admin July 27th, 2007

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The following single quoted sentence has been semiotically devised to conjure the ultimate Harry Potter 7 - “The Deathly Hollows” spoiler. It’s actually the last sentence in the book, and if you’re a rabid fan who still hasn’t read the newborn tome, please skip to the following post, or search the archives for something that doesn’t spoil the enjoyment of your favored titles. Anyway, the sentence is something as plain as this :

“The scar had not pained Harry in nineteen years. All was well.”

It’s wonderful how a single sentence can convey so much meaning, and avoid so much speculation. Just so no doubt remains, this slice of life would be my humble, expanded tribute to the literary genius of one of the greatest spirits to have graced our wits ever since Lewis Carrol weaved his loungy tales of psychedelic misadventures. Whether or not you personally like it - possibly you dislike it because of all the hype - the Harry Potter 7 - volume saga *is* a modern paramount of fantasy literature, children’s literature, and literature in general! It’s a bold literary achievement on so many levels, and only blunt-witted muggles would fail to realize so. JK Rowling is as much of a genius as they get, and I would not be able to express my admiration for her not if I distilled all the archetypes that relate even loosely to the raw concept of sheer, utter, awe. Ok, maybe I’t exagerating, but it’s something really big - trust me on this one.

The ending of Harry Potter 7 is wholesome and graceful on many levels, some of which I’ll try to discriminate subsequently to the best of my ability. This is obviously what we would refer to as “spoilage territory”, so you rabid un-informed wackos skip aside - what follows is a report of how the story was set to stone. In barely 5 pages from within a 700-page book that sealed-off a 7 - volume saga , Rowling looks to have really worked mindfully to seal the deal, as far as the possibility for a future spin-off or re-hash of the series would be concerned. In a way, this *is* the end of Harry Potter, and the author achieved this not by killing the protagonist - as some have suspected - but actually by providing the most unlikely disclosure: a brief revelation of the protagonist’s future. By adding a short, crafty epilogue, that she probably just scribbled on the breakfast napking upon a last-minute burst of creativeness, JK Rowling laid out the destiny of the characters quite clearly, so there would be no room for speculation. The following quotation from Wikipedia clearly articulates the ways in which the saga is folded up, more that I could possibly aspire to - so it’s worth a read, for anybody interested in the technicalities:

“Epilogue -

Nineteen years later, Harry and Ginny have three children: James, Albus Severus, and Lily. Ron and Hermione have two children named Rose and Hugo. The families are at King’s Cross, where a nervous Albus Severus and Rose are departing for their first year at Hogwarts. James Potter is the oldest and already familiar with school. A 19 year-old Teddy Lupin is found kissing Victoire (presumably Bill and Fleur’s daughter) in a train compartment. The children cry in delight that they hope he will marry their cousin and he will “really be part of the family!” Harry comments his godson visits the Potter home four times a week for dinner. They see Draco Malfoy and his unnamed wife with their son Scorpius at the station; Malfoy acknowledges Harry by giving him a curt nod, then turns away. Harry tells Albus Severus, who does not want to be sorted into Slytherin, that Severus Snape, his namesake, was probably the bravest man Harry ever met. Neville is now the Hogwarts Herbology professor and is close friends with Harry.”

Rowling must have thought: “No way Harry Potter will become Dragonball Z: this short crafty epilogue that I’m writing on this lovely breakfast napkin will be my living testament to assure so. It will be… my vow of unwavering non-subservience to the corporate pressures towards re-hashing popular brands until exhaustion and demise. Now if they want to get more of the same, they’ll have to bribe me into either writing some spin-offs based off the other characters, or write a more *mature* book exploiting Harry’s POV as he grew up, detailing his life experience: From the skinny kid who got none, to the Quidditch champion in a school of magic he had never known or imagined, to the saviour of the wizardry’s free world” - wow. That would have been some life, Mrs. Rowling: thankyou for a great story! And now it’s set to stone, and that’s nearly the same as tough it was gone. Farewell, Harry Potter. You’re on your way to live happily ever after, and you know what? I’m glad to know that nineteen years past, your scar never has hurt again.

Makes me believe in redemption, makes me believe in hope: makes me believe in magic. And for that, Harry Potter, I cannot thank-you enough. Enjoy a life of prosperity, and shine as a timeless beacon in human literature.

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