The Meaning of the Phoenix: Love's Victory over Death in Harry Potter

[travisprinzi]

I posted this at my blog looking for critical response, and my critical readers didn't show up! I'm looking to expand and improve on this essay. I'd love to hear your responses.

Comments

This is one reason why. . . .

[anonymous]

I don't get people who object to Harry Potter as being 'Satanic'. The books are absolutely STIFF with Christian symbolism, and the two major themes of the whole series the triumph of Love over Death and the Power of Love vs. the Love of Power. What could be more Christian than that?

Re: This is one reason why. . . .

[travisprinzi]

Well, there is that troublesome "death is all there is" crowd. But you're correct in saying that "love's stronger than death" is a theme that exists outside Christianity. That said, the comment above IS correct concerning the amount of Christian symbolism employed in the series.

[glacierscout]

There's lots of good information in here, but it is a tad disorganized and scattered. I'd suggest five main topics, then rearranging your paragraphs into them

[travisprinzi]

Thanks! Yes, I do want to tighten it up a bit. It was written for a class, and the professor did not want "headers" for each subject introduced, and I work much better at organizing with them.

I'm going to avoid predicting Harry's death as a part of this essay, since it's intended to be purely analytical. In fact, it won't be entirely finished as I want it to be until Book 7 is out.

Thanks again for your helpful suggestions.

[focusf1]

But the interesting question is whether Harry will succeed by risking his own death in order to win and live(knowing that even if he dies, it will still be the next geat adventure), or have the examples of all of those willing to die for a new life/world to be reborn inspire Harry enough that he will sacrifice himself to finally defet Voldemort?

I think Harry has proved that he will as he has sacrificed his own life on many occasions for a lot less.

[katiemorris]

Ah but will Voldemort die? I don't think he will. As Travisprinzi stated in this excellent essay, Dumbledore has reminded the reader several times, and Voldemort at least once, "there are far worse things than death."

I think Voldemort will have a fate worse than death. I don't think she will turn Harry into a killer in the end, not a deliberate murderer, even of Voldemort. I think the Dementors will see to Voldie, and that last, elusive, bit of his soul will go their way and he will be left an empty shell with all his soul pieces destroyed. That would be much more satisfying than a flat-out duel between him and Harry. After all, she's already done that, in the graveyard at the end of Goblet.

Very interesting speculative essay, I thought.

[luminousmarble]

I'm pretty scattered today, but I found this a really intriguing read--you brought in some takes I've not run across before. Thanks for sharing this.