‘Life’ and ‘Death’ Upside Down in Harry Potter Series Galochkina Alina Valentinovna College

The theme of death in the Harry Potter series provides researchers with a substantial amount of material to absorb, as this topic is of great importance for understanding J.K. Rowling’s message clearer. However, past critics concentrated predominantly on death as a form of sacrifice. This essay will look closely at terms of 'life' and 'death', because they are not presented in their literal meanings in the books. What is meant by this is that boundaries between life and death in Harry Potter series seem blurred; “‘dead' and 'alive' are not mutually exclusive antonyms in Rowling’s books; there are fine nuances for determining whether someone is 'genuinely' dead.’’[1] The fact that a person dies does not necessarily imply that this person is gone forever. Sometimes characters are able to find life in death, and sometimes those who are theoretically alive can be considered as dead people. To support this thesis, two groups of characters will be examined: firstly –Voldemort (mostly) and his subordinates – Death Eaters; secondly – Harry Potter and his supporters. It is needed to be said that this essay will not be focused on one particular book; it includes the whole series at once as the theme of death is evolving from one book to...