Review

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows‘ by J. K. Rowling is a very fitting ending to the seven-book series about magic, wizards, and witches by J. K. Rowling. It is also one of the most highly-rated Harry Potter books of all time. This book has been commended by many critics for how well the plot renders itself to Rowling’s masterful storytelling and how well the character arcs are completed in this book, especially that of Severus Snape.

Furthermore, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows‘ rewards readers with the long-awaited standoff between Harry Potter and Voldemort. Though these two have faced each other several times before in the series and even in this very book, it is the finality of the last duel that makes it more satisfying to read about.

Portrayal of Love

The most essential trope in the story of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows‘ has to be love because a lot of events that occur in this book are strongly influenced by it. Furthermore, the idea of love being a very strong form of magic that Voldemort never understood or even cared to find out about is very illustrative of his very psyche. Voldemort grew up never experiencing love, and that is why the lack of love got deeply embedded in his identity.

Instead of trying to overcome his fear of love and its uncertainty, Voldemort decided to take a different path that doesn’t require love at all. He intended to become the strongest wizard of his time and to triumph over what he thought was a paltry feeling. He believed that there was no need for love and also that just through fear, he could conquer anyone who stood in his way.

Harry, on the other hand, was brought up in slightly similar circumstances, where his aunt, uncle, and cousin never gave him affection or love. However, Harry grew up very empathetic and kind, despite how less loved he was, until his eleventh birthday when he found out that he is a very famous wizard already loved by the entirety of Wizardkind. Furthermore, his friendship with Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and even the others like Neville, the Weasley Twins, Luna, and Ginny, reinforced his belief in love. Harry is the embodiment of a kind and loving soul right from the first time he boards the Hogwarts Express.

When Malfoy tries to win Harry’s friendship through the promise of power and fame, Harry doesn’t concede and instead decides to stay friends with Ron, the boy who helped him get through the platform to board the Hogwarts Express. This is an illustration of how Harry is very sensitive to the idea of love and empathy.

Love, like this friendship that blossoms between Ron and Harry, is very simple and innocent. It sees and feels the most subtle depths of the human condition and is not easily tarnished by grandiose ideas like fame or power. Love does not require anything in return, and it is non-expecting and simply takes pride in giving freely without expectations of anything to be returned.

Love is also an essential emotion and theme that fuels Snape’s allegiance to Dumbledore, and Snape’s undying love for Lily Potter eventually helps Harry defeat Voldemort. Here too, love is given freely without any expectations.

Snape’s love for Lily Potter is unconditional, and despite her death and there being no reciprocity of any form for Snape’s actions that exhibit love, he continues on his mission to protect her son out of the love he has for her. ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ does a great job of showing this very strong and significant meaning of love through its characters’ actions. J. K. Rowling does a great job sticking to the writers’ adage “Show, don’t tell,”, especially in the case of ‘love.’

Another example of this trope is Molly’s vicious attack on Bellatrix, which seems to stem from her pure love for her daughter Ginny. Despite being a relatively tame witch with no field experience as an auror or a witch with any such combat experience, Molly Weasley musters all her might and becomes very vicious when her daughter Ginny is attacked by Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the most powerful witches present in that battle. Molly shows no signs of fear and attacks her back with all her strength, eventually defeating Bellatrix and killing her. This illustrates the strong effect that love has on people and how one can rise to great lengths when their love is threatened.

Although there are several instances of love portrayed in this book, one final example that is worth mentioning is the sacrifices of Dobby, Lupin, Tonks, Fred, Mad-Eye Moody, and many others. They all fight out of love for their ‘tribe’ even if it is worth losing their life over. Dobby dies due to a knife thrown at him by Bellatrix Lestrange when he is apparating with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the goblin Griphook at Malfoy Manor.

However, Dobby doesn’t show any regret when he dies in the arms of Harry. He is just very grateful for his life and happy that he is with his friend Harry Potter when he is dying. Lupin and Tonks die during the Battle of Hogwarts, and despite having a newly born son Teddy, they fight the battle because they believe in the cause they fight for and hope that their son can grow up in a world free from Voldemort.

Fred, too, dies during the battle, and he, too, is willing to sacrifice his life despite the consequences because of his love for his family and fellow beings. Mad-Eye Moody, one of the strongest wizards in the Order of the Phoenix, dies during the Battle of the Seven Potters, and he too is not afraid of death and faces it bravely because he is confident in the cause he is fighting for and is willing to risk a lot to see the end of Voldemort’s reign. All of these people are brave and strong because of how strong their love is for the cause they fight for.

The Finale

‘The finale’ is an essential part of every story because it helps summarize the essence of the entire story and determine the deeper messages propagated through the story. It is not an easy task to write a finale for a large book series with a lot of details and plot points that need to follow continuity and stay faithful to the thematic structure of the series. However, J. K. Rowling does a great job in telling the finale of this story without there being any inconsistencies within the series.

The major element of this finale is the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. Harry Potter and Voldemort have had a lot of history in this book series, but it is the eventual resolution of their conflict that ultimately assigns completeness to it. Unlike real-life events, which are meant to just occur on their own with no innate pattern or need for continuity, most books are written by authors with intent and are therefore expected to mean something beyond the mere nature of events occurring by themselves.

Voldemort’s cause for Pure-Blood supremacy is something that is inconvenient to most people and questions their freedom which is why living in harmony with each other is a better and more inclusive ideology to uphold. Therefore, Harry champions that cause and, along with his many supporters and friends, fights for this cause. However, Voldemort is a very powerful wizard with a large army of dark wizards and witches called Death Eaters and is, therefore, no easy challenge to face.

The way Rowling uses the plot as a means to illustrate the complexity of Harry’s growth from a boy to the ‘Chosen One’ who ultimately defeats Voldemort is what makes this finale all the more exciting to read.

Even in just ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,‘ Harry starts out strengthening his grudge against Snape with no clue about the Horcruxes and their whereabouts. He is confused, aimless, and has no real goal beyond a vague and abstract resolve that involves finding Horcruxes and destroying them. However, as the book progresses, a lot of things begin to change significantly.

Due to Harry’s connection to Voldemort’s mind, Harry begins to understand his foe better and make sense of how he is thinking and feeling. Even though he was explicitly told by Dumbledore, Snape, and even Hermione and Ron not to pay heed to this connection, Harry chooses his own path, takes a decision, and uses this connection to get a lot of important details he needs, including the identity of the last two Horcruxes. In the meantime, Harry, with the help of his friends and other random elements, makes great progress in his search for Horcruxes.

Furthermore, he uncovers nuanced details about the Deathly Hallows, something that wasn’t even on the cards until that point. This widens Harry’s horizon further, and Harry adjusts his ‘map’ to fit in this new detail. This keeps on going until Harry figures out further details from the Pensieve and Snape’s memories.

This changes him significantly, making him stronger and ready to face Voldemort, eventually facing him defenseless in the forest. Despite the killing curse being targeted at him, Harry is still alive. Finally, when all the Horcruxes are destroyed, Harry confidently vanquishes Voldemort.

It is this growth and significant change that makes this finale more worthwhile to read. Harry starts off from being a boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs to the boy who brings an end to the rule of a tyrant that even the strongest of wizards couldn’t put an end to.

The prophecy is only a mere trigger for these events to have taken place and does nothing beyond giving the story an interesting side. It is Harry’s actions alone that let him transform into the boy that kills the Dark Lord. The finale of this book is a triumph because it allows the reader to witness true growth in its characters. This theme of growth can also be applied to other characters in this book, including Ron, Hermione, and especially Neville. Neville Longbottom, who was always a scared kid and got bullied constantly for his shortcomings, ends up eventually killing the snake Nagini, ending the need to destroy Horcruxes which is what helps Harry to eventually kill Voldemort.

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