Martin Filbert: "Dear Vin Jie-Min Prasad: Sacrifice Leads to Admiration"

Dear Vina Jie-Min Prasad: Sacrifice Leads To Admiration

By: Martin Filbert

I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I really do like Harry Potter, and so did the rest of the kids I grew up with. But I have heard many a time that it is unoriginal to call the Harry Potter series your favorite books ever. So, call me unoriginal.

When it comes to endings, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is as close to perfection as humanly possible. This might seem too romantic, but I love a happy ending. I want an ending to a fictional work in which all the problems along the way are resolved once and for all. However, it is always more fun when the main character must make a life-altering decision, or in many cases a life-or-death decision.

A bit of background may be necessary now. Ever since I was young, my father and I have watched war movies together. It was not only a starting point to talking about world history, but our movie sessions also served as a time for me to learn about my grandfather who fought in World War II. The movies based upon the horrors of war imprinted upon me a respect and admiration for those who sacrifice themselves for a greater purpose. Therefore, when it came to the fictional works I read as a kid, I chose those in which the main characters fought for a noble cause and were not afraid to die in order to achieve their goals.

From this comes the reasoning for why Harry Potter delivers the “right” ending for me. The main character gives the ultimate sacrifice: he chooses to die in order to destroy the horcrux inside of him, making Voldemort much more vulnerable. This ultimate show of bravery is really what allows me to determine that it is a satisfactory ending.

Of course, in order to allow the main character the opportunity to give a tremendous sacrifice in the hopes of achieving a happier outcome, this means that there must be sufficient conflict in the text to justify such a sacrifice, which I fear may be too specific for some works of fiction. But when it comes to my personal taste, and drawing from the endings of the fiction I devoured in my childhood, a sacrifice in return for a “better” outcome for the rest of the characters is what I like to read. And not to worry, many times this was not the sacrifice of a human life. For example, a simple sacrifice – something like acknowledging a different viewpoint, relinquishing a grudge, or resolving a toxic relationship – can tip the balance toward a more favorable ending for the characters in the story.

Ultimately, in the fiction that I am most familiar with, the responsibility often times falls upon the hero of the story to make a sacrifice in order to achieve a happy ending for everyone involved. In Harry Potter, the hero is Harry. But also, it is Lupin, Tonks, and the multitude of other characters that died to defeat Voldemort. From this I conclude that fiction can be an escape from our ordinary lives, but it also can exemplify the sacrifices necessary in our world for good to triumph over evil. Harry Potter showcases in its ending that no one person can accomplish such a task by themselves. The ultimate sacrifice may be required from many, as is the case in war.

Maybe that is a bit morbid, but my point is that a sacrifice can equate to the downfall of the wicked and happiness for all those who survive. As long as Lupin and Tonks did not die in vain, I’m satisfied.