Fans speculated if Harry Potter would survive after defeating Voldemort, but JK Rowling confirmed he lived. Concerns about his death’s impact on young readers were raised, and authors like Stephen King pleaded for his survival. Rowling had hinted at killing Harry to end the series and move on, but some theorized she may have reunited him with loved ones in the afterlife.
Harry Potter, the beloved character created by JK Rowling, ended his career after the release of the final novel, but he didn’t die. Fans knew that the seventh and final book would mostly be about defeating Harry’s nemesis Lord Voldemort, but questions and theories continued as to whether Harry Potter would survive after defeating Voldemort. After much speculation and anticipation, Rowling’s fans were finally able to learn of Harry’s fate, a fate that ends with Harry defeating Voldemort and living to tell the tale.
How the speculation began
Rumors about Harry’s possible death started after Rowling announced plans to kill at least two main characters in the last book, and has always hinted that Harry may not survive the conflict with Voldemort. This tip has brought legions of Harry Potter fans up in arms regarding Harry’s fate. The character of him has become so beloved that the thought of ending the books on such a tragic note has been a huge disappointment to many.
Concerns about Harry’s possible death
It was concerning to some that the book series was often thought of as the series that inspired an entire generation of readers. If the series had ended in tragedy, would it have prevented that same generation from picking up a book again? In the past, the Harry Potter craze had gripped its fans so firmly, there were concerns that some particularly volatile fans might feel completely overwhelmed and depressed by the death of their beloved character. Some have even speculated that such an ending could have an enormously serious impact on the emotional well-being of young or unstable fans.
Reaction to Dumbledore’s death in Book Six was mixed. Most acknowledged that given Dumbledore’s advanced age, the death wasn’t entirely unexpected. Many were still very upset by this, but not everyone was convinced that Dumbledore was completely gone. However, killing a 17 or 18 year old is much more problematic; this is a character that should just start life and not end it. Unlike the 17-year-old Cedric who died in the fourth book, the series has continually focused on developing Harry’s character; however, this development did not end in death.
Opinions of other authors
Following Rowling’s announcement, noted novelists Stephen King and John Irving both pleaded with Rowling not to kill off Harry Potter. There’s a certain irony in a horror writer, like King, making such an appeal. In his novel The Stand, King killed most of the human race, though none of them were key players in the story. King, like many, was taken by his love of this character and his belief in how miserable a world without Harry Potter could be.
Reasons why Rowling would have killed Harry Potter
Rowling has toyed with the idea of killing Harry and has been suggesting it through interviews since the popularity of the first book. Some have suggested that by killing off Harry Potter, Rowling would have been able to end the series and make it impossible for anyone to write another Harry Potter book.
It was also made clear that Rowling wanted to step away from Harry Potter-like books in the future, and killing Harry would definitely end a chapter in her life. At the same time, such hints have also suggested that Rowling might have just been toying with her audience, which might be seen as a bit unfair to readers younger than her.
Another theory rests on the premise that Rowling has clearly established the concept of an afterlife in the series, and some have wondered if perhaps she felt it would be kindness for Harry to reunite him with his dead parents, godfather and his beloved Headmaster, Dumbledore.
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