Tuesday, June 27, 2006

As Volokh Conspirator Ilya Somin notes, Author J,K. Rowling is apparently hinting lately that Harry Potter may die at the end of the seven-book series. Now, I haven't read any of the books, but after seeing the last movie, I concluded that the most natural ending for the series would be for Harry to sacrifice himself to save his child and kill Voldemort--just as his parents did before him. How else, after all, to tie up the plot threads of Harry's mysterious origins, his strange connection to Voldemort, the improbably great expectations placed on him by everyone around him, and his interminable tests and demonstrations of "character", implicitly defined as willingness to take great risks, face great challenges and make great sacrifices for the sake of those around him?