Great idea Chris, I am beyond excited about the book coming out next weekend. This will be a good distraction. I agree with you comment on Snape. He may have a dark side but I feel that in the end he will be good. I also believe that it may be either Ron or Hagrid to die. It just seems that it is something that would really affect a lot of people. I personally will have a tissue box near by while I read the book :) I do in my hopeful optimist view hope that Voldemort is considered a main character and he is the one that is killed off, but we know that it's not likely.
Well, I think I can assure you that Ron probably won't die. I just can't imagine her killing off any of the 3 main children. Hagrid's death, however, fits the alchemic structure of the books perfectly.
Alchemy as you may know, was an early form of chemistry found in ancient and medieval times. However, as even Wikipedia will tell you, this wasn't necessarily the sole or most central focus of alchemy. Discovering the Philosopher's Stone and changing metals to gold was typically more of a symbolic practice of the most important transformation of the alchemists -- the purification of themselves (spiritually/intellectually) into the light of truth. Interestingly, there is also a tradition in English literature of using alchemic symbolism.
Traditionally then, there are 7 stages to the alchemic process, and it seems pretty clear that Rowling is using each book to represent a stage. I can't go into all the details (the links I provide in the post are much more helpful though), but I will say that the last 3 stages are the most important and are signified by three colors: black for the 5th, white for the 6th, and red for the 7th. Recall that book 5 was probably the darkest book in the series with all of the imagery, and we also saw the death of Sirius Black. Book 6 on the other hand, though certainly dark, contained a great deal of white, mysty scenes, and included the death of Albus Dumbledore (albedo is Latin for white). Then at the end of the 6th book, we saw Rubeus Hagrid everywhere, though for most of the book he was entirely absent. Was this a foreshadowing of the red stage that is to come in the 7th book (note that rubedo is Latin for red)? I think so.
Additionally, as sad as it will be to see Hagrid go, this will be a fitting progression for Harry's trials. After all, who have been his most close adult friends? Sirius, Dumbledore, and Hagrid. Unfortunately, it looks as though they all will sacrifice themselves for Harry and all that is good.
I highly recommend the alchemy links I gave back in the post. The speculation they give on book 7 is not only well-reasoned, but also incredibly fun and exciting.
As for Voldemort's death, I don't know if it has to happen or not (or in what way it has to happen), based on what the Prophecy said (death is still very mysterious in these books). Is Voldemort too seeped in evil to ever receive redemption if Harry were to extend love to him too? Given how the books have been going, I tend to think Voldemort won't change his ways (thus, he will die and Harry will live), but whatever happens, I think his evil schemes must come to an end in the final book.
Additionally, I had the impression that there are more than 2 main characters that will die. Rowling recently only said that there were two characters that she was going to kill that she hadn't previously intended to, not that they were the only ones who would die.
5 comments:
Great idea Chris, I am beyond excited about the book coming out next weekend. This will be a good distraction. I agree with you comment on Snape. He may have a dark side but I feel that in the end he will be good. I also believe that it may be either Ron or Hagrid to die. It just seems that it is something that would really affect a lot of people. I personally will have a tissue box near by while I read the book :) I do in my hopeful optimist view hope that Voldemort is considered a main character and he is the one that is killed off, but we know that it's not likely.
Well, I think I can assure you that Ron probably won't die. I just can't imagine her killing off any of the 3 main children. Hagrid's death, however, fits the alchemic structure of the books perfectly.
Alchemy as you may know, was an early form of chemistry found in ancient and medieval times. However, as even Wikipedia will tell you, this wasn't necessarily the sole or most central focus of alchemy. Discovering the Philosopher's Stone and changing metals to gold was typically more of a symbolic practice of the most important transformation of the alchemists -- the purification of themselves (spiritually/intellectually) into the light of truth. Interestingly, there is also a tradition in English literature of using alchemic symbolism.
Traditionally then, there are 7 stages to the alchemic process, and it seems pretty clear that Rowling is using each book to represent a stage. I can't go into all the details (the links I provide in the post are much more helpful though), but I will say that the last 3 stages are the most important and are signified by three colors: black for the 5th, white for the 6th, and red for the 7th. Recall that book 5 was probably the darkest book in the series with all of the imagery, and we also saw the death of Sirius Black. Book 6 on the other hand, though certainly dark, contained a great deal of white, mysty scenes, and included the death of Albus Dumbledore (albedo is Latin for white). Then at the end of the 6th book, we saw Rubeus Hagrid everywhere, though for most of the book he was entirely absent. Was this a foreshadowing of the red stage that is to come in the 7th book (note that rubedo is Latin for red)? I think so.
Additionally, as sad as it will be to see Hagrid go, this will be a fitting progression for Harry's trials. After all, who have been his most close adult friends? Sirius, Dumbledore, and Hagrid. Unfortunately, it looks as though they all will sacrifice themselves for Harry and all that is good.
I highly recommend the alchemy links I gave back in the post. The speculation they give on book 7 is not only well-reasoned, but also incredibly fun and exciting.
As for Voldemort's death, I don't know if it has to happen or not (or in what way it has to happen), based on what the Prophecy said (death is still very mysterious in these books). Is Voldemort too seeped in evil to ever receive redemption if Harry were to extend love to him too? Given how the books have been going, I tend to think Voldemort won't change his ways (thus, he will die and Harry will live), but whatever happens, I think his evil schemes must come to an end in the final book.
Additionally, I had the impression that there are more than 2 main characters that will die. Rowling recently only said that there were two characters that she was going to kill that she hadn't previously intended to, not that they were the only ones who would die.
I've read official spoilers, and I can tell you that what Rowling said about the end does not hold water...
Good!! I want to be thrown off!
Or maybe the spoilers aren't the real deal.
We'll see for sure shortly...
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