Anticipating “The Deathly Hallows”

With a release date set for July 21, 2007, many, including myself, are anxiously awaiting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows to see what J.K. Rowling has in store for the end of her series. There are many theories: maybe Ginny will die, maybe Voldemort will take over the world, or maybe Harry will have to sacrifice himself for the greater good. All are good theories and all have their place. But I’m not here to discuss what I think might happen in the book. I’m here to talk about Harry Potter as a fan and only a fan.

Growing up in the late 1990s, I was swept away by Harry Potter mania. I stayed up late to get the newest books on release night, I went to the midnight film premieres, and I saw many a kid dressed up in black robes and glasses for Halloween every year. It’s cliche, and I know that it has been said before, but J.K. Rowling pulled an entire age group away from the Nintendo 64 and into a world of magic and fantasy.

Harry Potter was my generation’s Star Wars, James Bond or Chronicles of Narnia. In essence, we grew up with Rowling’s characters. I was 11 years old when I read the first book, the same age as Harry, Ron and Hermione. Each of the books has been released in such an order that I am always within one or two years of the characters’ age. In turn, Rowling’s writing grew up with me, delving into deeper themes and harsher elements with each book. She put the characters through situations that so many teens go through, albeit in a magical boarding school context: first love, problems with parents, not knowing one’s self, trying to find a sense of belonging. Rowling’s writing has changed so dramatically over the course of the series that I sometimes wonder if future generations of twelve-year-olds will be able to pick up Potter and read the series straight though. The books become very serious very fast, to the point where even my seventeen-year-old self was crying at the conclusion of Book Six. I don’t know if the twelve-year-olds of tomorrow will be able to extract anything out of Rowling’s constant themes of death, destruction and torture. Will it just go over their heads?

But however the next era of Potter readers will react is not important right now. Generations will come and go, but Rowling’s writing will forever stay as a mark of my age. I can guarantee you that I will be at the bookstore at midnight on July 21st to buy my final Harry Potter novel. No matter how the series turns out, Rowling has already proven herself as much a visionary as a classic of our time.

- Cole Merkel

J.K. Rowling’s Official Site
Pre-Order Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from Amazon