Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Yes, I realize the book came out three months ago. So many people were writing and talking about it then though that I didn’t want to get lost in the shuffle when I can so much more effectively bore you when I have the floor to myself…. See that makes it sound like I had an actual reason to wait three months to finally do my review.

***HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS***

Ahhh, Harry, how I will miss you. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows marks the end of J.K. Rowling’s stupendous seven-volume series following young wizard Harry from the time he discovers at age eleven that he’s not a normal boy to age seventeen when he has to bring down the most powerfully evil wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, or die trying.

Yes, to those who haven’t read the series (all four of you), I’m sure it sounds like seven books of teenage children playing with wands. However, although this is the backdrop of the series, it is absolutely not the point of the series. Saying you don’t want to read it on those grounds would be like saying you don’t want to talk to your friend because they moved to Wyoming and you don’t like oil wells.

Harry Potter is about learning to stand up for what is right regardless of cost, dealing with victory, dealing with death, the dangers and futility of appeasing evildoers (especially important!), how to decide which things are really important ~ in short, it’s about maturing.

Now, I know that many Christians have objected to this series on the basis that they think it promotes witchcraft. I don’t know anyone who has actually read the series who would agree with this. The magic presented in the book is clearly not any more real in our world than the magic done by highly paid illusionists on the Las Vegas strip. Pity though, because I would very much like to be able to use the “scourgefy” charm to clean my house.

Again, the wizarding world of Harry Potter is an allegory for our own. It just happens to involve wizards instead of talking lions. What are comparable between Harry’s world and our own are the characters. They are smart, brave, funny, opportunistic, cowardly, self-sacrificing, and all the other things that real people are.

Through the course of the series, much speculation has been made as to J.K. Rowling’s religious affiliation. After the series ended, she said that she hadn’t wanted to say before because it would have given to big of a clue as to how the series would end. It seems that she is a Christian herself!

Given the thematic undertones of the series up until Book 7, this should not be too surprising to Christians; however, Book 7 is extremely Christian in nature.

***Okay, spoilers ahead so don’t read past here if you haven’t read the book yet***

The first clue should have been the title of the book itself, “The Deathly Hallows.” Harry spends much of the book prowling around England looking for the soul-splitting horcruxes that Lord Voldemort has created to prevent his own death, and which must be destroyed before Voldemort can be killed.

Harry becomes aware of a set of three objects called the “Deathly Hallows,” which when all possessed by the same owner, allow the owner to conquer death. Hoping that this will keep Harry alive during his prophesied-before-hand final confrontation with Voldemort, Harry keeps an eye out for these items as well.

As the book progresses, Harry slowly loses everything important to him including his best friend and his wand. He visits his parents’ grave to discover a Bible verse on the tombstone, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” This chapter contains the first overtly Christian references in the entire series.

Thinking this sounds like a dark wizard’s idea (Voldemort had spent his whole life trying to outwit death), Harry initially reacts with horror. Clearly the Dursleys who raised him weren’t much for church. Hermione, however, explains to Harry what the verse means, and Harry ponders.

The final chapters of the book bring Harry to his goal. As he learns that he is Voldemort’s final horcrux, accidentally housing a sliver of Voldemort’s soul that was imparted when Voldemort tried to kill him sixteen years earlier, Harry realizes that he must die if Voldemort is to be stopped.

The remainder of the book is a wonderful allegory of Christ’s sacrifice for us and the life and protection that brings those who are saved in addition to being a satisfying end to an engrossing series.

As a final note, I do like the titling of the book, “The Deathly Hallows.” “Hallow” means “to make holy or sacred” (like hallowed ground) so the point of having all three Hallows isn’t to escape death but to sanctify it, which is precisely what Harry does by sacrificing himself for everyone else. Extremely Christian theme complete with moderately obscure Christian language so as not to make it too obvious. Very nice in its subtlety!