Best of the dead
The USA Today list of dead characters got me thinking. Their list wasn't too good. The only character that really had any similarities to Harry Potter was Sherlock Holmes. And Sherlock Holmes got a reprieve. He didn't really die.
There are several characters in literature and cinema who have died spectacularly, noblely and bravely. Some didn't even come back to life in one way or another.
Here's my five best dead characters:
1. Obi-Wan Kenobi. As soon as Star Wars fans got to know and care abou Obi-Wan, he was killed by Darth Vader in what is now an extremely tame light sabre duel. Little did Star Wars fans know that Obi-Wan Kenobi would truly become more powerful than Darth Vader could imagine. As a dead Jedi, he could be with Luke Skywalker whenever he wanted. Well almost whenever. There was that tiny technicality in "The Empire Strikes Back."
2. Gandalf. He died in "The Fellowship of the Ring" only to return in "The Two Towers" a more powerful wizard and with the ability to save Middle Earth. Not that there is any connection, because JK Rowling would never steal an idea from another author, but Dumbledore may be taking the same route as Gandalf. Dead from the physical world, but increasing his powers in an etheral afterworld and awating the right time to return.
3. Goose. Tom Cruise's wing man in "Top Gun" had to die for so many reasons. Least of all was to make Maverick a team player. Most of all was because he forced all of us to watch him play beach volleyball with Val Kilmer. Sweaty sailors playing in the sand is not very macho. But at least when Goose died, he really died. No cheap resurrections and ghostly figures returning help Maverick kill inept Muslim fighter pilots from Afghanistan.
4. Elizabeth. Victor Frankenstein's true love was the perfect victim for his monster. Not only did the monster kill his creator's only love, he pinned the crime on the innocent Justine. It was simple as it was brilliant and sent Dr. Frankenstein spiraling into madness.
5. Mufasa. The King of the Lion King is still the only Disney animated character to die on screen. It's one of the bravest and most sinister deaths put on screen. Of course Scar's plan all backfires when Simba decides to grow up and fight for what is rightfully his.
Comments
Except, again, none of these are heroes. Some of the characters you list are -- and I shudder to say this -- sidekicks. None of these characters parallel Harry Potter -- the classic monomyth hero in the Joseph Campbell model. The only literary characters that come to mind who parallel Harry are Beowolf and Arthur. A few biblical heroes die at the end of their proverbial journeys -- Moses, Jesus.
Posted by: Sharon Kaplan | July 13, 2007 11:42 AM
They are all heroes; they are just not the protagonists, to get all literary on you. None of the characters I mentioned dictate the action of their stories. But I wasn't trying to list the best dead protaganist, because they are few and far between. This was supposed to be a list of best dead characters, sidekicks included. That should also be good news for Harry Potter. There is no question he is the protagonist and therefore should have little chance of dying in "The Deathly Hallows."
As for Beowulf, he was like the Capt. Kirk of the vikings -- escaping death and living longer than most Nordic warriors should.
King Arthur, he also had an unusually long and interesting life. If it wasn't for that silly Holy Grail thing, he might have lived longer.
I am not even going to compare Harry Potter to the stories in the bible. We both know that Harry Potter is more like Huckleberry Finn than Moses or Jesus. But that's a discussion for another day.
Posted by: Tim | July 13, 2007 12:49 PM
But Harry's not just the protagonist. He's the hero. Gandalf is not protagonist of the Rings trilogy, so the parallel doesn't work. Frodo would be the character who best parallels Harry.
Posted by: Sharon Kaplan | July 13, 2007 1:37 PM