The story that the death of J.K. Rowling’s mom influenced the Harry Potter series is being recycled in the media, probably influenced by the recent screen portrayal of the death of Cedric Diggory as well as the death of Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince. Rowling had said very early on in interviews that her mother’s death played a large role in creating Harry, especially the scenes in front of the Mirror of Erised, though she did not realize this until going back and reading what she had written.
The finality of death and the process of bereavement is a key theme to the Potter books, and I believe this is why all the Dumbledore-is-not-dead or will rise again theories are ultimately inaccurate. In the first place, we know for a fact that dead people do not come back to life in the Harry Potter books:
One of the most important things I decided was that magic cannot bring dead people back to life. That’s one of the most profound things. The natural laws of death applies to wizards as it applies to Muggles and there is no returning once you’re properly dead. You know, they might be able to save very close to death people better than we can, by magic. They have certain knowledge we don’t, but once you’re dead, you’re dead. (read the full interview)
So Dumbledore is not coming back to life. On a side note, this quote may very well give support to the “stoppered death” theory about HBP, i.e., that Dumbledore was on death’s door at the book’s beginning, but Snape had been keeping him alive through potions (see this article for more on “Stoppered Death”).
I also think Rowling’s insistence on the finality of death makes it highly unlikely that Dumbledore is not actually dead, despite very creative arguments otherwise. I would love for Dumbledore to still be alive; the pages of “The Lightning-Struck Tower” have little wrinkles from my tears, too. But after everything Rowling has taught us about death so far, especially through Dumbledore, I think she means us to experience and mourn his death, and to rejoice, remembering that for the well-organized mind, death is just the next great adventure.
[It also makes sense alchemically for Dumbledore to die. Book 5 represented the Black Stage of alchemy, and Sirius Black died. Book 6, being the White Stage, was bound to include the death of Albus ("white") Dumbledore.]
More on the theme of death to come.
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*It also makes sense alchemically for Dumbledore to die. Book 5 represented the Black Stage of alchemy, and Sirius Black died. Book 6, being the White Stage, was bound to include the death of Albus (â€whiteâ€) Dumbledore.*
I fully agree with this theory…which of course begs for speculation: book seven should be the Red Stage, so who might fall under that, as a victim?
Rubeus Hagrid? Rufus Scrimgour? A Weasely?
My bet is on Hagrid. The other two major deaths were not only named for the stages (and personifications of them, to an extent), but both were mentors/father figures for Harry.
And the first mentor he had in the wizarding world was…Hagrid.
I’m firmly in the DB-is-dead camp. It would be cheating to bring him back.
LaShawn, I agree with you entirely.
Sarah, yes, JKR has definitely set us up with a lot of “red” for the final installent. Here’s the catch, though. The Red Stage is the final, ongoing stage of alchemy. Sirius died at the end of the Black Stage, and Dumbledore died at the end of the White Stage, but technically, the Red Stage has no end, so the death of a “red” person (and I agree with you that Hagrid is the best candidate for the central “red” character) is not a necessity. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Hagrid makes it.
Just a side note:
Even if the books uses alchemical imagery—and I believe they do—and even if Hagrid represents the red stage, he doesn’t have to die.
Kjetil, yes, Hagrid does not have to die…I think I addressed that in the comment above. The Red Stage is the final, ongoing stage, so it doesn’t need the death of the Red figure to finish it.
How do we know that Sirus is dead. Has there been any proof that he is actually dead? Will he come back in the seventh?
Crystal,
I think it is definately one of the primary focusses of Rowling’s storytelling that death is FINAL. She has never shirked from this stance throughout the stories. Luna’s comment about people living on after they die and Dumbledore’s comment about death being the next great adventure points to Rowling’s hope and belief that there is life after death. But once a character dies- they are gone. This whole idea is what brings Harry to maturity. That he must do the job himself now that all his mentors have fought the good fight and have died. I am sure that Sirius will not come back in the seventh book. However, he was carrying that communication mirror when he went though the veil and Harry does have the other one. Even allowing for this I don’t think that Rowling would allow this in he story having experience the finality of in her loved ones.
Matt
Wasn’t the mirror smashed to bits when Harry got upset at one point? My Apologies…I posted at another spot not relizing that you could see the post on the home page. Sorry
Harry did smash his mirror after trying to talk to Sirius in it. Sirius didn’t answer, so either he was unable to, or he didn’t have it with him when he went through the arch.
While I understand the whole neccesity behind Dumbledore being dead, and as much as I believe JK about her whole “finality of death” schtick, I just don’t understand in a sense, and maybe I just have to wait for book 7, but I just don’t understand all the symbology associated with Dumbledore that is just tossed out the window if he is “simply dead” (for lack of a better term). The phoenix, for example. His Patronus, his pet, phoenix. Such a blantent example of life/death/rebirth that I feel stupid posting it. But then, in the numerous references of Fawkes’ burning, we see parallels in the funeral scene. To connect Dumbledore’s funeral to the funeral pyre of a phoenix is fishy if he is “simply dead.” Also, another “blatent” reference is his half moon spectacles. They are mentioned in passing numerous times, and most people take no notice of them. But, after having read about Dumbledore’s death, I realized I was seeing another reference to life/death/rebirth, specifically a moon going from life to death/death to life. Also, with the Christ symbolism that’s linked in your article. While he may well be dead, I truly believe there is a lot more than meets the eye.
Yeah,
The jury is still our about it. There is plenty of imagery that suggests that he may come back. Think Gandalf here… And it was Dumbledore that told Draco that the Order would be able to fake his death and hide him completely. If he could do this for Draco why not himself? Also the result of Snape’s Avera Kedarvra curse produced different effects than it is described in other places. It looked more like the expelliarmus jinx that Snape did on Lockhart in Chamber.
If he really is dead we still may have Dumbledore in the story through his portrait in the principle’s office.
Matt
Todd, I do think you’re on to something here, but I think it’s the lesson JKR is trying to teach – that though death is final on earth (no one comes back from the dead, even by magic), death is not the end. Dumbledore is the great teacher about death (think Gandalf teaching Pippin about the white shores), so it makes sense that his death is shrouded in resurrection symbolism.
I just worked through Dumbledore’s death scene again this morning. I understand the strange differences between this killing and other AK killings. But it seems to me that JKR is following a very basic pattern – the “wise old man” archetype dies, so the “hero” archetype finishes without his assistance.
Hmmm,
Gandalf telling Pippin about the white shores?…
Oh! You mean Peter Jackson telling Pippin about the white shores.
Matt
Ha! Right, right…I was grasping for a parallel and mixed it up. That’s what I get for trying to answer these comments in breaks at work!
what about the fact that dumbldore was knocked out of the window by the avada kadavra curse when all the other victims of the curse just fell to the ground without a scratch?
Jake, while I still tend to think Dumbledore is dead, there is definitely a lot more to consider than I had originally realized, and the slow fall off the tower is a big part of that.
Just a note, isn’t it interesting that we learn that there are unspoken spells in HBP, so it is entirely possible that Snape had done something like Expelliarmus or something like the Protego charm, unspoken, when pronouncing the killing curse.
I’m of the “Snape isn’t really evil” camp, and I think Dumbledore was going to die anyway (I think the stuff in the cave would kill him no matter what), but the Avada Kedavra curse is so evil that even Snape couldn’t use it for real and actually just ejected Dumbledore from the tower. Meaning he was just cursing empty air, or not really casting the AK spell.
can someone fill me in on what alchemy and the whole red stage white stage thing means?
thanks,
Brock