Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings

[dan]

No: HPFGUIDX 107666

"goldfoy" wrote:

> * After Sauron's destruction, Frodo, who has received many hurts
> in 
> his journey to destroy the Ring, goes into exile in the west with 
the 
> elves where his wounds are healed.
> 
> There are perfectly good practical reasons why the conclusion of 
the 
> Harry Potter series should be similar to that of The Lord of the 
> Rings.

> When Lord Voldemort is finally destroyed Harry Potter's link with
> him 
> is broken and so are his magical powers. Harry Potter will 
therefore 
> have to go into exile with the muggles because he is reduced to the 
> level of a Squib. 

Or the Seven Samurai film, who save the world "but not for us", or 
really any story in which the Hero comes from outside the 
standard/mainstream circles. This is an archetype that doesn't occur 
with much frequency in pre-colonial stories, or oral history, but 
dominates post-colonial literature. The outsider as saviour.

The problem with the comparison, however, lies with the very 
conclusion you envisage. In LoTR Frodo's fate is deeply sad, but not 
meaningless - in fact, it holds the deepest meaning possible - Frodo 
is recognized abroad (out of The Shire). He WANTS to return to the 
Shire. Scarhead hasn't intimated the slightest desire to return to 
muggle Surrey. It's hard for me to see Scarhead's return to the 
muggle world as anything but meaningless. Though the superficial 
similarities you mention do certainly hold, and really must strike 
anyone who has read the two works, the deeper "sense" of the books, 
you seem to be saying, hold as well. Yet, the conclusion you posit 
for Scarhead doesn't partake of the deeper sense that we find in Nine-
finger's. And really, Frodo's deepest wound is his failure to resist 
the ring at the ultimate moment. One could say it was, as in most 
literature, pride that wounded him deepest. Presumably the elves 
would counsel him on (and the green land grace him with etc.) 
humility.

> J.K Rowling has already introduced a location where Lord Voldemort 
> could be destroyed by someone other than Harry Potter and has given 
a 
> hint as to how this could be achieved. Through Professor Dumbledore 
> she has even given a hint as to which character will fulfil the 
role 
> of Gollum and actually destroy Lord Voldemort. It would be 
reasonable 
> to suppose that they would die in the process. 

The element that doesn't match here, the missing variable, of course, 
is The Trinket. In order to draw this comparision further, perhaps it 
is necessary to define the role of Trinket, in LoTR, and what 
fulfills the role of the Trinket in HP. I cannot identify such an 
object, even in the most figurative way, in HP, unless it is magic 
itself. This, in fact, seems to be the subtext of your post - that 
magic itself is what needs to be destroyed. This leads to 
difficulties, however, in creating a meaningful conclusion. Magic 
isn't as "mysterious" in HP, generally, as it is in LoTR - it can be 
parsed, it is somewhat pedestrian (i.e. food prep etc.), it is 
ubiquitous in the witchwizard world, shared among many, it is 
legislated, it's a department of government etc. etc. If The Trinket 
is the desire for revenge... well, that's possibly more workable. 
I'll think about that.
 
> The book ends as it began with Harry Potter in exile which seems to 
> be a natural and satisfying conclusion to the story, though this 
> ending would arguably be more C.S. Lewis than Tolkien. 

As I pointed out above, there will have to be more to this conclusion 
than Scarhead living in the muggle world for it to be satisfying. 
What deeper sense is there in this conclusion that would make it less 
conservative (politically, which Rowling is not) or in humanitarian 
terms? That is, what's really in it for both Scarhead and for we 
readers? Frodo's end, as I said, is deeply sad but very meaningful. 
Scarhead's end, as you have it, is purely unsatisfying, and 
meaningless. Perhaps you could add something about what is 
satisfying, in your view, to this conclusion.

Dan