I don't see Harry dying

[junediamanti]

No: HPFGUIDX 72647

> I can see see Harry dying in the end (I think it me expecting the 
> worse so I won't be too heartbroken if it actually happens), but 
by 
> sacrificing himself for his friends, therefore killing off Voldy.  
> What I am hoping will happen is that by doing so, it will kill 
voldy 
> but leave Harry alive!  I can't see him actually getting out of 
> school and moving on, but maybe that's because he has never been 
> happy outside of school and therefore I can't see it.  I guess JKR 
> can do pretty much whatever, but I bet there are a ton of clues of 
> how its all going down, but we won't get them until we get the 
last 
> book.  Only time will tell (hopefully not too much time!).
> Cera

I honestly think it would be too cruel if the ultimate end is that 
Harry dies.  Firstly - I think it would utterly devastate child 
readers  and what kind of message is it if there is no happy ending 
for their hero?  Secondly, in the light of Harry's utterly loveless 
childhood, how can it possibly be fair if he doesn't find some kind 
of lasting happy life - whatever form it takes? (AND I'M NOT TALKING 
HEAVENLY AFTERLIFE TYPE HAPPINESS HERE EITHER!!) 

While I as an adult know that there is ultimate suffering and 
unhappiness in "real life" I don't want to see this in what are 
essentially books for children (and adults,yes I know but...).  I 
think, despite him being my fave character, that Snape is there to 
exemplify this point (ie a good guy who does suffer and is only 
found to have been good after his death? Maybe)- there is the kind 
of example softly put that not everyone gets the happy ending and 
some lives can be too blighted to save. 

What would be the moral lesson (and I do think these books have 
strong moral examples at their heart) if Harry suffers what he has 
and then is still ultimately doomed anyway.  It would be like saying 
that he would have been better off if he'd ducked any responsibility 
and avoided conflict with LV. 

The important thing is that the "ultimate conflict" should not be 
set up as a pushover.  Tolkein manages to set up the idea of the 
hopeless doomed quest thing so well in Lord of the Rings - when I 
first read it, although the adult in me knew Frodo was going to do 
it - it seemed so unlikely that he could, the actual achievement (ok 
Gollum intervenion notwithstanding) that I was blown away by the 
final bits (tries to think of smart paraphrase for final bits and 
fails).  I want that kind of thing in these books for all the 
readers.  

It shouldn't be easy - but nor should it be impossible.

June