Voldemort's Nagini

Hogwarts

I felt some regret when I opened the pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with the knowledge that this will be the last in the series. On purpose I had avoided any reviews or commentary on the book before I began my own reading so as not to come across spoilers. Hence, I want to say right here that there will be no spoilers in this review, no telling tales or giving out a detailed storyline. I will not reveal who will die or who will survive. Those of you who have not yet read this book won't find out the final outcome. Period!

In some ways, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a far darker book than some might have expected. It is also a book that ties up all the loose ends from previous books, and makes clear those events that seemed puzzling in earlier volumes. It gives the reader unexpected heroes, and an ending with both sweet and sour notes.

In Deathly Hallows we once again become aware how much Rowling has consciously (or unconsciously - I do not know which) harked back to the Faustian theme of the early books. Voldemort wants to live forever, and like Faust, wants unlimited power, and thus is willing to risk his soul. In the case of Faust, the old philosopher is at first prepared to sell his soul to the devil for eternal youth, but then, he also seeks great powers and becomes ruthlessly destructive. The only thing is, Goethe, in the end, allows Faust to be redeemed through love, which to me has always seemed a rather sentimental ending to an overlong poetic tale of uneven writing. Will there be redemption for the former Tom Riddle, now changed into Voldemort? That is a question that will be left unanswered here. Let is suffice that Voldemort's bargain for eternal life follows a different route than that of Faust. His quest for eternal life and endless power rests in his ability to split his soul into many parts that he hides in horcruxes. Voldemort is not willing to 'sell' any part of his soul, he simply wants to spread it around in secret objects to ensure he cannot be destroyed.

In this last volume of the seven-book series, Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron, set out to fulfill Dumbledore's final instructions, namely to find the horcruxes and destroy them, and thus Voldemort. Will they succeed? Well, that is the big question that will only be answered toward the end of the book. First there are deceit and betrayal, but also unexpected affections, hard won friendships, and challenges beyond all imagination to be met and overcome. Some will die, unexpectedly; the demise of others proceeds as expected. Readers will meet once again certain house elves, goblins, giants and werewolves. They, like the muggles, mudbloods, and half-bloods are threatened by Voldemort's lust for power that spurs on the Death Eaters to fulfill his wishes.

Rowling, in part, has recreated in Deathly Hallows the social and political atmosphere that marked the Hitler era, in which the Nazis obsessed on racial purity, and ruthless elimination of political opponents. The Death Eaters carry certain similarities to Hitler's early SA, followed by the even more deadly SS. Or think of Stalin and his reign of terror that killed at least 30 million of his own people. But, why dwell on Hitler and Stalin? In the more recent past, Bosnia-Herzogevina, Croatia and Kosovo in the Balkans became the appalling scenes of ethnic cleansing. Now we face Sudan's horrendous reign over the Darfur region, where race and religion, as well as a land grab play out a deathly dance.

Now in this final Harry Potter saga, prejudice, racial discrimination, and an obsession with racial purity fill the world of the wizards, and evil appears to be triumphant over good. In Voldemort we can recognize in part Hitler, Stalin, Mao, even Pol Pot; the evil wizard's followers, the Death Eaters, are the natural extensions of the fanatic followers of these men. Hence, one can reveal that mudbloods and muggles are undergoing a kind of ethnic cleansing as Voldemort's hordes take over the Ministry of Magic, and with it the world of wizards and ordinary humans in one swoop.

Aside from these dark events, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is also, like its six predecessors, a book filled with all the varied textures of what makes a good person as opposed to a bad one. This means that Rowling continues to show clearly to her young readers the difference between good and evil. Deathly Hallows then takes on a special meaning because Rowling defines much more clearly than before that not all is black and white in the world around us. This is an especially important lesson to learn for young readers, but some adults may also take note.

As the story unfurls, Harry at times wonders if the late Dumbledore is really the man he seemed to have been. Into the novel's precinct enter the very normal emotions of doubt, of misreading intentions, of the very normal realization 'that if only'. For instance, if only Harry had paid more attention to certain subjects taught in the curriculum at Hogwarts, such as The History of Magic. Things, then, might have gone a little smoother, errors might have been prevented.

Rowling also sets her readers some challenges. There are biblical references, for instance, that show very clearly that we have been presented with a many-layered tale. Just how many young readers will recognize these reference is something we adults must ponder. In fact, one wonders, how many adult readers will know when, where and what for these scriptural lines appear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We have, after all, become rather blasé when it comes to going to church, or reading the Bible. But, then, we also no longer read much history nor many of the ancient myths that formed our society and culture. Rowling, quite magically, weaves them into her tales over and over again to inspire us to look a little deeper into who or what we are.

So, this is goodbye, then, to Harry Potter. It has been a great broomstick ride filled with fun, with high-jinx, with moments of sadness, of horror, and ultimately, with lessons about bravery, perseverance, the meaning of friendship and of love. And the next time I see a train rushing by I will think of Platform 92 and the beginning of school in September as it heralds in my favorite time of year, Fall.