A few days ago, I watched “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” on TV again. Once again, I was impressed by the compelling theme that poignantly mirrored contemporary human society.

As the story unfolds, Dumbledore is dead and Voldemort consolidates his power and takes over the powerful Ministry of Magic. Voldemort’s followers begin to persecute those considered mudblood (witches and wizards who have non-magical parents) and eliminate undesirables, such as Harry Potter, who do not comply with the new regime.

They declare educational reform by drastically altering the system to brainwash children so they can manipulate them. They also reshuffle high-ranking government officials with those who are loyal to Voldemort.

While fleeing from Voldemort’s tyranny, Harry, Ron and Hermione learn of a fairy tale titled “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” In the tale, three brothers manage to cross a dangerous river by using magical powers. “Death” feels cheated, but decides to offer them three magical items called the Deathly Harrows as a congratulatory gesture: the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility.

The first brother, who is intoxicated with power, wishes for the Elder Wand, a powerful wand that allows its owner to wield unlimited power. The second brother, who wants to bring back his deceased fiancee, wishes for the Resurrection Stone, the owner of which can summon the dead. The third brother, who was smart and wise, wishes for the Cloak of Invisibility, under which he can hide even from Death.

The first brother becomes a powerful man with the invincible wand. Soon, however, he is killed by another man who steals the wand. So Death claims his body and soul. The second brother summons his dead fiancee, but become miserable since she is a ghost, not a human made of flesh and blood. Out of sorrow and frustration, the second brother commits suicide. Therefore, Death claims his body and soul, too. The third brother hides under his Cloak of Invisibility so Death cannot find him all through his life.

Voldemort wants to possess the Elder Wand, which he believes will empower him to rule the world. Unfortunately, however, he is killed by Harry Potter. The Resurrection Stone, too, is deadly when misused. You can neither bring the dead from the past nor feed on past grudges forever. What’s done cannot be undone and you cannot change the past. It would be fatal, therefore, if you constantly stick to the past and do not move on.

At the end of the story, Harry comes to possess the three items one by one. Yet he acts wisely. When Harry defeats Voldemort and comes to possess the Elder Wand, he decides to throw it away. He does not seek to retrieve the Resurrection Stone he has accidentally dropped in the Forbidden Forest, either. He merely wants to keep the Cloak of Invisibility that he has inherited. Harry never tries to wield power or go back to the past and reopen old wounds. Instead, he hides under the Cloak of Invisibility to escape the attention of people and that of Death as well.

In the story, Harry is 17. The novel ends 19 years later, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are middle-aged, in their late thirties. Now at King’s Cross Station, the three couples, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, and Draco Malfoy and his wife, are sending their children to Hogwarts. Harry’s three children bear the memorable names, James Sirius, Albus Severus and Lily Luna, reminders of those who helped Harry Potter when he was young.

History repeats itself and the legacy continues. This last scene indicates that adults are responsible for making a better society for the next generation. It also advises that older people should share what they have experienced with young people who, in turn, should listen to the older generation’s wisdom and adventures. Harry’s son, Albus Severus, is worried about the possibility that he will be placed in the Slytherin House, just like Harry was when he first entered Hogwarts years ago. Harry assures his son that Snape, the bravest man he ever met, was a Slytherin.

Yet, how could young Albus Severus possibly know that his father, too, once had the same worry? How could he possibly understand what kind of ordeals his father had to go through to make a better society for his children?

Likewise, how can young people in today’s Korea possibly know what their parents had to go through to protect their children and country from communism or military dictatorship? How can they understand the turbulent social milieu and inexorable political turmoil that older people had to endure? And how can young people possibly comprehend the atrocities of war that older people witnessed? To our dismay, young people just seem to take everything for granted and complain.

Watching “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” I brooded on the future of not only my country but also the world that has been seriously faltering lately. 


By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. He can be reached at sukim@snu.ac.kr. -- Ed.