The feeling in fantasy and fiction
Amidst the sunny and hot weather - which was interrupted by a spurt of thunderstorms - this past weekend I finally got around to watching the sixth installment of the Harry Potter movies: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Despite my desire to watch it on opening night, it took a while (by my standards) to watch because I knew I wouldn't have time to re-read (the fifth book) the Order of the Phoenix before watching the new movie, so I had to at least watch the fifth movie before seeing the newest flick. Although I have read all seven books (more than once) I still had some blanks heading into the sixth movie.
One blank I didn't have though was the ending (don't worry no spoilers), which, if you've read the book you know, is very heart-wrenching. I knew what was going to happen and I knew it wasn't going to be easy to experience, because it definitely wasn't easy in the book, but regardless after watching the movie I still left with a sick feeling in my stomach. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the biggest Harry Potter fans out there and I loved the movie, but that's probably why I left with an uneasy feeling. After six books you get attached to certain characters ( what follows is a spoiler) and when one of those characters is no longer a part of the story, you feel like you've lost a friend. I definitely felt this, but despite the queasiness, I knew it was only make-belief. That was until I looked beside me.
There was a young boy, no more than 10-12 years old, who was watching the movie with (who I assumed to be) his dad. Throughout the film you could tell he was excited through his giggles and attentiveness, and at one point his comment: "I really love this movie". Love is the operative word because when I looked over at the kid, when I really didn't want to watch the screen anymore (because of the ending), I realized that he - a decade my juniour - understood love better than maybe I did. Tears streaming down his face, his knees to his chest, and quiet as can be, his eyes were glued to the screen. He was affected by this movie, this story, this fantasy that was conjured by J.K. Rowling. To him, it seemed like it was real life and he also lost a friend and role-model.
As much as Harry Potter has turned into a marketer's dream and a cash-grab in every way, looking over at the young child next to me in the theater reassured me that the messages in the epic story of Harry Potter have not been lost. Love, compassion, friendship, loss, sacrifice, they all still ring very true in the story and are fundamental teachings and learnings that come from it. And although the story is just that, a story, and the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach has since subsided, that experience will stick with me for good because it felt real. Losing someone can be real, and the kid next to me now - to a certain extent - has felt that feeling. Whether this is good for him or not is yet to be told but knowing that our hero Harry Potter (SPOILER) overcomes this grave loss, will be motivation enough for him to know that he can too.
Whether J.K. Rowling intended for that to happen or not, I don't know, but that's the good that can come from fiction.
________________
On a related note, I took a quiz today that told me what wand I would receive if I was a wizard. This was the result: 9", Oak, Unicorn: Oak signifies wisdom, endurance, protection, and authority. Unicorn's tail hair core means that you are pure of heart and care deeply for your loved ones. I feel this sums me up pretty well. This is another example of how a well-written fictional story, no matter how unlikely it appears to be, can have such a strong relation to real life.
Comments [0]