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Journalism of Courage
AFTER a two-year wait, Harry Potter is back. Like millions of others, I picked up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince8212;and found I could put it down only after I8217;d read the last page.
Like me, Harry is 16, growing up in a world that is far more grim Iraq, terrorism, Israel-Palestine than it was when he first joined Hogwarts and met his friends Hermione and Ron. Soon to be adults in the wizarding community, Harry, Ron and Hermione are just like teenagers anywhere in the world.
Harry dominates Book VI. While many like me, who have grown up with Harry, will appreciate his stronger character and story, children younger than 13 may not enjoy it as much. No longer is his magic about playing tricks on his aunt and cousin, it is about fighting evil.
In addition to saving the world from Voldemort, Harry faces all the pulls and pressures of an average teenager, such as giving in his school work on time, worries about exams, keeping up with friends, falling in love, catching up on gossip and doing well enough in Quidditch to make captain. Everything isn8217;t fun and games for Harry: Being part of the wizarding community brings along much responsibility, but Harry manages to fulfill it somehow.
As always, Hogwarts is a labyrinth of secrets, mysteries and magic. Rowling takes us on a rollercoaster ride of marvels, secrets, death-eaters, amusement, fun, violence and murder8212;all of which make the book unputdownable! As in every book since Harry I, there8217;s a new teacher, but it8217;s not Defence of Dark Arts but Potions that gets Professor Slughorn; DA continues to be the baby of Harry8217;s most-hated Professor Snape.
The tone for the year is set for Harry when Dumbledore arrives at his doorstep to whisk him away from London. The curiosity factor is heightened with a rather strange meeting between the British prime minister, a Muggle, and the
Minister of Magic. As with the other books, pieces of the puzzle don8217;t seem to quite fit at first but with the passage of pages, everything clicks together.
Initially, Rowling tries to use magic as a supplementary element, focusing instead on her pet values of loyalty, obedience and, above all, the power of love. She also evokes the life experiences of the young witches and wizards, thereby making them moresimilar to us. It works8212;on Monday morning in school, the buzz among the juniors was Harry8217;s newly acquired love interest!
Without giving too much away, it8217;s safe to say that the storyline hinges on Lord Voldemort and his death-eaters8217; reign of terror. The killings are increasing, the Muggles are getting affected and Voldemort is growing more and more powerful. It is now left to Harry and Dumbledore to figure out a way to destroy Voldemort8217;s plans8212;and Voldemort himself.
| nbsp; | Harry VI is also Rowling8217;s coming-of-age: Her writing style has matured, just like her characters. She sets the perfect stage for a grand finale |
The series has been growing progressively darker and the latest instalment is no exception. Voldemort8217;s revenge killings are described in more detail, thereby revealing a great deal about his life. Certain scenes involving the death-eaters are scary by any standard; I know I was rattled!
Rowling8217;s coming-of-age saga has echoes of Tolkien8217;s The Lord of the Rings8212;well, at one level, all fantasy is based on the good-versus-evil myth8212;but if Frodo and Gandalf belonged to my parents8217; generation, Harry and Dumbledore belong to mine.
Harry VI is also Rowling8217;s coming-of-age: Her writing style has matured, just like her characters. While her previous books catered to a younger crowd, in this one she also seems to be addressing a wide range of adults while setting the stage for a grand finale.
Which brings us to the inevitable. The next book will be the one in which we see the last of Harry and his friends. The last pages of The Half-Blood Prince seem to foreshadow this poignant farewell, but we can live with the fantasy for the next couple of years at least: Harry VII isn8217;t due out till 2007.
The reviewer, exactly the same age as Harry, is a student of Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi
