 10 more times and still feel the victory and loss as my beloved fictional friends as they come to the end of their adventure.
I have mixed feelings about the epilogue. In some ways, it set my heart at ease to know that everybody was okay. In other ways, I felt like it may have been too "Happily-Ever-After." I am CERTAINLY not saying I didn't want a happy ending! After you go through all of that, the ending HAS to be at least somewhat happy. I really expected Harry to die, though. But I'm kind of glad he didn't. I read an interview that JK Rowling gave where she said that she had Harry lie because she wanted to exemplify war veterans who come home and rebuild after the war. She says that is the most heroic thing she can think of.
The only reason I didn't think Harry should live is because I worry for his quality-of-life. Think about it. Ever since he found out he was a wizard, the whole point of his life was to destroy Voldemort. After that has been accomplished, it will be very difficult for Harry to find a sense of purpose in his life. After all the action and battle, after the loss and pain, how is he supposed to just adjust to everyday life? This is an issue we deal with here in the US when our soldiers come back from combat. They are not the same person they were before. Their values and views have all changed. Most struggle with PTSD, causing them to be almost dysfunctional in normal life. This is not the existence I want for Harry. To me, he deserves more than that.
Rowling seemed to avoid this problem, somehow. Maybe it was because of how far forward we skipped into the future, but Harry seemed perfectly well-adjusted. Maybe his years of learning to live a normal life were all in the past. It's hard to say. I just know from experience that those who have survived war do not have an easy time getting back into the ritual of everyday living.
My perceptions of Snape didn't change all that much. (Dr. Heller, please do not fail me for not loving your favorite! LOL) In my opinion, he never became who he could have become. He never became the bigger man. Everything he did was for Lily and Lily alone, not for moral reasons not for the sake of humanity. Yes, he protected Harry. But he didn't give a shit about Harry. He wouldn't have even been protecting Harry if Dumbledore hadn't talked him into it! There is no justification for the cruelty Snape showed a little boy who had known nothing but abuse his whole life. Shame on him.
My perception of Dumbledore didn't really change either. No one is all good. No one is all bad. Dumbledore is a manipulator, yes. But he also is incredibly wise and noble. He knows his own weakness for power and intentionally put himself in a position where his power would always be held accountable and limited. He COULD have become the next Voldemort, he was certainly gifted enough to. He didn't though. His ability to turn down the very thing he desired (the Deathly Hallows) shows his depth of character. The lies he told, the things he kept hidden, and all of his manipulations were for the sake of mankind in the end.
I think what surprised me about book 7 was the amount of Unforgiveable Curses used by the "good guys." I was shocked and appalled, but at the same time, desperate times call for desperate measures. Still, just because someone else is doing the wrong thing, does it make it ok for us? I think not.It is good that Rowling had her good guys doing some of the same things that the bad guys were doing. That is what happens in real life after all. Also, no one is all good. The squeaky clean image needed to be shattered.
I will probably read Book 7 again before the movie comes out. It was wonderfully writted and full of heart-wrenching scenes. (Dobby's funeral, anyone?) It was a beautiful ending to a series that felt like home.
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