How did you feel about the end of the series? What moments did you find particularly poignant, or problematic, and why? How did your feelings towards Dumbledore and Snape change? About Harry, Ron, and Hermione? Why did they change in this way?
In addition, now that you have finished the series, how would you place it in a larger social/cultural context?
I feel slightly sad now that the series is over. The moment where Ron finally killed that awful horcrux and he and Harry were reconciled was great. It seemed as if those thoughts had been plaguing him for the majority of their friendship. Ron has a lot of junk going on and this was a turning point in their friendship, and even in his relationship with Hermione. I was not surprised to learn that there was a layer of Snape we did not know about. I always knew deep down there had to be more to it that him just being a traitor. It made me feel sorry for him even more I think, and it made sense that he was so desperate to go and find Harry when he was with Voldemort. He wanted to fulfill Dumbledore's last wish and tell Harry what he needed to know. Snape is a sad character in a way, his whole life is devoted to someone who reminds him of the woman he loved and could never have, and the man that he hated most. He dies believing that all his work to protect Harry was for Harry to die in the end.
Post #3: Reflection on the End of the Series
ReplyDeleteOverall, I was happy with the end of the series. I was glad that Harry was triumphant. Although, it was disappointing that Dumbledore among other main characters were killed.
My feelings for Dumbledore changed a good amount in the final books in the series. In the beginning I had the feeling that Dumbledore was being kind of hard on Harry and not giving him the information that he needed to be successful in his school life and in his quest to get rid of Voldemort. This is evident when you see Dumbledore ignoring Harry in some of the earlier books when Harry tries to approach him to ask questions. It is also evident when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are struggling to find the horcruxes that they need to destroy in the end of the series. They have little if any direction on where they need to go or what they need to do. However, towards the end of the series I was able to see why Dumbledore behaved in this way. He gave them clues as to what they would need to do to find them and kept some of those clues from being blatantly obviously to any person. These clues were not just hand fed to Harry because of the need for Harry and his friends to figure it out on their own so they could gain the knowledge and strength required to defeat Voldemort. Overall, in the end, I think Dumbledore was wise to do this so that Harry and his friends could learn what they needed to know to defeat Voldemort on their own.
My feelings for Snape changed a lot. From the beginning Snape was painted as an untrustworthy character and as I was reading the story I myself did not trust him. This was re-affirmed when Snape killed Dumbledore. However, you then find out after Snape dies, that he was indeed loyal to Dumbledore. He gives Harry his thoughts to view in the Pensieve which ultimately helps him against Voldemort and to see the true loyalties of Snape.
-Alex Fosco