Final Thoughts

After turning the last page of Deathly Hallows and closing the cover my first thoughts were "that's it?" It seems like this whole series is full of so much intensity and drama and its gets to the climax, and then... that's it, Voldemort is dead, you can go home now. I would have liked to see a lot more from the epilogue or even a few more chapter before the epilogue just to recapture the grandiose of the entire series. I think there should have been a chapter entitled "Obituary" where they honor the faithful departed in a kind of mass funeral sort of thing. Much like the emphasis on Dumbledore's funeral and its significance.

The most poignant of moments for me was the princes tale. The very very complex character of snape is finally revealed for what he is: probably the most important supporting character in the books. We finally learn what his motivation is toward the greater good, and even then, it is still pretty childish. Why all the unspoken feelings and motivations? I think it would have been much more poignant for everyone to sit down and have a share your feelings hour so we can all be on the same page as we approach the final battle. Did Dumbledore know of Snape's affection toward Lily Potter? I do understand that it was important for Harry to accept Death at the final hour, and that certain knowledge might have changed his feelings at that time, but all of the things he didn't know before the princes tale, he does when he goes to face his death. Why couldn't someone have told him something a long time ago? These are the things that I find problematic. With something as important as the fate of the world, and as intelligent as certain characters seem to be, there were certainly many opportunities to approach this situation in much more ideal and logical fashion. Though, low and behold, world saved, Harry has some kids, the end.

Throughout this series i always viewed Dumbledore as kind of an arrogant philosopher. Sure, he's got some good ideas, but theory is much easier than practice. Though he does acknowledge that he makes mistakes, to what extent does he acknowledge them? Not very much.. I think his only mistake was having too much confidence in himself. For instance, I certainly don't think there was any sort of contingency plan. I admire Snape, but again, if he is doing all of this for the greater good, then he realizes that some thing are more important than pride or self righteousness and there were certainly better ways to go about it than being a very non outspoken ass hole until he's on his death floor. And to say that Snape was always on the good side is crazy to me. Sure, one action at the end of it all landed him on the good side, but in my eyes, Snape was never on the good or the bad side. I think he enjoyed the comfort of knowing he could play both sides all the time, and in the end, which ever one came out on top, he was assured acceptance. Ultimately, I think he was in it for himself the whole way because in no way does Severus Snape come off as selfless at any point in the series, not even at the end.

All in all, I just feel bad for the trio. They had to endure a chess game of some crazy wizards in which they were the pieces. Sure, the ending is happy, but things fell into place in such a way that the margin for error was terribly excessive. I suppose that that is the moral of the story, and that for good to prevail over evil, anyone that has a sense of it must always be persistent and perseverant, knowing that the struggle is never ending, and that peace and happiness is few and far between, but it is also that fact that allows us know what the most important things in our lives are, and that living and loving for the moment will always be the best thing we can do.