geeking out: part 2

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
the action is great, as is the mystery. the graveyard scene, in particular, was really great.

most of all, apart from bringing Voldemort "back to life," it's the first time death is faced head-on - which finishes the task the third book set in motion (that is, of making the series darker, and using the swiftness and finality of death as important themes).

death begins to play a more active role in shaping Harry's character, as well as the rest of his story. he's forced to grow up a little faster than some of his friends and starts to accept his fate.

the themes of fear and darkness that are introduced in PoA are further dissected. that being said, Rowling makes it a point to address death head-on - unlike many a children book i've read.

"love as the conqueror of evil" is reiterated and put to the test: the Priori Incantatem scene always makes me a little weepy.

and the characters, as they deal with adolescence and impending adulthood, all start to show a lot more depth and definition.

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
i actually kind of hated a lot of this book the very first time i read it.

Harry's teenage angst was taken to a whole new level and his woes and self-absorption - both of which are typical to most teenagers - just about drove me up the wall.

honestly, who is THAT whiny?

looking back, though, and rereading it from a slightly more mature point of view, i find that the book does have a lot of value.

when i first read it i was around 15 or 16 and downright denied any notion of my own dealings with being so whiny and annoying. i was definitely a little self-righteous.

so now, when i go back and read the fifth installment, i really appreciate Rowling's deep understanding of that particular stage in life. she really hits the nail on the head, and you really begin to sympathize with Harry - even though Hermione totally stole the show.

in that same vein, again, Hermione kicks ass. i knew from the previous four books that i had a crush on her, but after reading the fifth one i knew it was true love.

she was always the best kind of role model. the quiet type who occasionally opens up a major can of whoop ass.

while most alleged teenage girl role models open up maybe a small can of diet whoop ass, Hermione takes no prisoners.

whenever she stands up to Umbridge in such subtle yet awesome ways - like the scene where she tells Umbridge that she's read the entire book - i wish there were more women like her out there, and that i had half her courage and no-BS attitude.

moreover, i suppose the most obvious purpose of the book is to introduce this idea of imminent doom, where no one is safe.

the characters are becoming adults, and are at the forefront of a new rebellion. they all start to reach deep down inside themselves to discover the things they really care about and who they really are.

it's really a great segway into the rest of the series.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
much like the fifth book, this one took another read to grow on me.

the first time around, i couldn't help but get the feeling that it worked something like a really dramatic line graph type thing (note that i'm no math whiz), where there was a definite incline in terms of romance, happiness, and humor - right before Dumbledore's death, which caused the line to plummet.

it just goes to show, i suppose, that death strikes anyone at anytime. moreover, in showing the way Harry attempts to chase down Dumbledore's assassins, Rowling leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that Harry, though magical, is still very much human.

and when the line between love and hate is blurred - that is, when something we love dearly is suddenly and unceremoniously taken away and we immediately turn that overwhelming sense of love into hatred towards the thing that caused that pain - no one is completely impervious to the lure of revenge.

this is also the book where Snape is finally taking a forefront. he was always one of my favorite characters, starting with PoA, but this sequel really cemented those feelings.

he's really the deepest character of the series (that is, next to Harry and Dumbledore, as we find out later) and emphasizes Rowling's feelings about both the innerturmoil of everyone who faces love and loss and the inherent good in everyone.

how, even if we veer away from the right path from time to time, we can always come back if we're willing to remember and use our knowledge of love, and the suffering that sometimes (oftentimes) stems from it.

also, when everyone was debating Snape's loyalty, i got to say, "I told ya so."

it's never wrong to have faith in people.

and it's never naive.

WWJD is a lot like WWDD.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
holy Jeebus. so good. probably my second favorite, right behind the third installment.

the trio are finally adults, but nonetheless vulnerable to the follies and temptations and feelings of ordinary muggles.

Snape's death, and the final chapters that describe Harry's walk towards his own end, are enough to make me grateful to have been part of this series for so long.

Snape becomes a symbol of the effects and power of love, and the capacity in anyone to change for the better.

he's human, but that doesn't just mean that he's inherently evil or prone to temptation.

i mean, we are, but that doesn't mean that we can't recognize our wrongdoing and redeem ourselves.

Snape's redemption is one of the greatest highlights of the entire series.

there's good in everyone, and everyone deserves second, third, fourth chances.

i can't even properly or justly describe the power that scene has on me whenever i read it.

all of Rowling's themes - of love, hate, death, fear/inner demons, humanity - come together completely, and Harry faces the greatest challenge of his life.

but it's not necessarily defeating Voldemort that lingers as the overarching, impending trial of the book.

really, it's all about using those things that Dumbledore taught him - that is, less about the memories and the horcruxes, and more about the importance of love, hate, fearing fear above all else, and trusting the good in everyone (including, and especially, oneself) - in becoming the person he was always meant to be.

and the person he was meant to be? not the vanquisher of Voldemort and evil, but the symbol of hope in humanity - that is, the symbol for the undying presence and power of love in the face of death and despair.

here was this boy we saw grow into a man; a boy who faced more hardships than anyone ever really should, and was given more responsibility and weight and power than people of his age should be made to bear.

this boy who had every opportunity and reason to lose faith in the world and all of its trials and the people who inhabit it.

this boy who had every right to refuse the burdens he was left with.

but he didn't.

so the courage Rowling takes apart and examines so thoroughly throughout the series has less to do with the Daring and Noble kind.

it's not about jumping into the fray and destroying evil.

it's more about fighting yourself - as you tend to be your own worst enemy.

all in all, these books aren't light children fare.

and i'm not saying that the books should be held on such a high pedestal as The Bible.

all i'm saying is that we could all learn a thing or two from Harry and his friends.

okay.

open nerdiness: done.