Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Criticizing the Criticism

Often times after I have read a novel or seen a film I will read reviews and see what others thought. I enjoy seeing if their opinions matched mine and what insights they found that I did not. What I do not enjoy seeing are criticisms that I feel are invalid.

I certainly understand that not everyone will enjoy something the same way I will, and I know that some reviewers are very harsh with their critiques. The problem I have is when a reviewer feels that a book or film should have been done differently. They take exception to the plot and post a poor review because the ending did not meet their expectations.

I found this to be prevalent in reader reviews of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. I expected this to a certain degree. Similar to the latest Star Wars films, the content had little hope of matching the hype.

Some readers however could not be satisfied with simply expressing disappointment but felt the need to point out plot flaws that are not, to my mind, flaws at all. Or they insist that that things in the book should have happened differently. I'm going to take a look at several of the more common of these and present my rebuttals to them.

Snape's Death
It has been put forth that Snape died an inadequate death, that he should have been wary when summoned to Voldemort, that he put up too little of a fight, and that he died too easily. None of these theories hold up to scrutiny. Of course Snape would be wary when summoned by Voldemort.

He would have been wary each and every time he was in Voldemort's presence. There was nothing that would have tipped him off that this visit was any different. And seeing that he was the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, and had knowledge of the Elder Wand, he would not have been at all surprised to be summoned.

When confronted by Voldemort his first instinct would not be to fight. He had been living on the edge by quick talking a long time. He also knew that as powerful a wizard as he was that he was no match for Voldemort. Even if he knew or suspected that Voldemort did not have mastery of the Elder Wand he would not have thought he could win that fight. He also knew that he had vital information to pass onto Harry.

I have also seen it questioned as to why Arthur Weasley would survive Nagini's attack but Snape would not. The basic truth is that we don't know enough details of the attack on Mr. Weasley to draw a proper conclusion. We also do not know the full range of Nagini's abilities, and if she may have grown stronger in between the attacks.

The Malfoy's
Following the conclusion of the Battle for Hogwarts the Malfoy's (Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco) are observed to be present with the surviving victors. Some have questioned why they weren't sent to Azkaban. First off, how do we know they weren't? Little is revealed about what happened following the battle. What we do know is that Narcissa aided Harry, albeit for a selfish reason.

We know that Lucius and Draco are both bullies, but as is typical for bullies they are cowards at heart. I think it is reasonable to think that the new Minister of Magic may not have been inclined to just toss everyone on the losing side into prison.

Neville Longbottom and Bellatrix Lestrange
Many readers seemed to feel that Neville should have been the one to kill Bellatrix, but I strongly disagree. I think it would have been out of character for him. While Neville does show amazing courage by the end of the series, he is still at heart a gentle person.

This is shown when confronted by Voldemort at the end. Killing someone would certainly have had a negative effect on him as a person. I found it much more believable to have Molly Weasley be Bellatrix's downfall.

And for the record, Neville pulled Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat, just has Harry did in the second book.

Voldemort's Intelligence
How is it, they say, that the great Dark Wizard Voldemort could not realize others could find the room he found that was full of so much junk? Why would he continue to confront Harry in the same ways despite his previous failures? The answer is that Voldemort is a flawed character. He has created a persona for himself that will not allow him to admit to failure. His ego is so great he cannot believe himself not to be perfect.

This becomes even clearer when you look at additional factors. He is clearly no longer fully human, thanks to the splitting of his soul to create the horcruxes. We cannot therefore expect him to behave in standard human ways. On top of that much of his propaganda is based on lies, namely his obsession with pure blood wizards. Remember that his father was a muggle. In a way he painted himself into a mental corner. All he can do is continue to believe his own lies. He is in his own mind much more powerful and cleverer than anyone else. He cannot envision others accomplishing the same feats he has.

Harry's Death
A number of people have said they thought that Harry should have died. They seem to forget the title of the very first chapter of the very first book: "The boy who lived". Why should he have died? I see no reason for him to, and have yet to see a compelling argument for his death. He was willing to die and sacrifice himself if it would put a stop to Voldemort's evil. He made his noble sacrificed, survived due to the power of love, and lived happily ever after. A much better ending then him dying and Voldemort living.

The Epilogue
Oh how they hate the epilogue. "Too Disney", or "too brief", or "they grow up to be just the same". First off, I'm not even sure what being "too Disney" means. Some people need to look at some of those movies again, and remember who dark they were in parts. I think they mean it was too happy. So what? Would you really want to read an epilogue where they didn't live happy lives?

It was brief, but this series contained an enormous number of side characters. There is no way to have covered anything more than a fraction of them. And it allows you to imagine your own endings for your favorite (or least favorite) characters. I guarantee you that the younger readers of the book have no problem doing that.

There is some merit to the argument that they grow up to raise their children the same way they were. But I read more into it. Yes Harry wants his son in Gryffindor, but he will support him if he is in Slytherin. Yes there will be rivalries with Draco's son, but there are always rivalries in school, and I firmly believe that Draco's son will be no Death Eater.

Yes Ron and Hermione still fight with each other, traits that the kids will learn, but they also still love each other and are still married after nineteen years. That makes more of an impression on their children, and ours when they read the epilogue.