Ryan ChartrandJ. K. Rowling does something refreshingly unexpected in the much anticipated seventh and final book of the Harry Potter series: She offers closure.
Ten years after book one was released, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is as riveting as “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was. To successfully build and hold anticipation in her readers for Harry’s fate over a decade is a gift that requires skill and craftsmanship rarely seen in other authors.
Rowling develops multifaceted characters that mature along with their experiences. Rather than explicitly revealing major themes, she weaves them into the plot for readers to discover on their own.
Although other themes may be arguable, death is an obvious overarching component to the series, and it returns again in the appropriately titled “Deathly Hallows.”
Through a painstakingly detailed 759 pages, Rowling reveals that the greatest flaw both wizards and muggles
(people without magical abilities) can possess is a fear of death and an obsession to overcome it, driving them to self-centered living.
The main distinction between Harry and his mortal enemy, Lord Voldemort, is that Harry is willing to die to conquer evil. His attitude contrasts sharply with that of Voldemort, who cannot bear the thought of death and splits his soul into seven pieces to gain immortality.
Book seven is the final step in Harry’s transformation from a young, inexperienced wizard who can scarcely believe that his magical abilities provide an escape from his miserable living situation with the dreaded Dursleys, to a mature and self-assured young man.
And Harry’s transformation is a non-stop one. “Deathly Hallows” includes every event that ever occurred in the series, minus a single quidditch match. These events are broad and range from weddings, births and stolen kisses,
to bank robberies and wizard battles. All lead up to the highly anticipated final battle between Harry and Voldemort.
Harry’s major task in “Deathly Hallows” is to destroy the Horcruxes holding pieces of Voldemort’s soul and make him mortal once again. Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, gave Harry this task in book six. Initially, Harry assumes that he is to complete this task alone.
However, he soon discovers that his friends and allies are willing to put themselves in danger for him at every point and that he can continue to resist their efforts or choose to accept the help they freely offer.
Harry wisely releases his stubborn attitude and finds
a long sought after family in his friends, Ron and Hermione. The trio search for the Horcruxes together in places like Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, which are both controlled by Voldemort by the middle of the book.
Along the way, the characters make mistakes, experience injury and some even die. In short, they are surprisingly human. However, none are abandoned, and Rowling finishes her series with as much strength
as she started, if not with an additional degree of sophistication.
“Deathly Hallows” is enchanting, and Rowling could not have closed the Harry Potter chapter any other way.