The theme of death in the Harry Potter series provides researchers with a substantial amount of material to absorb, as this topic is of great importance to better understand JK Rowling's message. . However, past critiques have focused primarily on death as a form of sacrifice. This essay will closely examine the terms "life" and "death", as they are not presented in their literal sense in the books. This means that the lines between life and death in the Harry Potter series seem blurred; “'Dead' and 'alive' are not mutually exclusive antonyms in Rowling's books; there are fine nuances in determining whether someone is “truly” dead. » Just because someone dies does not necessarily mean they are gone forever. Sometimes characters are able to find life in death, and sometimes those who are theoretically alive can be considered dead. To support this thesis, two groups of characters will be examined: first – Voldemort (mainly) and his subordinates – the Death Eaters; second – Harry Potter and his followers. It must be said that this essay will not focus on any one book in particular; he understands the whole series at once because the theme of death evolves from one book to another. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay First of all, the image of Voldemort seems very significant regarding “life” and “death” in Harry Potter. Hurry to notice that he was already dead before, at least he can be considered dead. In the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling refers to Voldemort only as a "hooded figure", without mentioning any other body parts, because apparently he didn't even have one at that time - he was disembodied. His complete resurrection became possible only with the help of black magic. His accomplices staged a horrific ritual to help him regain his body and his power. Again, such an act, by its very nature, seems abnormal. In fact, even in the wizarding world it is impossible to accomplish this, because those who are dead must stay dead - the wizarding world must obey this rule. After rebirth, Voldemort still does not look like a human: 'Whiter than a skull, with large livid scarlet eyes and a flat nose like a snake with slits for nostrils...'. He began to resemble a snake rather than a man – that is what his evil deeds did to him. Shira Wolosky, who focused on the portrayal of Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, writes that “Voldemort's rebirths are in fact gruesome, incessant deaths; and it cannot be said that an individual is not capable of simply changing the course of human existence without any consequences. What adds further evidence to the belief that Voldemort is "dead" is his creation of Horcruxes. He intentionally split his soul into seven parts (and the eighth Horcrux was also accidentally created the night Harry's parents were murdered). By examining mythology and religion, one can come across Aristotle's definition of the soul: the first reality of a naturally organized body. It also supported its existence separate from the physical body. The same can be found in Christianity: by soul one implies a distinct and immortal form, but despite this it is inextricably linked to the body. Thus, the soul accounts for life itself. From this point of view, the essential difference between living and non-living beings is that living beings have a soul and non-living beings have a soul.living do not have any. In light of all this, it can be said that Voldemort is a dead man, regardless of his ability to move, speak, and commit murder. Analysis from the Harry Potter side, however, shows that life does not end with death, although there is no clear case of reversible deaths. Harry's world is the wizarding world, so it should come as no surprise to readers that ghosts actually exist. But, as we can note, only “positive heroes” have this ability to return in the form of a ghost. Potters, Sirius and Lupine came to support Harry when he decided he was willing to die to defeat Voldemort. They were “less substantial than living bodies, but much more than ghosts.” His closest relatives gave him what he needed most at that time: moral support, and they stayed with him “until the end.” Although it only became possible with the help of the Resurrection Stone, Sirius, Lupin, Lily and James seemed very real. Unlike the maiden that Cadmus (the original owner of the Resurrection Stone) brought back to life, they were not impassive and unfeeling. Additionally, it was Harry's parents who helped him not die in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire during the final round of the Triwizard Tournament. These ghostly figures seemed to Harry much stronger than ordinary ghosts as they even had enough physical strength to give Harry time to escape from Voldemort once the connection of their wands was broken. So, even if it was only for a second, they supported him physically to resist their common enemy. Typically, Lily and James Potter appear several times in the Harry Potter series, although they have been dead since the beginning of the story. Not only do people come back as ghosts, but also as “talking portraits”. These portraits have the ability to give advice and communicate, particularly regarding the portrait of Dumbledore, with whom Harry constantly speaks. One critic of his work writes that the connection between the portrait and the person it was painted about seems "obscure". He even compares it to animated newspaper photographs, which have no soul. There is, however, a different, more precise point of view. In one of the interviews, JKRowling pointed out that traditionally, a headmaster or headmistress is painted during his or her lifetime. After that, the portraits are taken to a closed secret room and only the headmaster or headmistress visits her regularly and teaches her to act like themselves, passing on all sorts of memories and useful knowledge. Therefore, not everyone is able to fully return in portrait form, as they are usually only painted after death. Such portraits obviously contain certain main characteristics, but only a powerful and distinguished person has the possibility of remaining partly alive in this way. This could explain why the reader sees no portrait of Voldemort or his followers. What is important to note about the theme of death is that all positive heroes die with dignity, as demonstrated by their final words or actions. For example, Harry's father, without even a wand in his hand, was ready to protect his family at all costs. Realizing that Voldemort had entered the house, he shouted, "Lily, take Harry and leave!" It's him! Go! Run! I'm going to hold him! The deaths of both of Harry's parents are heroic, because they protect their loved ones. In contrast, these are the deaths of “anti-heroes”. For example, the ending of Bellatrix Lestrange is presented like this: "Molly's curse flew under Bellatrix's clenched arm and struck her square in the chest, directlyabove his heart. Bellatrix's gleeful smile froze, her eyes seemed bulging: for a moment she understood what had happened, then she fell, and the crowd watching her roared, and Voldemord screamed.' She didn't fall – she collapsed like a house of cards, like an object, not like a person. Even Severus Snape's death is presented in a different, less violent way, although at that point readers are unaware that he has been helping Dumbledore all this time. As the snake kills him, Snape's face loses "what little color it had left" (note: it is depicted in the same way as Sirius Black's death), and then he "falls to death." ground ". The important thing is that he didn't really resist Voldemort, so already in this episode JKRowling gives readers a hint of the true nature of Severus Snape. Therefore, contrasting the deaths helps, on the one hand, to realize the cowardice of anti-heroes and, on the other hand, to distinguish good characters from bad ones. In the death scenes, Voldemort and the Death Eaters reveal that they are too afraid to die. After being resurrected in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Voldemort says his goal is to "conquer death" and live forever. He desires to possess the Deathly Hallows for the same reason: they give their holder the ultimate power to be immortal. However, pursuing immortality is futile since Voldemort and the Death Eaters forget the true meaning of life. If you think about it, what would Voldemort do if he had eternal life? He has no friends (only disciples who stand by him not out of love, but out of fear) and no family; even the list of people he wants to kill would have ended eventually. Life is about accepting your mortality like Harry does. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry is willing to die for a good path - to save his loved ones. He told Dumbledore's brother, "I'm going to keep going until I succeed or I die." Don't think I don't know how this could end. I've known this for years. Throughout the story, he was aware that he might die in the end and because of this, he was able to live his life to the fullest, enjoying every moment. This is what differentiates Harry from Voldemort and what researchers believe helps him survive. At the end, Dumbledore calls him "the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to escape death." He accepts that he must die and understands that there are far worse things in the world of the living than dying. Therefore, the story of Harry Potter proves that without recognizing the reality of death, one cannot truly understand the reality of life and, therefore, cannot truly live. It is more appropriate to end the essay with an analysis of the final scene of the last book, which takes place nineteen years later. This epilogue is of great importance because the reader discovers the characters' children. Harry and Ginny named them after Harry's parents – Lily and James. And their second son's name is Albus Severus Potter. There is a popular belief that when a person names their son or daughter after someone else, that child acquires certain characteristics and perhaps even the destiny of that individual. So, in a way, this can be seen as a continuation of the lives of Harry's parents and the headmasters of Hogwarts. It also shows that we still remember all these people, even Professor Snape who was not always very kind to Harry. The reader sees that Harry has forgiven him, because he tells his son that he was named after two Hogwarts headmasters. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I've ever known. And it is well known that so., 2010.