We open our eyes to the emptiness. A warm wind blows, pregnant with dust, through the deserted streets. Somewhere, a child is crying. Thousands of receipts from alien places litter the road, places like "Barnes and Noble", "Chapters" and "Coles". We snatch one as it flutters by and study it through blood-weary eyes. It says: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They all do.
So it ends. After nine years, 4085 pages, five feature films and millions of adoring fans, J.K. Rowling has finally laid this seminal series to rest. Teenagers all over the world have sequestered themselves in their rooms today, maintaining their vigil with an almost religious intensity as their final trip to Hogwarts plays itself out. And when the last page has been turned, the final word read, the nuances of the story discussed, blogged, argued over and meditated on, I must ask: What have we learned from Harry Potter? Or perhaps, more importantly: What has Harry Potter taught us about ourselves?
Here I must make a confession...I've never read a single Harry Potter novel. There I said it. As purely a work of literature, they have never really appealed to me much. I cannot deny, however, the impact they have had on the zeitgeist of modern pop culture. So while I am completely unqualified to discuss what the story itself has taught us, I feel I am uniquely qualified, as a self-proclaimed student of pop culture, to point out three of the social revelations Ms. Rowling's opus has shed some bright, blazing wizard light on:
1. Reading is cool
I don't think I'm the only one who harbored some secret fears about the world moving into a post-literate stage of society. With the proliferation of iPods, Facebook, Google searches and reality television, the simple pleasures derived from sitting down with a good book couldn't possibly stand a chance. Why actually go to all the trouble of reading a book when you can just read about it on Wikipedia? Thankfully, the staggering success of these novels and the rock star status earned by their author have not only assuaged these fears, but actually made me hopeful for a literary renaissance, where the paperback replaces the blackberry as the must-have accessory amongst teens.
2. J.K. Rowling is a genius
No one can ever accuse J.K. Rowling of not knowing her audience. In fact, she wrote the book on it. Literally. The good verses evil themes are universal with just enough shades of grey to give it emotional depth. The coming of age story is something just about every pre-teen on the planet can relate to. The archetypal characters are fantastic versions of people that, chances are, most young readers have versions of in their "real" lives. Mix all of these brilliant elements with a story that grows up and becomes more complex as its audience does and you have something that is MUCH more than the sum of its parts. You have a children's epic that will very likely still be relevant when our great-great-great grandchildren learn to read.
3. You are never too old to be a kid again
These books were written for children and young adults. Why is it then, that over the course of the last seven years I saw copies stuffed into suits, jammed into jackets, ogled by octogenarians and poured-over by proud parents? Could it be that the exploits of a boy wizard and his friends have knocked on the door where our inner child lives and asked him to come out and play? I'd like to think so. Books are also a great way to bridge the generation gap. The latest Black Eyed Peas album may be beyond your realm of experience, but Hermione Granger's unrequited love for Harry Potter is something you and your teenage daugter both understand implicitly. Some topics are too important to be left to the mercy of message boards.
So where do we go from here? Is your dog-eared copy of The Deathly Hallows already gathering dust on your bookshelf? Are the early symptoms of HPW (Harry Potter Withdraw) causing you to consider reading the whole damn series again? Never fear! The 13th Monkey has got your back. Might I suggest The Riftwar saga by Raymond E. Feist as your next adventure into magical lands and great fiction. This four book series is the perfect "next step" for young Harry Potter addicts looking for their next "fix".
The only cultural phenomenon of this magnitude that I can think of from my childhood was the original Star Wars trilogy. So here is a word of caution for young Harry Potter fans from someone who has lived through it: Whatever you do, when you "grow up" DO NOT demand a prequal from Ms. Rowling. It will all end in tears.
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