The ending of all epics should tie up loose ends and answer
questions that pertain directly toward the protagonist. This is where epilogues
come in; usually taking place several days, months, or even years down the road
it shows what the world has become after the events of the story. This is where
the Harry Potter series comes to an enlightening end. I love the epilogue in Deathly Hallows and I have since I first
read it. It explains what the readers need to know the moment after reading about
the downfall of Voldemort: that Harry has lived a happy life with his family
and friends. Yes, knowing their jobs and what they did after the books is
interesting and I look for those facts almost obsessively, but they are not
needed for a successful epilogue. J.K. Rowling understood that and wrote only what
was needed.
It follows the writing style of the series as it only
mentions what Harry is either thinking or experiencing at the time. During the
epilogue, he is excited about his middle child going off to Hogwarts so he has
no reason to think about his (or anyone else’s [besides Neville’s]) job. This epilogue
shows the readers that Harry has managed to live a successful life without
going into the details, something that seems hard to do in my opinion yet J.K.
Rowling pulls it off splendidly. The simplicity of this epilogue is amazing and
ends the series well for me.
The epilogue is also home to one of my favorite lines in the entire series. The line "The five Potters" makes it for me every time. Reading all seven books and being used to Harry being by himself and always referred to as only the singular "Potter" makes viewing the plural name that much more satisfying. That line alone shows how happy Harry must be, finally getting something he has always pined for: his own family.
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