Well, I have read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HP7) again. And this time, I did spot some flaws. May be its not even right to call them flaws after all, but there are rather quite a few diversions from the earlier books. Some people may agree with me and others may not, but this is my perception and I would love to pour them out. So, this might be a kind of late review from my side.
One of the reasons why I liked HP series was that I had a feeling that J K Rowling (JKR) thinks in many ways like I do. In previous books, she laid a lot of stress on the importance of education, on having a career, on friendships, and on tolerance in friendship. Not only that, she tries to propagate that women (females) are not secondary to anyone, and at times they may prove to be smarter than most men (through Hermione, of course). But in HP7, these are the very issues where JKR changes tracks. Or is it that the birth of a third child (a girl) has changed JKR's mindset.
After the sixth book when Harry, Ron and Hermione decided not to return to Hogwarts, I had apprehensions about the seventh book. And although the book is interesting for the whole of the plot, I feel she should at least have mentioned that after the war is over, all these people went back to complete their education. That they had a proper education and made their careers, etc. After telling us all how much Harry wanted to be an Auror, JKR simply omits telling us what career Harry and the others choose. Ron wanted to be an Auror too and Hermione had all the options open for her.
Then again, in all the earlier books (unlike HP movies), Ron and Hermione had almost equivalent parts to play. Though I admit that the climax usually belonged to Harry, but in HP7 they are almost reduced to sidekicks for the most part of the book. I had a feeling when Dumbledore left them bequests in his will that JKR envisaged a bigger participation for them. But alas it didn’t happen to be so. What a sheer waste of Hermione's intelligence and brilliance, and Ron’s loyalty and faithfulness. Even Ginny in the sixth book had become almost a part of the gang, but she is completely left out in the seventh book. We don’t even know whether she even fought in the war or not, as all of a sudden we are reminded that she is underage. Was she not underage, and all the others including Harry, in the fifth and the sixth book? But, there they all conveniently fought the death eaters.
Last, the biggest flaw in the book – the Epilogue. It was just so sugary sweet as to give us all Diabetes. It was as if all JKR was trying to do was to wrap up things so that she doesn’t have to write another HP book. After all those years we came to love Hermione for her intelligence, brilliance and sharp mind. Her future is highlighted as "Ok, she got married and had kids...." Now come on, she could have gone places. Even Ginny was seemingly intelligent what with Slughorn trying to induct her in his club. But she too was entitled to the same fate. In fact, apart from Neville, who becomes a Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, JKR didn’t care to show what careers or basically the kind of life anyone chooses. When James comes and tells his parents that Ted Lupin is kissing his cousin Victoire (I assume she is Bill and Fleur’s daughter because of the French name but there’s no mention about it), all Ginny could manage to say was “Oh, it would be wonderful if they get married”. Seems like its Jane Austen writing the epilogue not JKR. Harry talks about his home. What home? Does he go back to live in Grimauld Place or some place else. May be not Grimauld Place because that is huge; and Harry’s home is not huge. If Ted comes over to live with them then both his sons would have to share a room. Then where did Harry go on to live really? It’s all guesswork here.
Further, some answers I expected in the book were left unanswered. What was the potion in the cave that Dumbledore drank in HP6? Why did it not affect Kreacher in the way it affected Dumbledore and Regalus? Before HP7 was released people were doing research telling us it was draught of death which is a very strong sleep inducing potion but doesn’t lead to death. Well, I never believed it and always thought Dumbledore was dead but expected to find out how. Besides, at the end of HP6 when Harry decided to go to Godric's Hollow, I thought finally I'll have answer to the one question that has been there in my mind since the initial chapters of the first book. What kind of work did Harry's parents do to amass such wealth for Harry? I couldn’t find out.
Further, who was the baby whom Dumbledore said that they can’t help in the Kings Cross Station? What was really the significance of having the baby there? Then again, what happened to Colin Creevy? Did he survive? JKR could have talked a bit about how life changed for the people who lost their loved ones, sad for their losses and yet happy about the end of dark days. We don’t even get any reaction from George on Fred's death. Come on, they were inseparable, partners in everything.
So as is evident, the biggest hitch I find in the book is to digest the Epilogue. If only she could have written a better one telling that they completed their education, are doing something worthwhile in life and how life became so normal for them as they achieved all their dreams; it would have been an exemplary book. After all, many kids idolize Harry Potter and love the books. They would have had something to emulate. Overall, I stick to my earlier review but somehow do not find myself connecting to the epilogue.
I still think that HP7 is an exciting book, way beyond my expectations. But a few complaints remain. In short, HP7 is an extraordinary escapist fiction with a few drawbacks. But then, books like humans can never be perfect.
I am not one of those you find in HP communities/groups on social networking sites and fan sites who do analysis on Harry Potter. I sometimes read them for the fun of it. Further, I am not here to criticize HP7. One can see that I am not finding any petty mistakes here like spells backfiring, etc. I am talking about JKR's change in ideology. It’s just that I thought that HP7 is different from other HP books in terms of morals it propagates.
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