HBP Review in Globe and Mail

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 135566

Noel wrote:
"He says, for example, that "DD has never been much beyond a cardboard
cut-out with the word 'wise' written on it."  He goes on to note that
DD's death was "as suspicious as Gandalf's was in TFOTR"--and then
suggests that DD's death is "pivotal" to evaluating JKR's work. 
Because, for Alexis, "[i]f DD is dead, then the character has been
(all along) nothing more than a prop, not at all wise or clever, and
his death a rather cheap effort to elicit emotion.  On the other hand,
if DD is still alive, then he has finally acted in a way that confirms
his vaunted skill as a magician and his powers of imagination.""

Del replies:
Weeellll...

I must admit that I am bothered by DD's death too. My only hope is
that what seems to have happened is not to be taken at face value,
that Snape is not really what he seems to be, because otherwise...

For 4 books, Harry has very little interaction with DD. Then in OoP,
Harry actually feels anger towards DD. If DD had died at the end of
OoP, Harry would have felt much differently about it. Instead, Harry
gets to spend one-on-one time with DD, throughout HBP. He grows closer
to DD than he'd ever been, he sees DD weak, he helps him. And then
what happens? DD dies. And by who is he killed? By Snape, of all
people! The one person that DD always said he trusted, without ever
giving any good reason, and that Harry always distrusted, often
without any good reason either.

How trite!! How cliche!

So if it turns out that DD's death is no more than it looks like, that
Snape was always either on LV's side or on his own (Snape's) side, and
that DD was an old fool for trusting him so much, then I'll agree with
Mr Alexis that "DD's death was a rather cheap effort to elicit emotion".

But if that ever happens, it won't be for at least a couple more
years, and by this time the emotion over DD's death will be gone, so
it won't offend me so much. Heh :-)

Del