While we’re comparing stories, here are a few possibilities that have occurred to me as I fell asleep along about page 500 of Book 7 last night:
1. Harry is King Alfred the Great and will drive out the Death-eating Danes after his winter in the fens, and re-establish peace in his country.
2. Harry is Roland, the champion of Charlemagne, and his best friend(s) will die because he waited too long to call for help.
3. Harry is Jesus and his friends will not be able to save him from the death-eating Romans, but his spirit will live on.
4. Harry is Davy Crockett at the Alamo and everybody will die.
5. The Yanks (Muggles) will come over and help the brave good wizards to defeat the Mazi death-eaters.
However it ends, I’m glad I had the chance to read these books. Jo Rowling is a great story-teller.

Towards the end of the book, I felt that Harry was made a bit like Jesus… sacrificing himself for the sake of everyone else. I think it even states it while he’s deuling with Voldermort. I liked how J.K. Rowling ended her series. It’s been a pleasure reading it. It all comes down to good vs. evil and of course GOOD prevails in the end.

I have to disagree about the whole house elf thing – I think Patrick missed the point. I don’t think Rowlings was making fun of progressive activists – as becomes very plain in book 7, she is advocating treating everyone and all creatures with respect. The house elves at Hogwarts in Book 4 and 5 feel no need to be free because they are treated with respect by the Headmaster (their master)and they reward him/her with loyalty. Dobby sees that his “master” is going beyond the usual bounds of bad bahavior and actively targeting Harry so he does what he can to mitigate the damage. Given the overtly abusive treatment he recieves, it is not a surprise that he would prefer freedom. But the elves at Hogwarts don’t need to be freed from their “slavery” since they have everything they could want and are happy. The house elves that are bound to the Death Eaters (or are treated badly by their masters) seem to be the only ones that crave freedom – elves treated with respect and care return the care with utter devotion. And that is what Hermione is really advocating – treating the house elves like they are worthy creatures. She has really only seen the treatment of Dobby and Winky (and, of course, Sirius’ treatment of Kreather) – as a Muggle (and a child), it may take her longer to appreciate the nuances but I believe she will.

The house-elfs issue is complicated. Freedom brings responsibility for one’s choices which is difficult for those who have not ever had it for generations. That’s rather complicated for adult books, even more so with children’s books so I didn’t know how the author was going to expound on that.
When Dobby came to Harry Potter’s room at the Durlseys to “help” him by warning him to stay away from Hogwarts, he had taken responsibility for himself in a way- not willing to allow the “master” to control all his choices when teh master was going against Dobby’s sense of right & wrong- he became “free” by that act. Although it became official at the sock gifting, it happened because he had made his own mind and acted, he had taken responsibility for his free-will. It was difficult for him & because of his background he felt he had to punish himself for it. He risked not for himself & his own freedom, though; he risked for concern about someone else’s safety.
Most house-elfs were terrified of change, not knowing what would happen or how to take responsibility for their freedom if they were to be freed. So they resisted the idea as dangerous. They felt needed as long as they were doing their work, there was stability & predictability. Also, work itself can be intrinsically satisfying. It feels good to get things done. Many people ca probably realte tot hat in some way. In our world, many of the people who actually do the work are the least paid, financially, but what would others who benefit from that work do without them? There are poor people who know how to work, how to survive any circumstance, how to solve problems; and richer people who can only solve a problem by buying something new or hiring someone to do the job.
In this book, someone who has known suffering & hunger in his youth is able to deal with adverse conditions while the one who’s always been well-fed had more trouble handling getting along when food was scarse.
Well, I’m not going to say too much now, but I did just finish & I’m happy. Except that I had always predicted that Harry would grow up to be a future Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and there’s no indication that the author ever thought of that. oh, well.

Umm…Gondola? I’m going to assume a runaway spell-checker here….

I finished the 7th book on Monday (I’m sharing it with my children – reading late into the night). I love how J.K. Rowling ties bits of information from previous books together. I only wish she would tie up all of the loose ends (aah – I guess that leaves the door open for a continuation of the series – wishful thinking on my part). I love how she shows that GOOD overcomes evil in the end and even the best and brightest make mistakes along the way. I find her books entertaining, enjoyable, and one of the best at pulling me in and keeping me reading (as well as my kids). Don’t we all love a happy ending?
I am getting tired of hearing religous people tell others that Harry Potter is witchcraft or evil or some other ghastly thing. My family are proclaimed christians yet we can appreciate a good story. This book does not encourage anyone to go to some mysterious school and learn to do evil things to others – it is a story (dark at times but still just a story)!!! A story filled with human qualities that we all possess. I see it as no different than reading Cindarella or Snow White to my younger kids. IT IS A STORY! A very well written story that engages the reader and creates a desire to read more. As a teacher, that is what I want all of my students to do – read more (and play less video games!!). I applaud J.K. Rowling and my family will continue to pray for her and those people who try to attack her in “the name of Christ”. Christ is all about loving one another – not destroying one another. Ye without sin may cast the first stone! We hope to read what becomes of Harry and the others – what jobs they have and how well their children do at Hogwarts. Please keep writing Ms. Rowling!

I was one of hose christians that said it was evil. It has alot of witchcraft. And children can take it to far by imitating. I will not let my children read or watch it until they are firmly rooted in Christ or realize it is fiction. I dont read fiction of this magnitude at all. Beverly Lewis books and Nicolus Sparks are about it. I found reading them obsolutely enjoyable!!!!

Patrick,
The humor is still there, Certainly the loss of Fred stings all the more because of his burgeoning career with George. Consider their brief roles in book 6. Ron adds more than a few dry but funny remarks when least expected. In fact the Weasleys are very much the HUMan, HUMor, HUMus (earthy) core to all the books. I long to spend a holiday at their house, just to bask in the earthiness and glory of their chaotic lives!
I think Ms Rowling was attemtpting to both poke a stick at well-intentioned social activists as well as justifying their stances and missionary activities. Ultimately, Hermione was right and Harry was saved because of the kindness he showed to elves. Any why is no one coming to the defense of the Garden Gnomes? (another note of humor)
The enslavement of the House Elves is an ironic take on elves after the lofty role they play in Middle Earth (I am sure Elrond does NOT do dishes). I greatly appreciate your take on Tom Bombadil – one of my favorite characters in LotR. The Elder Wand and the Ring have much in common between Potter & Frodo’s worlds. Power is what it is. If nothing else both works teach that true power is not invested in any object but in our relationships. Anyone who isolates themselves because they think they are powerful, and too “good” to have a peer, is simply mistaken and set up for a downfall.
Remember, these books are written for the less sophistcated, cosmopolitan, inter-galactic readers than many adult Friends of Potter tend to be. Simplify your expectations and don’t try to solve all of the worlds problems by the solutions Ms Rowling presents. Its not all about YOU (or ME). Use the books as they are intended, as a way to spread your web of relationships, by sharing the joy of reading and discussing them across generations and genders, and open yourself to many other perspectives and possibilities. And keep a look out for Death Eaters!

OK, so lets not let the kids read Potter, and have them read the Bible. How many parents want their tender (tasty?) kiddies learning to live by reading, say Hosea? No? Well, there is plenty to learn from Judith. No, huh? Well, most of the families were dysFUNctional and God’s reactions were violent and involved wholesale slaughter. Good fmaily fun, right? The pap and pablum that is supposed to be in response to the Potter books simply emphasizes derivative theft, lousy writting, and a form of wishful painelss thinking that only causes more violence in the name of righteousness. I’ll take Booger flavored jelly beans over that any day.

That’s a wonderful take on Bombadil. Others, of course, have guessed that Tom doesn’t covet power because he’s an avatar of ultimate power. But that’s never hinted at in LOTR. Did Tolkien study Buddhism? Surely with all we know about him, that’s out there someplace?

I disagree that Hermione’s crusade for house elf rights is wrong. Even though many of the house elves claim to enjoy their servitide, and though it is a deeply ingrained part of their culture and way of life, it is a condition that has undoubtedly been forced upon them by wizards for generations and in which the elves must participate without the freedom to say no to their masters. Servitude, in my opinion, is never tolerable, even in this age of cultural sensitivity. Hermione, in her attempts to free the elves, is not trying to assimilate them to her culture, convert them to a religion, or destroy their own bonds of community. Instead, she is striving to get her fellow wizarding community to recognize the rights that are entitled to everyone (and though the elves are not technically homo sapiens, they are every bit as human and deserving of rights.) Even if enslavement of house elves were morally justified, the gross, unchecked abuse and mistreatment of some elves by many of their masters is unexcusable. Hermione’s compassion and her pursuit to better the lives of the house elves is inspiring.
There are a lot of people who try to justify dispicable behavior based on cultural acceptance and the approval of the abusive behaviors by those who are abused. By this theory, many women beaten by their husbands/boyfriends/etc. (who return to the abuse time and time again, watch their every move in an effort to please the abuser, and act in a servile manner not unlike the house elves) would not have the right to be free. In many cultures around the world, it is cultually acceptable for men to mistreat and abuse women, even to enslave and traffic them, and in many cases the women accept it too, without much complaint. Does that mean that the inhumane, disgusting treatment of these women is justified? Of course not. In the same way, the house elves are entilted to freedom from their yokes of slavery, and freedom from the domineering wizarding system that has kept them under wizards’ heels throughout history.

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And while that set of conclusions is sticky and unpleasant, I can’t help but feel that the second option is just as bad, if not worse….
2. We are supposed to assume that Hermione is right.
This means, effectively, that Hermione knows what’s best for these poor, stupid cretins. Their culture and beliefs are barbaric. Hers are correct and civilized.
Moral: If a group of people is doing something you think is wrong, you should change their society so they agree with you.
This is an especially insidious and poisonous type of thinking, especially for younger kids who are going to naturally identify with Hermione.
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Hi. New to your posts. Interesting, but the above part is odd. Namely, I don’t understand what you object to here. Are you saying that there are *no* objectively barbaric societal practices? Or that, upon encountering things such as slavery, human sacrifice, infanticide, honor killings, racism, etc. etc., which all have been prevalent in some human socities (and some are today) it is “insidious and poisonous” to think that they should be changed, even by outside influence?
Means are debateable, and certainly some means are wrong in any circumstance, and of course there exists a WIDE range of a-moral sets of behavoir that are little more than cultural preference or tradition, nevertheless, I propose that no society is perfect, but that should not stop people from trying to eliminate cruelties or injustice in their own–or another, if possible, even if this means, heaven forbid, *judging* something.

Instead of debating whether Hermione’s campaign for elf rights is acceptable/presumptious, etc., can’t we just view it as another of her quirks?
She always raised her hand in class, always a know-it-all, lived for exams and studying. This just seems like another of her charming qualities.
Think of it this way: At the last minute, when Ron said “it’s now or never mate,” did you bust out laughing at 4am like I did? Finally, after so much repressed tension, he comes around to a cause that is dear to her heart, and she explodes with affection.
I say it’s no different than a computer nerd, sci-fi geek (whatever), learning the girl of his dreams plays D&D or likes star trek/star wars and just completely melts.
You don’t have to agree with what Hermione does or even engage yourself in her efforts. Not everyone in the world is out there campaigning actively against all the atrocities in the world. We know that some causes are right, and there are people out there (that we admire) fighting the good fight for the rest of us.
But when you have kindred spirits, and someone shares your views for causes dear to your heart (like Ron did eventually), wouldn’t you melt for them too?

I know I’m a little late to the dance, but if you’re still around, Kelly & Randy, I’d like to point out that Mr. Rothfuss wasn’t criticizing Hermione’s objections to the abuse of the house elves by some wizards. He wasn’t advocating slavery or any other “barbaric societal practice.” As long as the house elves as a society, truly wanted their lot in life unchanged, was it not pretentious of Hermione to try to force them to change it? Was it not the height of hubris for her to, in effect, tell them that she knew better than they what was “good” for them?
Finally, in trying to trick house elves into taking clothes (by hiding them throughout the Gryffindor common room), she was ultimately trying to rob them of the very “freedom” that she supposedly wanted for them.

I think that Hermione’s crusade to free the house elves is very ignorant and misguided. Enslavng the house elves isn’t wrong because that is what the house elves love and that is what they essentially need. It is almost as if an alien race told humans that they could never love again because this alien race recognizes that it usually leads to suffering. I know I’m getting off topic here a little bit but the premise is just the same. You cannot ask a race to change its way of life because it does not fit fall into your set of ideals and values. The only other comparison I can think of is in Orson Scott Card’s novel “Speaker for the Dead” when Ouanda wants to find a way to change the piggies form of reproducing because it was more ethical from a human standpoint. Ouanda does this without thinking about the ramifications this would have on the piggies culture. This is essentially what Hermione is trying to do to the house elves. She is trying to assimilate them and make them become more human which should not be the goal.
The only thing I have to challenge about what Pat has said is that I beleive that the reader is not meant to believe that Hermione is correct in this front. Hagrid, who is wiser and more knowledgeable in this particular issue, chooses not to join SPEW. Also, reading the book, I thought that JK Rowling was dropping hints that she was wrong or possibly misguided. However, I believe JK Rowlings motives in writing about Hermione’s crusade were not to provide the reader with a moral or social statement, but to aid in the characterization of Hermione.