Harry Potter:
Musing on the coming Book Seven
I completely love the Harry Potter books and think J.K. Rowling is a brilliant, gifted writer.
The books are delightful entries into another world and thereby an escape from the woes of this one, but more than that, they help good adults remember why they are good and they help children become good adults.
The values that comprise the muscle, bone, brain and heart of the Potter books are inspiring.
In a way, I will be sorry to see Rowling end the series, except that I also look forward to her resolution of all she has set in motion, and I know I will always have the entire series to read again anytime I wish. A happiness, that.
Just for fun, I thought I would offer some thoughts about what might happen in Book 7, and invite you all to post your own thoughts here.
Much is being discussed on such sites as mugglenet.com, veritaserum.com and on Rowling's own fabulous site, www.jkrowling.com, about what may happen, especially after Rowling appeared on the "Richard & Judy" show in the United Kingdom and mentioned that while she had originally written the last chapter of the last book back in 1990 or so, she has modified it over the years and found herself having to kill off two more characters than she had originally intended.
The Veritaserum site listed that item under the headline "JKR on a killing spree."
Rowling also threw a few scares around when she said she could understand an author who might want to kill off Harry in the last book, in order to keep anyone else from writing about him. But she wouldn't be more specific,
Well. All of this led to some panicky conversations even at the newspaper where I earn my own dough. I mean, really. The people I work with are supposed to be hard-bitten and cynical; they aren't supposed to get sweaty palms just thinking about Ms. Rowling killing off their beloved Harry Potter.
But, you know, it's fun, and helps us get all excited about the coming book.
It is our last opportunity to hang off this cliff of delightful anticipation. What a pleasure it's been, Ms. Rowling. Thank you so very much.
But in the meantime, some guesses about Book 7:
1. Harry Potter does not die. I mean, get real. If Rowling whacked Harry, it would be, as my writer friend Michele pointed out, the triumph of evil over good. No way can even the most gifted plot-twister find a way to make that a happy ending, and Rowling will not cheat us of a happy ending.
Why not? Well, she is too gifted a writer and cares too much about her audience.
It's amusing to think about what would happen if she did kill Harry. Forget what happened to Salman Rushdie; there is no corner of the Earth where Rowling could hide from her millions of enraged fans. But not to worry. Harry will survive.
2. OK, if Harry triumphs, who dies? Well, Voldemort, of course. Duh. Some other likely deaths:
-- Peter Pettigrew, and not a page too soon for the little rat.
-- Neville Longbottom, and yes, it will be a heart-breaking, tears-wrenching, miserable chapter; we're all going to hate it, but, there you go. As Rowling said on the telly, "A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil here." I think Neville will bravely go someplace terrible and win an important battle, but lose his life in the process.
-- Severus Snape, which leads to some other thoughts: Is Snivelus really an evil excrescence, a tool of Voldemort? Or, is he, in fact, worthy of the trust in which Dumbledore held him? There is reason to think he may still be Dumbledore's man. Oh, put down your wands and belay those curses, magical readers! A possible explanation is this: That blackened hand injury Dumbledore received between Books 5 and 6 may have been a fatal wound, one that was sure to kill him eventually. In Book 6 we saw Snape begging Dumbledore to not ask him to do something; perhaps he was asking to not kill Dumbledore and thereby put himself even more in Voldemort's trust. But Dumbledore would certainly see his own impending, inevitable death as a chance to do exactly that: to put Snape right next to Voldemort, where he might be able to find out more about the remaining horcruxes or even help Harry kill Voldemort when the time comes. But if Snape does turn out to be a good guy -- a greasy, creepy, obnoxious good guy -- Rowling will still have some fun twisting our expectations, either by getting us to like him, and feel bad when he croaks; or by only hinting that Snape might be a good guy and letting him die with his allegiance in question. Or, maybe, Snape really is just an obnoxious growth that must be burned off.
-- Percy Weasley, because his death will make Molly cry and because he's just too stupid to live anyway. Unless Rowling decides to make him minister of magic so that Harry will have another cretinous bureaucrat to suffer in his later life.
Some things I wonder about ...
-- Will Harry go back to Hogwarts in Book 7? If so, will classes be held?
-- Will there be a major magical battle at the Dursley's house?
-- Will Ron and Hermione start smooching?
-- When will Harry and Ginny be able to get together again?
I am so looking forward to Book 7.
The books are delightful entries into another world and thereby an escape from the woes of this one, but more than that, they help good adults remember why they are good and they help children become good adults.
The values that comprise the muscle, bone, brain and heart of the Potter books are inspiring.
In a way, I will be sorry to see Rowling end the series, except that I also look forward to her resolution of all she has set in motion, and I know I will always have the entire series to read again anytime I wish. A happiness, that.
Just for fun, I thought I would offer some thoughts about what might happen in Book 7, and invite you all to post your own thoughts here.
Much is being discussed on such sites as mugglenet.com, veritaserum.com and on Rowling's own fabulous site, www.jkrowling.com, about what may happen, especially after Rowling appeared on the "Richard & Judy" show in the United Kingdom and mentioned that while she had originally written the last chapter of the last book back in 1990 or so, she has modified it over the years and found herself having to kill off two more characters than she had originally intended.
The Veritaserum site listed that item under the headline "JKR on a killing spree."
Rowling also threw a few scares around when she said she could understand an author who might want to kill off Harry in the last book, in order to keep anyone else from writing about him. But she wouldn't be more specific,
Well. All of this led to some panicky conversations even at the newspaper where I earn my own dough. I mean, really. The people I work with are supposed to be hard-bitten and cynical; they aren't supposed to get sweaty palms just thinking about Ms. Rowling killing off their beloved Harry Potter.
But, you know, it's fun, and helps us get all excited about the coming book.
It is our last opportunity to hang off this cliff of delightful anticipation. What a pleasure it's been, Ms. Rowling. Thank you so very much.
But in the meantime, some guesses about Book 7:
1. Harry Potter does not die. I mean, get real. If Rowling whacked Harry, it would be, as my writer friend Michele pointed out, the triumph of evil over good. No way can even the most gifted plot-twister find a way to make that a happy ending, and Rowling will not cheat us of a happy ending.
Why not? Well, she is too gifted a writer and cares too much about her audience.
It's amusing to think about what would happen if she did kill Harry. Forget what happened to Salman Rushdie; there is no corner of the Earth where Rowling could hide from her millions of enraged fans. But not to worry. Harry will survive.
2. OK, if Harry triumphs, who dies? Well, Voldemort, of course. Duh. Some other likely deaths:
-- Peter Pettigrew, and not a page too soon for the little rat.
-- Neville Longbottom, and yes, it will be a heart-breaking, tears-wrenching, miserable chapter; we're all going to hate it, but, there you go. As Rowling said on the telly, "A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil here." I think Neville will bravely go someplace terrible and win an important battle, but lose his life in the process.
-- Severus Snape, which leads to some other thoughts: Is Snivelus really an evil excrescence, a tool of Voldemort? Or, is he, in fact, worthy of the trust in which Dumbledore held him? There is reason to think he may still be Dumbledore's man. Oh, put down your wands and belay those curses, magical readers! A possible explanation is this: That blackened hand injury Dumbledore received between Books 5 and 6 may have been a fatal wound, one that was sure to kill him eventually. In Book 6 we saw Snape begging Dumbledore to not ask him to do something; perhaps he was asking to not kill Dumbledore and thereby put himself even more in Voldemort's trust. But Dumbledore would certainly see his own impending, inevitable death as a chance to do exactly that: to put Snape right next to Voldemort, where he might be able to find out more about the remaining horcruxes or even help Harry kill Voldemort when the time comes. But if Snape does turn out to be a good guy -- a greasy, creepy, obnoxious good guy -- Rowling will still have some fun twisting our expectations, either by getting us to like him, and feel bad when he croaks; or by only hinting that Snape might be a good guy and letting him die with his allegiance in question. Or, maybe, Snape really is just an obnoxious growth that must be burned off.
-- Percy Weasley, because his death will make Molly cry and because he's just too stupid to live anyway. Unless Rowling decides to make him minister of magic so that Harry will have another cretinous bureaucrat to suffer in his later life.
Some things I wonder about ...
-- Will Harry go back to Hogwarts in Book 7? If so, will classes be held?
-- Will there be a major magical battle at the Dursley's house?
-- Will Ron and Hermione start smooching?
-- When will Harry and Ginny be able to get together again?
I am so looking forward to Book 7.
posted by John Orr | 10:31 PM
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