Grieving over “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”

Jul 12, 2007

Posted by: SueTLC

Uncategorized

With the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows almost a week away, the USA Today has a feature on grief as fans await the last installment in the Harry Potter series. Faced with the possibility of the death of a most beloved figure and others, as well as the knowledge that this is the final chapter of the saga, the newspaper has two articles regarding death and the finality found in “Deathly Hallows.”

The first article addresses the process we are taking as talking about who may die in DH turns ” to mourning as Potterians process the news and adjust, or not, to a glum future absent the exquisite anticipation of another book. Some fans, maybe most, will take it in stride. “She’s kind of prepared us,” says Trysh Thompson, 26, a technical writer in Georgetown, Ky. “It’s not going to be a total shock.”

Also important is the loss we will feel as this is the final installment in the series.

“It makes sense to grieve the end of a fictional character in the fictionality of Internet space,” says pop-culture historian Robert Thompson of Syracuse University. “Even if nobody was going to die, the really significant grief is that they’re not going to be able to look forward to another book. When something cultural is with you for that long and that regularly, it becomes part of your life, and when it goes away, it’s sad.”

The second piece continues more about which characters may not survive the outcome of book seven, and offers thoughts from the Harry Potter actors and film makers on who they think may die in “Deathly Hallows.”

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter): “A heroic death for me has always been the most fitting way to conclude the series. I think it’s a very conclusive way to end it.”

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger): “I have a nasty feeling Harry might die. I think he might have to go with Voldemort.”

Michael Goldenberg (screenwriter): “I can imagine an ending where Harry lives and it’s still quite bittersweet. I just don’t know if (J.K. Rowling)can kill off Harry.”





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.