Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Was anyone else disappointed with the climax of the series?
Gregorio
(last edited
Sep 27, 2012 02:34PM
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Sep 27, 2012 02:15PM
I remember being sourly disappointed when I first read this book a long time ago, and I was wondering if anyone else felt the same way.
But I guess some background first: I studied literature in college, and I always found that the ending to a good book is when the character has an amazing internal change. Those are what most coming of age novels are about, and that is what I was sort of hoping from the Harry Potter series, as it is, in a way, a coming of age novel. But Harry doesn't change in the last book: he's sort of the same character he was at the end of the sixth book. He doesn't come to any grand realization, and the climactic speech (the one where he and Voldemort are fighting and he tells Voldemort that because he knows the meaning of friendship, Voldemort will lose--which is sort of bullshit). I know that the rest of the book doesn't really lead up to an internal change in Harry in the end, but I just felt disappointed because of the lack of change in Harry at the end.
Also, I know that Harry changes in the series: he changes a lot in book 1, 3, 4, and 5 and changes a little at the end of 6, but I felt that Harry doesn't have that grand summarize the whole series realization that he could have.
Perhaps I just expected too much from the series (obviously it's not a work of Melville or Baldwin or, well, a prestigious author) but those are my two cents, and I was wondering if anyone else out there had a similar feeling, or if anyone does see the change he has at the very end, or if I'm just a douche. Any of those responses are game.
But I guess some background first: I studied literature in college, and I always found that the ending to a good book is when the character has an amazing internal change. Those are what most coming of age novels are about, and that is what I was sort of hoping from the Harry Potter series, as it is, in a way, a coming of age novel. But Harry doesn't change in the last book: he's sort of the same character he was at the end of the sixth book. He doesn't come to any grand realization, and the climactic speech (the one where he and Voldemort are fighting and he tells Voldemort that because he knows the meaning of friendship, Voldemort will lose--which is sort of bullshit). I know that the rest of the book doesn't really lead up to an internal change in Harry in the end, but I just felt disappointed because of the lack of change in Harry at the end.
Also, I know that Harry changes in the series: he changes a lot in book 1, 3, 4, and 5 and changes a little at the end of 6, but I felt that Harry doesn't have that grand summarize the whole series realization that he could have.
Perhaps I just expected too much from the series (obviously it's not a work of Melville or Baldwin or, well, a prestigious author) but those are my two cents, and I was wondering if anyone else out there had a similar feeling, or if anyone does see the change he has at the very end, or if I'm just a douche. Any of those responses are game.
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There is hardly a single moment in adolescence that causes one to dramatically have a 180 degree change in attitude, personality, motivation, etc., There are usually building moments within one's "growing up" years that shape a person gradually.
However, I would argue that Harry's moment is when he realizes that he must die that he must sacrifice himself so that others can win and that was his purpose all along. His acceptance of that and ability to take that on instead of running away is the moment he comes into himself fully.
However, I would argue that Harry's moment is when he realizes that he must die that he must sacrifice himself so that others can win and that was his purpose all along. His acceptance of that and ability to take that on instead of running away is the moment he comes into himself fully.
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deleted member
Nov 21, 2012 02:41PM
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I thought the show-down between Harry and Voldemort was just awfully cheesy and that it didn't really ring true somehow. It doesn't seem likely that they would spend five minutes circling each other - conveniently explaining their clever plans - and then both choose to attack at the same moment. Urgh. Just awful.
I agree, it ended up feeling rushed and like she just wanted to get it done with, rather than really letting it build and grow. By the end there was no tension left, you knew what was going to happen more or less and you just got the sense she wanted to help the story along rather than letting it unfold logically out of a clear progression of character and situation.
No. It was really awesome. It had the perfect ending to the series.
I felt the ending was great. First - I agree with Gretchen's description at the end of her comment. Second - many beloved characters were "lost" (died), but the important ones remain. Third - will forever be amazed by the entire series and JK Rowling's imagination!
This last book was poorly written. Rowling's writing style has always been average. What made her books stand out was the quality of her stories and the ways in which she unfolded her plot. However, in HP and the DH, she takes her time during the first half of the book (as if there were other novels left in the series)and then has to hurry up to give closure to everything towards the end. Thus we see a Ron who is able to speak parseltongue out of nowehere while the mystery of Ravenclaw's diadem is solved almost as soon as it is introduced!
It's sad to live in a world where so many people are immune to bad writing!
An yes, I agree with you Gregorio, his spiel about friendship was disturbingly cliche. A teenager or not, under such stressful circumstances (circumstances that are NOT the ones of your average teen), he should have gone through more changes.
It's sad to live in a world where so many people are immune to bad writing!
An yes, I agree with you Gregorio, his spiel about friendship was disturbingly cliche. A teenager or not, under such stressful circumstances (circumstances that are NOT the ones of your average teen), he should have gone through more changes.
No. No I did not.
I felt the ending was perfect - it unravelled the story Jo had written expertly.
I felt the ending was perfect - it unravelled the story Jo had written expertly.
I was disapointmented but more because I thought it would be more heroic had he died... to me this is very much a happy ending book - Ron and Hermione are alive, Harry and Ginny etc and they are all able to get married and live happily ever after.
Yes there were some, very notable, deaths (aka Dobby, Hedwig etc) but these were secondary characters - the 'main' three basically survive this unscathed (and I know Hermione was tortured but this is something people can, given time, recover from).
However I do agree with Gretchens last line in that if there ever was a moment of realisation or clarity that would be it for Harry.
Yes there were some, very notable, deaths (aka Dobby, Hedwig etc) but these were secondary characters - the 'main' three basically survive this unscathed (and I know Hermione was tortured but this is something people can, given time, recover from).
However I do agree with Gretchens last line in that if there ever was a moment of realisation or clarity that would be it for Harry.
I agree. The end sort of fell flat for me. I was pretty disappointed, after all of the time and emotion I'd invested--there wasn't much payoff.
And I felt that none of the characters changed. It was the major flaw of the whole series, which I didn't really notice until the end. Everyone is exactly as they appear to be, and no one ever changes. The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad just because Rowling says they are--for example, the entire House of Slytherin is where the bad kids go and Gryffindor is where the good kids go, and the rest could go either way. I was extremely disappointed that Malfoy seemed like he was going to change, and then he...went right back to doing what he'd been doing all along.
And I felt that none of the characters changed. It was the major flaw of the whole series, which I didn't really notice until the end. Everyone is exactly as they appear to be, and no one ever changes. The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad just because Rowling says they are--for example, the entire House of Slytherin is where the bad kids go and Gryffindor is where the good kids go, and the rest could go either way. I was extremely disappointed that Malfoy seemed like he was going to change, and then he...went right back to doing what he'd been doing all along.
I was a little disappointed in the ending myself. It seemed as though Rowling was pressured to wrap up the series.
I thought the final battle between Harry and Voldemort was weak. Plus, she may as well just left out the epilogue. It was too short, and I was left wondering what had happened with characters not mentioned.
Don't get me wrong, I love Harry Potter and think J.K. Rowling is brilliant. The Harry Potter books are destined to be classics.
I thought the final battle between Harry and Voldemort was weak. Plus, she may as well just left out the epilogue. It was too short, and I was left wondering what had happened with characters not mentioned.
Don't get me wrong, I love Harry Potter and think J.K. Rowling is brilliant. The Harry Potter books are destined to be classics.
I wasn't disappointed with the ending we were given.
Perhaps the readers who were disappointed in the denouement of the series would have prefer the alternate ending which J.K Rowling told to the journalist Greg Palast.
The alternate ending was quite chilling, less of a resolution, but very thought provoking, perhaps too much so for a children's novel. I am glad that I read of it, it presents a less satisfactory conclusion, but in some ways a much more powerful one.
Perhaps the readers who were disappointed in the denouement of the series would have prefer the alternate ending which J.K Rowling told to the journalist Greg Palast.
The alternate ending was quite chilling, less of a resolution, but very thought provoking, perhaps too much so for a children's novel. I am glad that I read of it, it presents a less satisfactory conclusion, but in some ways a much more powerful one.
I think, had these not been children's novels, that the alternate ending would have been brilliant (I had no idea there WAS an alternate ending posted online until I read this posting!). I thought the final battle left something to be desired - I mean, wasn't Harry cautioned against using Expelliarmus as his go-to spell? He could have used a shield charm instead. Or anything. I mean, I know he needed to get the wand, but couldn't he have used a summoning spell? Come on! But for me, the real disappointment was the epilogue. That was it? I don't care about their kids, no offense. I want to know how THEY are. Are they Aurors? What are they doing? How are the Weasleys? How is Hogwarts even doing? Stuff that's important. Ugh - they need a sequel, for real. And one other thing - how do Harry's kids not know about what Harry did?! How is that humanly possible? In twelve years for the oldest, you'd think that might have been mentioned once or twice, even as a warning - "Look, before you hear rumors from other kids, here's the real story," you know? I'm not kidding...a sequel is needed!!
I hated the ending. Voldemort always said that harry was nothing special, that he stood on the shoulders of greater wizards...and in the end he was right. It's the "super wand" that beats Volemort not Harry. And everything was so rushed, why didn't she just let the series go past 7 books.
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