13 days before - Packing and Epilogues

I haven't done any. Packing, I mean.

My possessions, normally only here for the summer and than repacked, have had a full year to spread throughout the house. So the task of packing them up is a little daunting, and I haven't actually started yet.

I have, however, finished reading the Harry Potter series, and would like to talk about one aspect of my analysis. This part of the analysis is entitled:

WHY THE EPILOGUE OF HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS DOESN'T SUCK. (SPOILERS AHOY.)

So, here's the deal: while Campbell's hero's journey could be applied to different aspects of the series depending on where the journey starts, the journey always ends the same, with the last two steps being "The Master of Two Worlds" and "Freedom to Live."

The second to last step, "Master of Two Worlds" is usually used for heroes like Jesus or Buddha who kind of transcend death, which Harry also does. But for more mundane heroes, it refers to the hero finding a balance between the material and the spiritual, and balance that Harry achieves when he comes to a full understanding of how to destroy Voldemort, of the failings of Dumbledore, and of what needs to be done with the Elder Wand. In other words, when Harry finally gets it, which he does at the end of the final chapter.

But, that is not the end of the hero's journey nor of Harry's story. The last step is Freedom to Live, where the hero is freed from his fears and is allowed to live "in the moment" without regrets of the past or anxious anticipation of the future. Without the epilogue, we have no idea that this has happened with Harry. We need to see Harry, years removed from the battle, the deaths, the trauma, to a time when he has finally achieved what he always wanted: a normal life. A time when the biggest thing he has to worry about is if his son will be okay at Hogwarts. A time when "all was well." That is Harry's "Freedom to Live," and it is a necessary component in the story. Thus, the epilogue.

If I'm honest with myself, I think the real reason certain people have such hostility towards the epilogue is because they don't want the story to be over. But I know that the story had to end. If it kept going, people would get sick of it. So . . . get over it, people.

That's all!

-Matt