Mind over Body
Harry has been plagued by loss throughout the entire series. Deathly Hallows most notably explores the effects of losing someone and the legacy that a lost life leaves on those who loved them. For instance, Harry in the seventh book is still dealing with Dumbledore’s death, but the impact of Dumbledore’s living memory continues to aid Harry even after Dumbledore is physically gone: “I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help.”
Instead of being held back by the death of Harry’s greatest mentor, Harry uses the memory of Dumbledore as a motivator to continue his quest to destroy Voldemort. Moreover, Dumbledore’s death in book six does not mean he is not present in book seven. The trio receives help from Dumbledore even after he’s gone: the Deluminator that led Ron back to Harry and Hermione, The Tales of Beedle the Bard that revealed information of the Deathly Hallows, and the snitch hiding the Resurrection Stone that brought back Harry’s parents in his time of greatest need.
Similarly, it was the memory of Harry’s parents that provided Harry with the final strength to sacrifice his life for the greater good of destroying Voldemort. Even though his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Lupin are physically gone, they transcend death through Harry’s mind. In the end, memory is a much more powerful tool than the body. Though our loved ones may be physically gone, they never truly leave us.
The Incomparable Power of Love
Love in relation to sacrifice is a colossal theme seen in book seven. Firstly, the power of love within Snape is revealed in The Prince’s Tale chapter. Snape turned his entire life around after Lily was murdered by Voldemort. He continued to love her even after her death, and the everlasting powers of this love are symbolized through Snape’s Patronus: a doe, just like Lily’s. Because of Snape’s incalculable love for Lily, he was able to rise above his hatred for James and protect Harry against Voldemort until the end.
What’s more, Snape risked his life for years, deceiving the most dangerous wizard in the world, and ultimately paid the price of death. Love is also, of course, strongly rooted within Harry. Harry is motivated by love to destroy Voldemort: love for his friends, love for his parents, love for what’s good and what’s true. If it weren’t for love, Harry could have ended up just as corrupt as Voldemort himself.
Similar to Snape’s Patronus of a doe symbolizing his undying love for Lily, Harry’s Patronus is a stag — the same as his father’s. Ron and Hermione are also empowered by love in book seven, risking their lives to help their best friend. Moreover, the Final Battle in book seven symbolizes a collective rise against intolerance and corruption in the name of the greater good, the preservation of love.
There Are Worse Things Than Death
The theme of love surpassing death began in the very first book of the series, and is fully realized in the Deathly Hallows. Harry grapples with his imminent death after finding out that he must die in order to destroy Voldemort: “It would all be gone…or at least, he would be gone from it. His breath came slow and deep, and his mouth and throat were completely dry, but so were his eyes.”
It’s extremely significant here that Harry has no more tears to shed. He does not feel the deep sorrow that some people would at the realization they are about to die (especially so young). Conversely, Harry is so full of love for his parents that he cannot even feel sadness about death; love overpowers the devastation of his looming death. Dumbledore explains this phenomenon when Harry finds himself at King’s Cross, neither dead nor alive: “You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He…understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.” Harry, defined by love, is the true master of death while Voldemort can never be, for Voldemort is unable to understand Harry or the power of love.
Thus, Voldemort is susceptible to defeat: first, when Lily’s love for Harry caused Voldemort’s killing curse to rebound; second, in book one when the touch of Harry’s skin caused Quirrell’s body to burn and Voldemort to be bodiless once more; third, in book five when Voldemort was expelled from possessing Harry’s body by Harry’s mere thought of his love for Sirius. And finally, in book seven, it’s Voldemort’s rejection of love that leads to his ruin. The fates of both Harry and Voldemort remind us that to be human is to die, but more importantly to love — and that a human who does not love is hardly living at all.
