Death (was Re: Why now? (other books / series))

[sevenhundredandthirteen]

No: HPFGUIDX 110699

> > > sad1199:
> > > As I posted earlier I just CANNOT believe that JKR would allow 
Harry 
> > > to die at the end. It just doesn't happen.[snip]
> > >
> > > Again, I posted earlier if Harry dies I may just burn all of 
my HP
> > > books and start a long chain of furious, scathing letters to 
the 
> > > author. 

Chinaski wrote:
 More often the hero dies rather than attain 
> the "happily ever after". According to Joseph Campbell, the last 
part of 
> the hero's journey is Return, or Resurrection and it is through 
that return that the hero achieves freedom from the fear of death.

I (Laurasia) reply:

I agree. If Harry dies at the end of the series it will be because 
he *has* to die. JK wouldn't just accidentally kill him off. The 
death would have to be necessary for the well-being of the entire 
wizarding and muggle world.

In other words, (if Harry dies, it will be because...) Harry *has* 
to die in order to attain the 'happily ever after.'

If the only way Harry can stop Voldemort is to die, do you still 
want Harry to win? Do you still want good to triumph over evil? 

As shown through Sirius' abrupt and unexpected death, JKR wants her 
readers to be prepared for 'real world death.' Perhaps this 
indicates that she will take the theme further and *not* give Harry 
a happily ever after with a wife and a baby. Perhaps she wants to 
show us that there are more important things than your own personal 
contentment. 

Perhaps she wants to show us that Harry can do what the rest of us 
can't- save other's lives, at the expense of one's own. After all, 
heroes are heroes for a reason- they are extraordinary people.

Joseph Campbell uses the Return as a way of demonstrating that the 
hero is not an ordniary person. There are very few heroes who 
acheive greatness and then go back to ordinary life. Most heroes 
accomplish a great deal and then take back privledged knowledge and 
experiences which mean that they can never return to the staus quo. 
That is why their 'tests' are so monumentous. If heroes faced 
ordinary struggles that could be easily forgotten then they would 
only be average.

Many heroes (who don't die) come back from their journeys 
changed permanently by the situation- 
In "Lord of The Rings" Frodo is destroyed by The One Ring 
and can never return to the blissful ignorant life he once knew. In 
destroying Voldemort Harry could be affected deeply. He might have 
to surrender a part of his soul in order to destroy Voldemort. He 
might have to take on a piece of Voldemort in himself to commit the 
murder. If that happens, I would prefer to see Harry die, as opposed 
to live a half-life until the ends of his days.

JKR is certainly setting us up so accept death- In PS we see Flamel 
willingly accept his fate as an adventure, and we understand that 
it's better to die than to drink Unicorn's blood. 

Voldemort's most defining characteristic is that he is afraid of 
death (but will kill many others): the whole series of books is 
dependant on the fact that Voldemort tried to stop the only person 
who could ever destroy him (according to the prophecy). In order for 
Harry to conquer Voldemort, it follows logically that he must also 
conquer death.

We also know that Harry wanted to die for a brief period of time at 
the end of OotP. He wanted death as absolution and relief. Harry is 
also transfixed by the Veil, but he is completely distraught when 
Sirius dies, has nightmares for months after seeing Cedric murdered, 
and when being attacked by Dementors in OotP thinks of never again 
seeing his friends. This suggests Harry has no fear of dying 
himself, only fear of losing others. (An exact opposite to 
Voldemort). 

It will be far, far, far worse for Harry to live through the entire 
series and see all his friends die. JKR has told us that there are 
many more deaths to come. Harry's already lost both his parents, his 
godfather and a schoolmate he respected. I'd hate to think of him 
growing old with another dozen or so friends and mentors added to 
that list.

Unless someone else kills Voldemort for him, I think that Harry will 
be too affected to ever live a tradtionally happy life. Especially 
if he doesn't die, but close friends do.

If Harry lives, I will be saddened more that is he dies. In dying he 
will return to his parents, the thing he has longed for most of all 
his entire life. In living he will be isolated and become a hermit 
(like the heroes of great Westerns, who return to the wild to be 
alone once the journey is over). The end of OotP where Harry sits 
alone by the lake suggests that he may well follow down this path. 
Harry doesn't share the details of his fate with Ron and Hermione, 
he has taken the burden on alone, which to me suggests he might 
carry it alone until the end of time.

I don't know whether Harry will live or die, but I know I want 
the 'happier ending.' I don't want Harry to be alone for the rest of
his life. 

I think JKR could write it that way, and I would definitely accept 
it as a resolved ending, but it will also be a very sad ending.
 
I think that there is very little hope for Harry to get a 'happily 
ever after.' And I don't think that if he lives it automatically 
ensures that he will. 

After all, 'there are things worse than death.'

~<(Laurasia)>~