Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Theme of Death

In Half-Blood Prince, we learn just how terrified of death Voldemort is. He has literally divided up his soul into little bitty pieces and hid them in objects across the world to help ensure his immortality.

So, yeah, dude's gone to quite a bit of trouble not to die. And if Harry and his crew can't find all of the Horcruxes, Voldemort can't die. (The irony, of course, is that Voldy had to inflict death on several others to do this. But when has Voldemort ever cared about anyone else?)

So, that's one way in which death becomes super-central to this film. The other? Well, one of our favorite characters has to confront the Great Beyond a lot sooner than anyone would like, leaving behind the usual raft of questions and doubts that come when anyone dies.

We guess on that subject Voldemort isn't exactly wrong—death really is horrifying, awful, and sad...and Harry is very determined to acquaint Lord V with it, especially after what happens at the end of this film.

Questions about Death

  1. Is Dumbledore srsly dead?
  2. How does Draco end up feeling? Is death worse than anything in his view?
  3. Is there a "good" way to die or a positive aspect of death, in the film's worldview?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

Draco realizes that killing someone and becoming evil is worse than dying, which is why he ends up not killing Dumbledore in the end (even though Voldemort has threatened to kill him if he fails).

Harry's mom saved his life by sacrificing her own life for his. So, yes, there seems to be some nobility in death in this universe—and also some power.