[HPforGrownups] Re: What would you think if.....

[Erika L.]

No: HPFGUIDX 92156

Jennifer Massey asked:

>What would you "feel" if JKR killed >Harry?


Merri replied:

>Harry sacrificing himself to the cause >of good would be a great way 
>to end the series. 
<snip>
>if he hangs on just long enough to say a >beautiful good bye to Ron and 
>Hermione and Hagrid, if he fades away >seeing a light in front of 
>him, and is welcomed into the WW version >of an afterlife by his long 
>lost mum, dad and godfather for an >eternity of familial bonding, 
>then I will probably have to be scraped >off the ceiling I will be so 
>happy. But that's just me. 


Carol said:

>(I emphatically don't want him
>to use Avada Kedavra or any other >Unforgiveable Curse. I do want him
>to use his wits and his courage and to >survive.)

>So how would I feel if JKR killed Harry? >Betrayed! She'd be Wormtail
>in my book.

Alla said:
>Oh, yes. I don't know about betrayed, >but I most certainly will be 
>dissappointed. I want the good guys win >and I want Harry to have some 
>kind of normal happy life without Voldy >thing breating over his 
>shoulder all the time. :o)


I have to go with Carol and Alla on this one. I would be very upset were Harry to die at the end of the series. I simply cannot agree that Harry's death, even if that means reunion with his family and an end to his suffering, as Merri suggested, can in any way constitute a happy ending, or even a fully satisfying ending.

Merri said: 
>Harry sacrificing himself to the cause >of good would be a great way 
>to end the series. Then at the least we >fans will be assured that he 
>won't be suffering anymore, and is >finally in for a little peace.

I can't agree with this at all. It's too easy. I think the books have made it clear that suffering is a part of life. And Harry does not have the monopoly on suffering. Lupin, Sirius and Neville come to mind as other characters who've had to deal with forms of suffering such as grief, loss, betrayal, physical harship, and so on. One can argue about the  degree to which any of them suffer, but to say that death is okay because it constitutes an end to a character's suffering, is a denial of life itself. I want to see Harry have a chance at being happy in _this_ life before he goes on to be happy in the next.

    After all, isn't part of the tragedy of Sirius' death that he missed out on so much of his life? He spent at least a third of it in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. No sooner does he get out than he gets killed. To me, Harry's demise would be equally tragic since he's had even less opportunity to enjoy life. He spent a decade in a closet suffering physical and emotional abuse and deprivation-- not too different from the situation Sirius is in during those years come to think of it. Yes, Harry's had some fun at Hogwarts, but he's also had to spend a lot of time just trying to keep himself in one piece. I think Harry's been surviving far more than he's been living. If he defeats Voldemort I think he may then have a real shot at life. Yes, he'll always carry a burden of grief and pain, but I still think life has enough to offer Harry to make that burden worth bearing. So no I would not be satisfied with Harry making a grandiose self-sacrificial exit. Instead, I would feel cheated. I want to see him _live_ before he dies.

Just my two knuts
Erika (Wolfraven)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]