Harry's Putative Death (Narnia?)

[anglinsbees]

No: HPFGUIDX 42167

Harry began as a vision on a train- how interesting- I knew she had 
the Idea for him while traveling on a train, but have never heard it 
described so vividly.

There are several threads currently running coparing 
Harry's "Ancient Magic" with that of the Narnia books, and the 
paralell themes of sacrifice and rebirth- let me remind you of 
another possible Parallel (We shall see...)

The lives of the central characters in the Narnia Chronicles <end> 
in a train crash.  (Well, except for those who make it back to 
Narnia for the final days- and they are dead in this world.)

I wonder, given that Dumbledore has said that death is just another 
great adventure, if Rowling didn't have Narnia in mind when Harry 
was born.

Ellen, The Pottering Beekeeper



--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Jen Snyder" <jasnyder at i...> wrote:
> Richelle writes:
> <As far as canon to support whether he lives or dies, is there any?
> 
> I'm new to the list, but I've been thinking about this for a 
while.  Here
> are some things I think support that Harry is going to die in the 
seventh
> book.
> 
> One of the things that's always struck me as odd is JKR's 
insistence that
> there won't be any books after year seven, or maybe just one that 
will "tie
> things up" and tell us what happens to everyone (that survives, I 
guess).
> In the A&E Biography episode she did, she talks about when she got 
the idea
> for Harry Potter, while on a train from London to Edinburgh (or 
vice versa,
> I can't remember which direction she was going).  She describes 
how she
> literally saw Harry walking down the aisle of the train, the idea 
struck her
> so strongly.  I hear that, and I think to myself, how could you 
let that
> character go?  How could you be so sure that you wouldn't want to 
write any
> further stories about that character?  She doesn't even suggest 
that other
> people might take over and write about Harry's life after 
graduating from
> Hogwarts.  The only way this makes sense to me is if she knows 
that there
> won't be any life after to write about.
> 
> In every book, Harry has faced death, and, in some cases, has 
steeled
> himself to accept it.  Time after time, he shows himself willing 
and able to
> place the needs of others ahead of his own life.
> SS, p. 297: DUMBLEDORE: I feared I might be too late.  HARRY: You 
nearly
> were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer... 
DUMBLEDORE: Not
> the Stone, boy, you...the effort involved nearly killed you.  For 
one
> terrible moment there, I was afraid it had.
> CS, p. 321: If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad.
> PA, p. 384: They [the dementors] were forcing his face 
upwards...he could
> feel its breath...it was going to get rid of him first...he could 
feel its
> putrid breath...his mother was screaming in his ears...she was 
going to be
> the last thing he ever heard...
> GF, p. 662:...he knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or 
reason.  He
> was not going to die crouching here like a child playing hide-and-
seek; he
> was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort's feet...he was going 
to die
> upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend 
himself,
> even if no defense was possible...
> 
> The theme of the hero who sacrifices himself so that others may 
live/the
> world may survive is older than Christianity.  Harry is clearly on 
the
> hero's journey.  See Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand 
Faces and/or
> The Power of Myth.  And sometimes the resurrection does not 
involve the
> physical being of the hero, but their spirit, or the way that 
others gain
> life through their death.  I also don't think Harry will destroy 
Voldemort
> (sacrifice or no)...I think he will redeem him.  Too Star 
Wars?...again, one
> of the oldest themes in literature.
> 
> Anyway, those are some of my thoughts.  Sorry about the long 
post.  Like I
> said, I've been thinking about this for a while...I have really 
enjoyed
> reading the list postings so far and am excited about the chance 
to discuss
> one of my favorite stories with like-minded people (and so I don't 
alienate
> all my friends by incessantly talking about Harry Potter).
> 
> Jen