Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Three Deathly Hallows

Buwahahahahaha

Xeno Lovegood and his Deathly Hallows Pendant
I confess that on first reading of Deathly Hallows these Hallows threw me off. I had spent YEARS (more than 2) debating how the series would end and while the hints of the horcruxes trickle through, visible as early as Chamber of Secrets, these Hallows felt a little out of left field... but at the SAME TIME, the Hallows connect in Grindelwald and Dumbledore's history (mentioned for the first time In Sorcerer's Stone). And the cloak, left in Dumbledore's care... passed back to Harry... lone heir of the Peverells.

Thinking on it though, I LOVE how Jo managed to surprise me. I was so sure after all that debate, theorizing and speculating with some of the smartest peeps I know that SOMEBODY would have gotten the main story... and some of us got some incredible details right... But not a single person got this...

So let's review them in the order we would encounter them in the Tale of Three Brothers. (didn't you LOVE that animation in the first Deathly Hallows? I adored it—perfect for a fairy tale) (all quotes from Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling)


“So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for it's owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered death!”

This may or may not include spoilers if you haven't read the book. I don't know how deeply the movie will get into it. If you HAVEN'T read the book and don't want a spoiler, maybe skip to the next section.

How clever is it that there is an unbeatable wand... that Voldemort GETS but doesn't OWN because it wasn't actually Dumbledore's anymore... Draco disarmed him in Half Blood Prince (so it's Draco's), and then Harry tackles Draco and takes HIS wand, so HARRY then is master of the unbeatable wand...

What I love about this is the unlikely event of Draco 'taking' the wand from Dumbledore... nobody knows it was THE wand... nobody gets it's significance... I think that is a bit of brilliance.


“Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death.”

I love the chance here to explore Dumbledore's personal demons... the tragic family past, the tragedy... and how Dumbledore wanted nothing more than to bring the dead back... was OBSESSED... so obsessed he cursed his own hand... I love the way Harry gets this right, too... he uses the resurrection stone, but not for the unnatural use the second brother tried to use it for, but just for the strength to do what he needed...


"The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death.”

We see the invisibility cloak for the first time in Sorcerer's Stone... we have NO IDEA how special they are... just that they are expensive and rare. But here we learn that in fact MOST wear out quickly and do not protect in the same way. Harry has the real deal. The ONLY real deal... I love how this detail introduces the way the ONLY family line extends from the Peverells


Also wik:

Side note: Colene's blog yesterday prompted me to watch the Deathly Hallows 2 premier on YouTube.
Here are a couple high points:

* Rupert Grint appears to be wearing Dragon Hide... I mean not literally, but the fabric of his suit. I think this rocks. (and I ADORE that when he does his speech he thanks Jo for what her books have done fore Gingers *snort * *cough*makethemsexobjects*cough*) man, he's a charmer.

And this just in... Jason Isaacs just patted his bum for the audience. I'm pretty sure that was for me personally. MAN, I love him... I particularly love that he gets such joy from 'we're practically drag queens'... constuming... “Lucius is gorgeous... oh wait, people can hear us?” *snort*

Molly and Bellatrix (Julie and Helena) both had to be treated by a physical therapist for wand arm after filming their final battle...

13 comments:

Trisha said...

Wand arm...I LOVE IT!

Oh yeah, the gingers are some of the BEST things about the HP franchise... Gotta love those Weasley twins. ;)

Misha Gerrick said...

Hehe she definitely knew how to tie everything together. By the end of the book, I felt satisfied and never even felt the need to go back to any of the stories again.

:-)

Hart Johnson said...

Trisha-that cracked me up, too... and yes... I love the gingers... particularly the brown eyed gingers.

Misha-Oh, I LOVE going back to them, but I may not have discovered that if I didn't have 3 reads built in--one alone, then with each of my kids.

Matthew MacNish said...

Your analysis is incredible, Hart. As is the many layered web that makes up the plot of this masterpiece. If you research it enough, and discover that EVERYTHING was planned, nothing was just luck ...

It boggles the mind.

Sarah Ahiers said...

omg. floating head harry is creepy as hell.
And YES! I totes LOVED the animation sequence in the last film

Tina said...

Great analysis, Hart. Jo's plotting is so intricate, but with enough foreshadowing to allow us to "figure" out events prior to their happening. Like you, I spent a LOT, I mean a LOT LOT of time debating how the series would end with a good friend of mine. Turns out that we BOTH ended up being right in the end. That, to me, is amazingly clever. Spoiler alert!



I said Harry has to die, she's been setting us up for him sacrificing himself all along, and without that, her allegory doesn't work. AT ALL. Kim said that Jo couldn't kill Harry. Too many young kids reading, and she wouldn't want to make them all sad. So having Harry sacrifice himself and then LIVE (and she could have botched that, but no, it was completely believable how it happened) was nothing short of a miracle. I closed that last book completely satisfied with it. I have of course returned and re-read many of them, many times. I just love her writing style, and that world she created is full of such fun objects.
Ok, shutting up now. I could talk about Harry til the cows come home ;-)
Tina @ Life is Good

Carol Kilgore said...

Great post. And Harry will be coming to your e-reader soon.

Talli Roland said...

I haven't read any HP books. I know, I know... :)

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Wand arm! That sounds painful!

I love the way Jo wrote about the wand, too (trying not to give spoilers in my comment, just in case!)

Hart Johnson said...

Matt-I know--the level or research--it is fairly incredible how it all ties in so many ways to mythology, to writing strategy... perfect.

Sarah *snort* Yeah, a little creepy...

Tina-that WAS wonderful--that both the lived and died had their piece. I actually predicted Harry would go through the veil and the only way OUT was a piece of soul, which he would pay with the horcrux in him... so in a metaphor way, I got that. (then there was a lot I didn't get)

Carol-and then I can carry them all everywhere!

Talli--READ THEM !!!

Hart Johnson said...

Elizabeth--it does! Sort of an arm whiplash thing, I think... Helena said neck stuff, too--she had to see her chiropractor!

Deb and Barbara said...

I lost track of the HP story after book 5 and movie 3. Now I feel like I have to/want to catch up. Plus I also wanted to say hi, I'm back!

Ciara said...

Jo is a genius. I do not believe there is another like her in this world. I can't wait to see the movie. Of course, I read all the books. :)