harry potter & the deathly hallows death poll *spoilers*

[fizzgig]

because i thought we needed another poll about the book :D

whose death affected you the most, be it in terms of tears, sadness, heartbreak, whatever

i think i cried most over fred, with dobby coming in a very close second

as far as lupin and tonks go, i chose to list them separately and together because she was a newer character, but my grief for her was enhanced by my grief for him, in part because of teddy

[fizzgig]

1. and why did you make your choice?

what got me most about fred was that his family had just been reunited - percy finally realized what a git he was and rejoined his clan, only to hold his brother's dead body not long after

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

2. I just did not like how Tonks and Lupins deaths were kinda glossed over.

just them dead on the floor. I thought their impact on harry was bigger....sheesh, Lupin was one of the ghosts escorting Harry to voldemort after being brought back with the resurrection stone...we could at least know who killed them. That was just kinda shitty in my mind.

[fizzgig]

3. i agree

you know the both of them would have put up one helluva fight. and yes, i agree that lupin had a great impact on harry's life, not only as a teacher, but as his father's friend

[jobycom]

7. I thought it was effective.

First, it was a battle, and I thought it appropriate that people would die without anyone really knowing how.

Second, I thought it was even more shocking that Harry learned of their deaths by seeing them lying there, surrounded by loved ones. At that moment in the book, Harry (and the reader) had to be propelled into deeper grief to pave the way for the fatalism he was about to be forced to accept. I thought it was a powerful way to show the disorientation, the shocking grief, and the sense of hopelessness of the situation.

Not that I liked them dying, but I figured she'd kill off some of the most likable people. Voldemort had to be seen as evil, and Harry's resignation to his fate had to be believable--beyond just "Dumbledore says I should die, so oh well, it's been fun and all, but I gotta do what he says."

[JoDog]

4. I went with Hedwig

because she really never had a choice. All the humans who died made a choice to risk their lives--they knew the danger they were in and that they could lose their lives. Hedwig, however, was an innocent animal caught in the crossfire. She also was the first birthday present Harry got since his 1st birthday, and was his connection to the wizard world and his friends. When she died, that link was symbolically broken, an idea that was solidified when Harry went on the run.

Fred comes in a close second. That one really shocked me more than anything. Ever the joker, he got to go out with a laugh on his face, teasing the newly returned Percy, and that was fitting.

[fizzgig]

5. good point on hedwig

and yes, i think shocking is a good word to describe fred's death

[Der Blaue Engel]

11. I chose Hedwig, too

Being dashed against her own cage just seemed horrifying. :cry:

[Debi]

6. Why kill the owl?

:cry:

That bugged me the most.

[fizzgig]

15. they showed part of her interview on KO tonight

and she said she considered every death very carefully...i yelled at her about hedwig

[jobycom]

8. The death scene that moved me most was Dobby.

Just when you think they got away unscathed... And Dobby was the most innocent of characters, who devoted himself to Harry against all his training and upbringing. Very sad, very powerful. It was the one death I hadn't even guessed at.

And Griphook's respect for Harry after the burial was one of the most subtly moving aspects of the book, I thought.

[Bjornsdotter]

12. Same here

...I just never saw it coming. I was shocked and had to read it a few times before it clicked in my head.

Cheers

[XemaSab]

9. Snape

Such a stupid, senseless death. :(

[WildEyedLiberal]

13. Ditto. I loved Snape!

I knew he was probably going to die but what a horrible way to go!

Hedwig and Dobby are close seconds though because they were so innocent.

[fizzgig]

14. i think that's what got me most about hedwig and dobby

:(

[XemaSab]

10. I already voted!

:o

[Magrittes Pipe]

16. I don't like when birdies die.

:(