Responsibility and Personal Growth in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' Jeremy Hester College

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it immediately becomes apparent exactly how much Harry Potter has grown since the first book in the series. In the beginning of the novel, Harry looks around 4 Privet Drive, his childhood home, and reflects on how he has grown since he first discovered he was a wizard. Soon after this reflection, Harry talks with the Dursleys, who are upset and angry about having to leave their home. It is only when Dudley Dursley, Harry’s cousin and long time bully, says he wants to go into hiding that his parents agree to flee to safety, and during this decision, Dudley says to Harry, “I don’t think you're a waste of space” (Rowling 40), and it is with these words that Dudley makes one of the first acts of responsibility and personal sacrifice seen in the book. Dudley convinces his parents to make a responsible decision and protect themselves from Voldemort, and sacrifices his reputation with his parents to apologize to Harry in his own way. This act shows just how much Dudley has matured through the series, and introduces the major theme of the novel: responsibility through sacrifice. This theme appears multiple times in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, with great importance to both the plot, and...