Master of Death: Love and Spirituality in the Harry Potter Series

Abstract

J. K. Rowling creates a world in which there is no religion and no god, but in which there is still a great sense of morality and love. In her seven-book Harry Potter series, Rowling shows that life is not about avoiding death, but rather about following the journey and living fully through love. Rowling presents the reader with a world in which life and death occupy a liminal space. Throughout the series, she shows the reader how the lines between life and death are blurred, and how human souls are the connection and gateway to the afterlife. This is a unique view in young adult literature, and a compelling one in today’s society. Rowling presents the reader with a clear idea about what happens to the soul after death: morally good souls have a chance to go on to another space after death, while souls mutilated by evil simply cease to be. This is a compelling thought, especially in the twenty-first century as many people are moving away from organized religion, but still want to believe in a sense of life after death. Rowling is not limited to a traditional Christian framework, and is therefore able to investigate her own ideas of morality and the afterlife in a unique way. Ultimately, she reveals the world of the dead is connected to the world of the living in a wonderful way: death is not something to be feared, but rather we should fear a life lived without love.