I thought things really picked up in Godric’s Hollow but they were nothing compared to chapters 19-24 of The Deathly Hallows. Harry found Gryffindor’s Sword, Ron returned, they were almost captured at Xenophilius Lovegood’s house, they learned about the Deathly Hallows, they were captured, they escaped, Dobby died and Voldemort found the Elder Wand. If the middle of the book is this exciting I can’t imagine how exciting the remaining chapters will be.
Below are some thoughts from chapters 19-24 of The Deathly Hallows.
Trust
One of the most fascinating aspects of The Deathly Hallows is Harry’s waning confidence and trust in Dumbledore. When Harry was younger he accepted everything Dumbledore said and was as truth. Now that he’s older, that trust has faltered and Harry is starting to doubt. The conflict is highlighted in this rant of Harry’s.
“Look what [Dumbledore] asked from me, Hermione! Risk your life, Harry! And again! And again! And don’t expect me to explain everything, just trust me blindly, trust that I know what I’m doing, trust me even though I don’t trust you! Never the whole truth! Never!”
Unfortunately Harry’s faltering trust in Dumbledore reminds me a lot of people who lose trust in God. God asks a lot of us, including trusting him when it would be easier to turn away. Instead of giving into our doubts, though, our doubts need to push us deeper and nearer to God. The cure for doubting God isn’t to walk away from him. The cure is pressing more fully into God and trusting in our past experiences with him.
Focus
While these chapters were very exciting, we unfortunately got a large dose of whiny-Harry again. I don’t like whiny-Harry at all; he pretty much ruined the first part of The Order of the Phoenix. Once Harry had learned about the Deathly Hallows he could think of nothing else. His focus was completely centered on the Deathly Hallows and he couldn’t understand why Ron and Hermione didn’t share his passion. Harry always gets more annoying when he singularly focuses on one thing. Our focus influences every area of our lives. Whatever we focus on will influence our choices, what we deem important and the trajectory of our lives. Focusing on things in this world will lead us on a worldly path, away from God. Focusing on the things of God will lead us on a Godly path, toward our heavenly father.
Dobby
I wrote this about Dobby when he made his first appearance in The Chamber of Secrets.
Dobby annoys me. He seems like J.K. Rowling’s version of Jar Jar Binks. I don’t know if Dobby shows up again but, if he does, I hope he’s less grating.
Alycia and my sister assured me that Dobby would grow on me and they were right. I wasn’t aware how much he had grown on me until he was killed. I knew Dumbledore was going to die so I wasn’t that impacted by his death. I didn’t know Dobby was going to die so I was taken aback when Bellatrix Lestrange’s knife killed the free house elf. I liked Dobby and like him even more now, knowing that he sacrificed himself to save Harry and his friends. We appreciate courage and sacrifice whenever we see them; they are characteristics that reflect the very heart of God. It’s amazing to see them in real life, but they are even inspiring when we see them in a fictional character. I never thought I’d say this, but we should all strive to be a little more like Dobby.
I’m really enjoying The Deathly Hallows and can’t wait to see what happens now that Voldemort has discovered the Elder Wand. I’m a little sad that my time with Harry Potter is nearing its end but, at this point, my excitement is overshadowing my sadness.
What thoughts do you have from chapters 19-24 of The Deathly Hallows?
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