Happy-enough endings, children's lit

[Elizabeth Dalton]

No: HPFGUIDX 32503

Well, I read posts by Penny, Tabouli, Cindy, Katze, and a host of others about
how happy or tragic they thought the ending could or should be, and then browsed
through all the discussion about children's vs. adult literature over the past
couple of days. I eventually realized that these two topics are very related,
for me.

Last night I was talking with my seven-year-old daughter, who was going through
some pretty severe post-holiday blues. I was trying to explain "mature
perspective" to her (though not using that specific term). We ended up examining
the mosaic tile floor of our bathroom at very close (nose nearly touching)
range, at which we could see about 10 tiles, then standing up and looking again,
from her eye level and then mine, noting how many more tiles we could see. I
tried to explain that adults are able to see/think about more things at a time
than young children. I was trying to make a point about how yesterday had been a
pretty good day, despite some sad things that happened at the end. I was able to
think about the whole day, on balance, and see it as a good day. She was having
trouble looking past the events of the last hour or so.

This exercise didn't completely cheer up my daughter, but she seemed to get the
point. And I think this is related to the difference between what counts as a
"happy" ending in a child's story vs. an adult story, at least for me.

I prefer stories in which pain or suffering is eventually outweighed by some
good accomplished, generally as a result. Sacrifice doesn't hold value for me
unless, at some level, it is successful-- the goal for which the sacrifice is
made is reached, at least in part. (Not everyone agrees with me, I'm well aware.
One of my best friends is quite impressed with sacrifice, even when it's
completely unsuccessful. And some members of this list might really like reading
about tragedy, whether there is some good that comes of it later or not. I say,
there are plenty of books out there for all of us. The question is, what kind
are the later HP books?)

As an adult, I'm willing and able to allow the relationship between pain and
sacrifice and the greater good to be delayed, obscure, and/or complex. The main
character may never know of the good that is accomplished. Sometimes the goal
can even be reached outside the confines of the story itself -- "The Diary of
Anne Frank" was like that, for me. But the good has to be there. Someone has to
recognize it, and some relationship has to be present between the pain and the
benefit.

The "payoff" in the first two books, SS/PS and CoS, was pretty simple and
immediate. That's a big part of why I classify them as children's books (though
I like Tabouli's overall explanation). Stone saved from Voldemort, Ginny saved
from the Basilisk, Lockhart made harmless, things like that. 
The connections were more complex and abstract in PoA. Some of the "good" was
hard for Harry to understand. Fortunately (and in part because PoA is still
really a children's book), Dumbledore is available as the wise adult to tell
Harry that all will be well, and he was right to let Pettigrew live.

GoF crosses the line to YA (young adult) fiction, I think. Dumbledore explains a
lot to Harry at the end, but doesn't try to make everything seem all right.
Everything is not all right. The world is a much bigger place than Harry as a
child had thought, and he can't remain a child any longer. And the reader is
forced to grow up a little with him.

But on reflection, I think my real problem with GoF is simply that it's a
"middle" book. The real nature of the fight with Voldemort is revealed, but not
resolved. In fact, very little is resolved in GoF. Barty Crouch (both of them,
actually) is eliminated as a threat, but this almost raises more problems than
it solves. Voldemort is out there, *something* happened with the blood that has
Dumbledore excited, but we don't know what, Snape is more mysterous than ever,
Sirius has had to leave again.... what kind of an ending is that???

Of course, it *isn't* an ending. It's almost the real beginning of the story.

In future years, it wouldn't surprise me if the series is generally considered
in two parts, with books 1-3 considered "children's" literature, and books 4-7
considered YA literature, and almost a separate arc, for which 1-3 provide the
setup. But I won't know until all 7 books are out. In any case, I think the
overall ending to the series will be satisfying from my perspective-- at least I
hope so-- because that's the kind of story Rowling seems to tell. I just think
the later books are going to make one wait longer for the payoff... probably
right until the end of book 7, at this point. There will be minor successes
along the way, but I don't think there will be another big payoff ending until
the last book.

Here's the kind of ending I think likely (Elizabeth puts on her Trelawney
shawl):

Most of the older characters that we know will die or be severely incapacitated
before the end of book 7. This is because I think, true to YA tradition, Harry
will have to take on Voldemort by himself. Any older characters who could help
him will have to be out of the way for this to happen. Dead, imprisoned, or away
on a critical mission and unreachable (and this is the *best* hope I can think
of for Sirius or Lupin). By formula, Snape is likely to die in some significant,
tragic way, but he's defied formula so far, so I'm hoping. ;)

I think Ron and Hermione are likely to survive to the end, but will be Harry's
"generals," busy with some major part of the action against Voldemort's minions
when he has to face down Voldemort himself. Ron may get to be a strategist
again-- we haven't seen any of that since the end of PS/SS, which has been kind
of disappointing. Hermione will continue in the role of "research specialist."
As in the first book, Harry will have to leave them at some point to go on
alone. Either or both could be severely wounded, but I'd give them overall
pretty good odds of survival. (I'm completely agnostic about any shipping
predictions.)

I don't give Harry better than 50-50 odds for surviving the last book. But I
hope and trust that if he does give his life, it will be for a significant goal.
Not just defeating Voldemort-- something toward making it harder for another
Voldemort to come into being, or preferably something that changes the balance
of power in the wizard world, so that muggles, muggle-born, house-elves,
werewolves, etc. have an easier time of it going forward. If Harry lives, he may
lose his wizard powers (though we have no precedent for that), or possibly his
memory. I don't see how he can come through any meaningful confrontation with
Voldemort unscathed.

I don't give the current status quo of the wizard world very good odds of
surviving, either. By this I mean that presently the wizard world is an almost
separate extension of our own, but not quite separate. New wizards are being
born all the time, and they are invited to enter this secret world, but the
existance of the whole wizard world his hidden from the rest of the population.
In a children's book, this situation could go on forever, but in a YA (or even
"adult") book, I'd expect it to be unstable, and probably either the wizard
world would be completely exposed to the muggle world or completely hidden from
it. Exposing the wizard world may very well weaken it, as I've speculated
previously, by "diluting" the magic in the larger muggle world. And technology
seems to disrupt magic, as well. by A complete separation might not be possible,
unless there is some way to stop muggle-born wizards from popping up. But I
expect something significant to change here, especially given the unattractive
details Rowling keeps adding about the prejudices and other flaws in the wizard
world. Maybe it's just because Rowling reminds me of Dianna Wynne Jones, and I'm
thinking of the end of "Witch Week," which was the first book of hers that I
read....

Anyway, if we get some significant positive outcomes, for muggles and other
"have-nots" as well as wizards, I'll accept quite a bit of tragedy along the
way. Enough to keep Cindy happy, even. :) But I want that "happy" ending-- I
need all the pain to have been for a purpose, and the good to be worth the cost.
And I need whatever characters are left to be able to recognize that, as they
survey whatever is left of the world when Rowling is done with it. Or I really
will bundle up the books, drop them off at whatever library is willing to take
them at that point, and walk away.

Elizabeth
(who has been asked to appear as Trelawney at her young nephew's Harry Potter
themed birthday party-- but only accepted because the part of McGonnagal was
already spoken for)