Harry Potter growing up: Why do adults have to die?
Sir Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. Image courtesy of Warner Brothers
Deaths happen often in Harry Potter, but there is a meaning behind each death.
It’s a confusing and annoying thing that happens in books, especially Harry Potter. Once you think that everything’s okay, because the character finally has everything they need, something bad happens. Most likely, someone dies. And even more likely, it’s someone that’s close to Harry. And an adult.
Why is it almost always an adult? Well, you’re in luck. As the daughter of an English teacher, I couldn’t read Harry Potter without some parts of it turning into a lesson. (Something that would propel me to writing on FanSided today. Hi Mom!)
Basically, you can’t write the process of a child growing up in a book. Not even a book with seven parts to it. Growing up in the real world takes time and small lessons throughout our first eighteen years to get us to the point where we can start learning for ourselves! And that’s in a normal household. Imagining that the Dursleys didn’t want anything to do with Harry would also have stunted his psyche growing up.
In order for characters to grow in books, especially in the genre of Harry Potter, everyone has to die. It just has to happen. You can’t let the character (Harry) get too comfortable because it’s too easy to write. In order for the character to continue growing, you have to, unfortunately, give him hardships to overcome.
Lupin leaving, the graveyard scene, Cedric’s death, Sirius’s death, Dumbledore’s death — they were all horrible to read. But they taught Harry, good or bad, how to stand on his own. They did their job, they got Harry to where he was supposed to be, and then their tasks were over.
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It’s an absolutely horrible thing to read and imagine (imagine how Game of Thrones fans feel!), but all those horrible things made Harry the man who was able to defeat Voldemort. That’s what truly matters in the end.