Listen all you elitists and haters and punks-ass hoes, listen to teacher now, because I have one non-fact that I will phrase as a fact because there is more truth in it than your whole existence: JK Rowling is getting kids to read. I know you hate her because she's all corporate and having an impact on our global economy, or whatever, but she's also got kids becoming literate, and hell, it's not her fault she wrote with such crossover success, she was a poor-ass woman living in a car! And again, the kiddies are reading. We're talking the ones that HATE reading, the ones who are between 4th and 8th grade. With "Harry Potter", Rowling came with seven books that grew up with readers, were relevant to the kids on an emotional level, darkened as adolescent life darkened for Harry, with the angst of love and impending doom, with social overtones and hidden messages galore. The prose is simple, but effective, engaging enough to have adults in line with the chillins, anticipating every new book's release until this, the seventh installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
This is basically the story of a tense start, a despondent middle, and an ending that casts doubt right up to the very end. In a nutshell, predictable. Somehow, that doesn't stop it from being a riveting read, and a worthy reread as this was my second time through. It may not be worth its 750+ page count like the finest book of the series, "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix", a plot always tense that will bring out the rebellion from the tamest with an antagonist arguably more maddening then Voldemort himself, Dolores Umbridge, but as Voldemort takes down the Ministry and then Hogworts, the wizarding school itself, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sent out into a most twisted game of hide-and-seek, whilst looking to destroy parts of the Dark Lord's soul with very little to work with and time running out, you will find this is as much of a page turner as any other book in the series.
There is always a witty scenario up Rowling's sleeve, and here she delivers several ways to come to an expected event in an unorthodox manner. Disguising six others as Harry in order to trick the Death Eaters and get Harry from his regular "muggle" (non-magic people) home safely was clever and held some instant action when the good guys are bombarded. As well, when Bill and Fleur get married at Ron's, and Kingsley's patronus interrupts the raucous festivities with a message that ministry has fallen to the baddies, it is the utmost way to explain this fact to us and also give us a little chill at the same time, as instantly Death Eaters crash in on the Order of the Phoenix (good guys) and the fighting begins. Even the obscure gifts that Dumbledore gives to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, seemingly meaningless, end up being crucial, everything for a reason. In that, it's totally optimistic, especially as Harry dodges death's grips time and time again, persists against doubts, and brings forth one of the greatest revolutions, and greatest stories of bad and evil, ever scrawled.
I won't even complain by the crazy number of pages dedicated to the monotony of the trio going from deserted place to deserted place without any clue what they're doing. It's frustrating, dares to turn you into a nutcase banging your head against your headboard, wall, whatever hard surface you can connect with. But that's how it's supposed to feel. For Harry Potter, what has come easy? Hell, he has to walk right to his own death in order to make all right in his world. He's so earnest in his methods, you may want to puke, or you just may just wish he was real. Anyhow, the time in the woods is time well spent on self-discovery, and the most important moments in the brother/sister bond of Harry and Hermione, as well as Ron learning his mettle. Coming of age, yes indeed. Going through puberty has never been more demanding.
Then the last 150-200 pages are magical, no pun intended. The Battle of Hogworts, the rallying behind a figure-head, all the pageantry and excitement and darkness that comes with it. It's been an epic journey, and the ending is apt. The race to find Voldemort's last piece of soul, and then, the clincher, realizing that part of Voldy's soul is in Harry, and Harry's near-death experience speaking to the late Dumbledore, and before that, seeing Severus Snape's final thoughts and coming to the predictable but hard-won idea that Snape was truly for the good and in many ways, as much of a hero as Harry himself. I'm not going to write a million pages, but when all of this comes together, and in the pit of your stomach you revile Rowling for making you read thousands of pages just to sacrifice Harry at the end, then Harry coming back like Jesus and stomping out the biggest threat to the world, ever, it's just an emotional roller coaster, because you realize, you are so attached to these people. So attached you forgive the corny and needless epilogue ("19 Years Later") in all its cliches, because you are so damned happy everyone ended up just like you wanted. Every now and again, that's OK.
I will miss the anticipation of new Harry. I only got to anticipate it once since I never gave it a chance until a while after "Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince" released, the sixth book. It's over, though, all loose-ends tied tight. This series will have impact long after I finish typing this, though. Students will continue to read and read'um through the ages. Ron will be the comic relief as always. Hermione should be the model for girls growing up, a respectable adolescent female character who is neither dumb nor promiscuous, but rather brainy, thoughtful, and rebellious and forward-thinking when the time calls. And finally, we can all find a hero in Harry, the kid empowered with a task that would save his world from imminent peril, and he never ever gave up. These are characters we already knew, but so improved upon that they became original again. We fell and fell hard for them. And they lived happily ever after. (Sigh).
"Voldemort's handn was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco's very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away."
1 comment:
You forgot to mention how cute Hermione is in the movies.
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