Golden Nugget: Quarter One, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Golden Nugget, Quarter One: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love. ” (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 35, Page 722)

Golden nuggets make good literature great. These lines, phrases, and sections of writing fill novels and short stories alike, adding a greater depth and meaning to the story by relating it to life. For my golden nugget project, I chose to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. Having read the Harry Potter series previously , I knew that Rowling’s writing in the series included the fictional aspect of witches and wizards, but that her characters believably face real-life problems. Some of the struggles that Rowling’s protagonist, Harry Potter, has throughout the series and in this book are the death of his family, close friends, and the return of his antagonist, Voldemort. His struggles with death are similar to something that a lot of people are experiencing in the world today, whether it be the death of a parent, a spouse, or of a friend. We feel that we’re supposed to pity the dead because they’re no longer with us. But what Rowling is trying to imply as her character says this is that we shouldn’t feel bad because someone has passed away. When someone dies, they escape from the reality that is life; their suffering is over. People do die in disasters like car accidents and hurricanes, and because of illnesses like cancer. People die before they’re born and after they’ve lived. But they all die in peace. When you’re living, you face reality, you’re always a target, in the open and exposed. Sheltering yourself from other people might protect you temporarily, but not forever. The impact of an encounter with reality can only truly lessen by having someone who cares about you like a parent, friend, or sibling. And if you don’t have someone like this, you won’t have anyone to lessen the...