In deference to slackers and slow readers Deathly Hallows yammering continues below the cut. Note to HP readers: avoid the Slate book club discussion of Deathly Hallows that's ongoing. Unless you want to spend some time with Capt. Bringdown & the Buzzkills.
One thing that's surprised me is the number of people I've read stating that Dobby's death meant nothing to them. What, are they made of stone or something?!? Of course, such folk might say the same thing about my reaction of Moody. Actually, that's not fair to me because among reasons given for not caring about Dobby's death were that the house elves were just annoying plot devices. Or (the ultimate insult) that they were like Ewoks. So don't get me wrong. I liked Moody but his death didn't choke me up like some of the later ones.
One thing that's annoying me is the argument that no one "really important" dies (also expressed as "no one we really care about" dies). This is obvious bullshit, it is not? For one thing, it changes the rules of engagement, rendering the deaths of "important" characters (Sirius, Dumbledore) earlier in series irrelevant so that we can task Rowling for copping out. Second, it reduces the concept of importance to total subjectivist irrelevance. Is Snape (dead) not more important than Lucius Malfoy (not dead)? You can say that Hagrid's more important than Fred Weasley, but is he more important than Lupin? What they're saying, I think, amounts to making up distinctions of importance or reader attachment after the fact and using that as a club to beat on Rowling. Third, the only way that argument makes any sense is if you're saying that either Harry, Hermoine or Ron should have died. To which I say, that would make the ending better HOW? And anyway can you imagine the great screaming outcry if Rowling had actually killed off Ron? Or, my god, Hermoine?
Absolutely I call shenanigans on that...
Wow! Dobby's death was the first thing that made me cry--I actually said "Oh NO!" out loud and then started sobbing (Christina was a couple hundred pages behind me, so this made her very nervous). Dobby showed that everyone could be a hero--not to mention Kreacher. Luna's little speech got to me, too. Dobby's death actually got more page-time than anyone else's, if i recall correctly.
And actually, I was most heartbroken about Lupin and Tonks, who were major characters to me! Their deaths, plus the Snape stuff, also had me bawling.
I knew the big three would make it and I was perfectly happy with that. I thought the ending was suitable and satisfying!
dobby's death is handled in a way that gives the reader an opportunity to feel it and to grieve. i would have preferred it had tonks and lupin been handled similarly; they were important, but i just didn't *feel* their deaths (or fred's, actually) the way i did dobby's. you don't see them die, you don't see them buried; harry has so little participation in their deaths that he doesn't give the reader a channel into that grief.
That's definitely how I felt about Fred's--it was so sudden, then on to the next thing!--but I guess that's how it is in war.
Dobby's death really affected me. Not just because he was cute and loveable (in an exasperating way, of course), but because I thought he was actually a very important character. One of the main points of the whole series was about the power of love, loyalty, friends and such, and I think Dobby exemplified all that. Harry won Dobby's unwavering devotion and allegiance through some very small acts of kindness that Harry thought were rather insignificant, but to Dobby meant everything. So Dobby was ready to do anything in his power for Harry ... even put his life on the line. What really made me weep were Dobby's last words: "Harry...Potter." I understood that to mean that Dobby saw serving Harry as his life's purpose--and it was a choice made from love. Oh, I'm tearing up just thinking about it.
I was also devastated by Snape's death, even though I had figured he was going to die in this book. But "The Prince's Tale" just slew me ... again with the power of love! And I'm not normally a very romantic person--I think it takes some really good storytelling (think Jane Austen!) to really get me on that front.
Fred's death was upsetting in and of itself, of course, but more so because I couldn't help thinking about poor George left without him ... the Weasley twins were like a dorce of nature! How could one last without the other?
I sort of wanted Draco Malfoy to snuff it, but I completely understand why he had to live. Ooh, to owe a life debt to Harry Potter! i think that's better than any other revenge Harry could have had!!
I was pretty choked up by Fred's death. Less so by those of Lupin and Tonks. While I see the point that there's something missing, I agree w/ Alicia. In battle, people die. Sometimes well, sometimes less so, but always without regard to their importance to the story or how much they're loved. One of the flaws of a lot of bad fantasy books/movies is the way they always stop to focus on the deaths of the "important" people. It also struck me as very British. Even though Rowling isn't old enough to have lived thru WWII, she'd have heard about it from her parents' generation. And there's something very London-during-the-Blitz about the aftermath scenes in Hogwarts (crumbling bldg, triage rooms, mourning families huddled together)
I meant "force" of nature. I'm not even sure what a "dorce" of nature is ... probably something very magical.
I wonder if Draco's life debt to Harry is canceled out by Harry's to Draco's mom? (Another instance of love overpowering evil--Narcissa's desire to find and protect her son caused her to betray Voldemort et al. Also another instance of "just b/c s/he is a jerk, does not mean s/he is evil.")
I like the imagery of London in the Blitz--I do think that's very fitting.
I'm not sure you can pay off someone else's life debt ... but I'm not the one making the rules. Well, you could sort of say that Harry saved all the Malfoys simply by offing V, because I think they all knew their days were numbered in his service ...
Yeah, it's not like they really need life debts when Voldemort's not around anymore.
i think one of rowling's finest achievements in this books is that she actually managed to make me feel bad for lucius malfoy.
Oh, I never really felt sorry for him ... I felt more sorry for Narcissa, because I don't think she was an actual death eater, she just married one. Not that she was very likeable, but still he was the one who made the choice to serve the Dark Lord.
I'd have to go back and reread the earlier books to remember how enthusiastic (or unenthusiastic) a follower of Voldemort she was. Agreed though that Lucius is merely reaping the reward of a life spent in service of evil. Even so, as his world crumbles around him, his family is threatened and he's tossed aside by his master, I did feel bad for him, even if it was all his own fault. Sorta like Scooter Libby.
You feel bad for Scooter Libby?
at least in a "it must suck to be you" way