Patrick Rothfuss: July 2007 Archives

By Patrick Rothfuss

Spoiler Alert: Jesus Dies.

Fair warning: I'm going to speak plainly about book seven here. Also, I'm going to talk about what happens in the end of the Bible, and give away some of the major plot points of the Tao Te Ching. So if you're worried about having the endings ruined, you'll probably want to go finish those books first and come back later.

Harry as Jesus

I agree with Orson. I think we can very comfortably put the whole issue of Potter-as-Christ-Figure to bed.

When answering the question "Is Harry a Christ figure?" Orson exhibits wisdom and moderation, giving a qualified no. I, however, being neither moderate or wise, am willing to go all the way and answer with a unhesitating "no." Extra no. Double-plus no.

Yes, yes, there are a few similarities. Yes Harry is willing to sacrifice himself for others. He dies (kinda) and comes back.

But after that, you really have to start scrabbling to come up with connections. I spotted a chart where someone lists all the multifarious similarities between Harry and Jesus. The list includes the fact that they both had father figures. (Harry: Dumbledore. Jesus: God the Father.) They both suffered. (Harry: Cruciatus curse. Jesus: Hung on the cross.) Both of them even had a decent into the "nether regions." (Harry descends into the Chamber of Secrets. Jesus descends into hell.)

Well, this brilliant and insightful list got me thinking. Last night I had a descent into my basement where I did some laundry. It was dark down there, and I stubbed my toe really hard. (You know how much that hurts when you bang your little toe? I bet it's as least as bad as the Cruciatus curse.) Then my dad called me on the phone and I realized that I have a father figure too! Wow! What are the odds?

So does this make me a Christ figure? No. Anyone thick enough to believe that would be really shocked to hear the words that came out of my mouth after I stubbed my toe. Trust me, it wasn't anything so noble and plaintive as, "Eloi Eloi...."

Of all the irritating literary games people play, Find-the-Jesus is one of the most wearying to me. Not every book has Christ symbolism. Let it go.

People use stairs. People suffer. People have fathers. People make noble sacrifices. And, in fantastic stories, people come back from the dead. Odin did it. Osirus did it. Sherlock Holmes did it. Buffy did it. Spock did it. Hell... Voldemort died and came back. It takes more than that to make a Christ figure.

By Patrick Rothfuss

The day "Deathly Hallows" came out, I was a family vacation in the distant northern corner of Wisconsin. I found myself in a cabin with no internet. There was a small town with no library. No public computer terminals. No coffeeshop and no WIFI hotspot. No cell phone reception.

I considered sending my response to Orson's blog by homing pigeon or owl, but neither of those were available either.

But despite all the things this small town lacked, it had a bookstore. And that bookstore had a copy of the book.

On Saturday there was a thunderstorm and the power went out. After 30 minutes my laptop battery went dead.

So I pulled out book seven and read it by candlelight. Amazingly, the book worked just fine without DSL, WIFI, AC or DC.

This is why I love books.

Here is my belated post. It doesn't contain any spoilers about book seven, save this: Be not afraid.

Ars Ioco: The Art of the Joke

Orson's right. The Harry Potter series started dark.

However, I'll stick to my statement that the grim elements weren't really the focus of the book. Not only was most of the early violence cartoony at best, but the story itself was a nice mix of drama, action, mystery, and humor.

As the series has progressed, the humor has fallen by the wayside. And I have to say I miss it. Not because I have a problem with a grim story, but because reading raw tragedy is like eating a block of baker's chocolate: profoundly unpalatable.

The first Harry Potter book reminded me, at its best moments, of Roald Dahl's stories, like The BFG and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl was a master of writing stories that were grim and funny at the same time. His humor was witty, ridiculous, and brilliantly absurdist at times.

There were flashes of that in Rowling's first book. Harry's room under the stairs, the behavior of the Dursleys, and, my personal favorite, when he was given a toothpick as a Christmas present. All of it ridiculous and horrible and absurd. That is the root of humor. I smiled and chuckled. It was lovely.

I think the reason the later books lack humor is because Rowling changed her style. She moved more toward realism. When that happened, the ridiculous, absurd humor she had a knack for didn't fit into the story anymore.

By Patrick Rothfuss

I knew anticipation of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" had reached ridiculous levels when one of my friends uttered the words: "Accio Book Seven!"

What was truly surprising is that instead of being shunned by everyone in the coffee shop where we were talking, my friend's geeky outburst spurred an hour's worth of intelligent educated guessery about what was likely to happen in the final book. Everyone, it seems, has a pet theory or two...

The Obligatory Speculation: "The Boy Who Died."

The main question, of course, is whether or not Harry is going to die. I think Orson is right on about that. However, I'm going to have to go against him when he says that Rowling hasn't laid the groundwork for Harry's death.

The thing is, when you give your main character a title like "The Boy Who Lived" it's like painting a target on his back. Throw in a prophecy and start calling him "The Chosen One" and...well...let's just say that I'd hate to have Harry's life insurance premiums.

It's like the character from Russian folklore, Kashchey the Deathless. Stop me if you've heard this one, but Kashchey, clever bloke that he is, hides his soul (or his death, depending on the version of the story) away in an object so that he can't be killed. Despite these careful preparations, Kashchey snuffs it at the end of pretty much every story where he makes an appearance.

And really, nobody should be surprised by that. When a character comes into a story with a name like "The Deathless," most sensible readers start looking around nervously, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Add to this the fact that Rowling's books have been growing progressively darker, full of death and loss...and I think it might be fair to guess that Rowling might try to end the series as a tragedy.