I’m aware that people have tried to interpret it that way. I’m also very sure that that’s not at all what Rowling intended. It simply doesn’t fit with her general approach in the books.
The heroism objection is that there’s such a large deal made about Harry’s willingness to sacrifice himself. But he’s just found out that there’s a happy afterlife where he’ll get to be with his parents and everyone else who died in the books. Given that, the sacrifice is much less impressive.
It’s been a while since I’ve read the books, so forgive me if I’m missing something. But I thought Harry wasn’t sure if there was an afterlife. He even expresses doubt whether the “afterlife” conversation is something he’s just imagining in his head.
Also, I think that argument proves too much: it would apply to every soldier, terrorist, freedom fighter, activist, and martyr who believes in an afterlife. Even if you intellectually believe there’s an afterlife (or even if you intellectually believe your sacrifice is right) it’s still difficult to overcome the instinct to stay alive.
Uneel guvaxf gung gur nsgreyvsr pbairefngvba jvgu Qhzoyrqber zvtug or va uvf urnq. Ohg ur qbrfa’g guvax gung gur pbairefngvba cevbe gb gung jvgu gur Erfheerpgvba Fgbar jurer ur gnyxf gb Wnzrf, Yvyl, Fvevhf, Yhcva vf va uvf urnq. Vg frrzf gb or gnxra sbe tenagrq nf erny. Gura, Uneel znxrf uvf fnpevsvpr naq gura orpnhfr bs gung fnpevsvpr vf noyr gb pbzr onpx.
Also, I think that argument proves too much: it would apply to every soldier,
terrorist, freedom fighter, activist, and martyr who believes in an afterlife. Even if
you intellectually believe there’s an afterlife (or even if you intellectually believe your > sacrifice is right) it’s still difficult to overcome the instinct to stay alive.
True, but Harry’s certainty in an afterlife is much higher than that of any of those people, and his certainty about the nature of the afterlife is also much higher. Moreover, he’s been specifically told that death isn’t a big deal. Fvevhf says that it is a smooth transition.
If someone is that certain about the afterlife and the nature of the afterlife, then it does substantially reduce the heroism of such sacrifices.
Heck, even if you were absolutely completely certain that a decent afterlife awaits you, martyrdom still mean getting the shaft. The afterlife and whatever it may offer will be waiting for you indefinitely and will presumably last a long, long time, whereas once you give up on your earthly life’s experiences there’s no getting them back.
“Found out that there’s a happy afterlife”? You’re reading a lot more into that scene than I did. My interpretation of it was that he had a near death experience, and like lots of other people having such experiences, he hallucinated something about an afterlife, with no reason to believe it was anything more than a hallucination; fortunately he was sane enough not to take it too seriously. He certainly did not subsequently behave like he had suddenly started placing much less value on life.
Are we talking about the same scenes? Harry gets a hold of the Resurrection Stone and talks to his dead friends and relatives before the encounter with Volemort where he lets Voldemort kill him. That’s not a near death experience, that’s Harry walking along and talking to their forms. Then he has his confrontation with Voldemort. The only near death experience is after that, where Harry has his conversation with Dumbledore.
Oops! indeed we weren’t talking about the same scenes, I thought you were talking about the conversation with Dumbledore. My memory of the resurrection stone scene is fuzzier, I thought it was understood to be just an illusion, but now I can’t be certain whether Harry thought of it that way, or just me.
I’m aware that people have tried to interpret it that way. I’m also very sure that that’s not at all what Rowling intended. It simply doesn’t fit with her general approach in the books.
The heroism objection is that there’s such a large deal made about Harry’s willingness to sacrifice himself. But he’s just found out that there’s a happy afterlife where he’ll get to be with his parents and everyone else who died in the books. Given that, the sacrifice is much less impressive.
It’s been a while since I’ve read the books, so forgive me if I’m missing something. But I thought Harry wasn’t sure if there was an afterlife. He even expresses doubt whether the “afterlife” conversation is something he’s just imagining in his head.
Also, I think that argument proves too much: it would apply to every soldier, terrorist, freedom fighter, activist, and martyr who believes in an afterlife. Even if you intellectually believe there’s an afterlife (or even if you intellectually believe your sacrifice is right) it’s still difficult to overcome the instinct to stay alive.
I’m rereading that section now. ROT13ed:
Uneel guvaxf gung gur nsgreyvsr pbairefngvba jvgu Qhzoyrqber zvtug or va uvf urnq. Ohg ur qbrfa’g guvax gung gur pbairefngvba cevbe gb gung jvgu gur Erfheerpgvba Fgbar jurer ur gnyxf gb Wnzrf, Yvyl, Fvevhf, Yhcva vf va uvf urnq. Vg frrzf gb or gnxra sbe tenagrq nf erny. Gura, Uneel znxrf uvf fnpevsvpr naq gura orpnhfr bs gung fnpevsvpr vf noyr gb pbzr onpx.
True, but Harry’s certainty in an afterlife is much higher than that of any of those people, and his certainty about the nature of the afterlife is also much higher. Moreover, he’s been specifically told that death isn’t a big deal. Fvevhf says that it is a smooth transition.
If someone is that certain about the afterlife and the nature of the afterlife, then it does substantially reduce the heroism of such sacrifices.
Heck, even if you were absolutely completely certain that a decent afterlife awaits you, martyrdom still mean getting the shaft. The afterlife and whatever it may offer will be waiting for you indefinitely and will presumably last a long, long time, whereas once you give up on your earthly life’s experiences there’s no getting them back.
“Found out that there’s a happy afterlife”? You’re reading a lot more into that scene than I did. My interpretation of it was that he had a near death experience, and like lots of other people having such experiences, he hallucinated something about an afterlife, with no reason to believe it was anything more than a hallucination; fortunately he was sane enough not to take it too seriously. He certainly did not subsequently behave like he had suddenly started placing much less value on life.
Are we talking about the same scenes? Harry gets a hold of the Resurrection Stone and talks to his dead friends and relatives before the encounter with Volemort where he lets Voldemort kill him. That’s not a near death experience, that’s Harry walking along and talking to their forms. Then he has his confrontation with Voldemort. The only near death experience is after that, where Harry has his conversation with Dumbledore.
Oops! indeed we weren’t talking about the same scenes, I thought you were talking about the conversation with Dumbledore. My memory of the resurrection stone scene is fuzzier, I thought it was understood to be just an illusion, but now I can’t be certain whether Harry thought of it that way, or just me.