Prophecy Wording And Killing Harry For Fun Combined - Was "Prophecy Wording"

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 128042


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "AyanEva" <ayaneva at a...> wrote:

AyanEva:
> But definitions aside, I think a really easy example of one of 
Harry's
> literary predecesors is Frodo from LOTR. And look how Frodo ended 
up;
> he was so screwed up after suffering such an impossible burden that 
he
> eventually had to just up and leave our world altogether.  
> 
> A "happy ending" just doesn't make any sense to me, especially if
> Harry is a tragic hero. After everything that Harry's been through,
> and will go through, I just don't see how it's possible. Unless 
Harry
> gets a really strong 'Obliviate,' after all is said and done, I 
think
> it actually seems kind of cruel for him to live and be forced to 
pick
> up the pieces. We've got emotional, psychological, and physical
> torment. And he still has two more books in which to suffer. True,
> since I'm comparing him to Frodo, one could argue that Frodo didn't
> die either, and so can't be called a classical tragic hero, thereby
> implying that Harry doesn't necessarily have to die. However, Frodo
> did basically "die" in the sense that he left the world entirely;
> perhaps it could be called a literal journey to the light at the end
> of the tunnel and a place that always sounded kind of like the
> traditional concept of heaven. Therefore, his near disaster with the
> ring in the end would be a fatal flaw. 

Geoff:
I must first declare an interest in that I am a fully paid-up member 
of the "I want Harry to survive" group.

Passing on, my eye caught your comments about Frodo. Those members 
who wade through my random thoughts and jottings will know that I am 
a long time reader and fan of LOTR - either this year or 2006 is the 
50th anniversary of my first "finding" the book. Yikes!

Strangely, I have never equated Frodo's journey to Valinor with 
death. The elves are immortal and have the gift of being able to sail 
to the Undying Lands when they become weary of Middle-Earth and that 
gift was passed to Frodo by Arwen.

I don't think that Frodo came back "screwed up"; he came back weary 
but seemed to spend quite a lot of time with friends and quietly 
enjoying Shire life. It was the wearisome reminders of the hurts he 
had suffered at Amon Sul and again with Shelob at Cirith Ungol that 
made him physically decide to go to a place of complete healing and 
peace. He was also to spend nearly two years in the Shire after their 
return before he took this decision. I think a sadder ending would 
have been if Frodo had fallen into the Sammath Naur with Gollum and 
not been able to see something of the fruits of victory. I would like 
this to be true of Harry.

The interesting parallel which occurs to me could be that it was 
Frodo's "right hand man", Sam, who came more into prominence once the 
ring was gone. I wonder what the future might hold for the youngest 
male Weasley?