Key Facts
full title · Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
author · J. K. Rowling
type of work · Novel
genre · Fantasy, quest, bildungsroman
language · English (translated into sixty-five languages)
time and place written · Scotland, 2005–2007
date of first publication · July 21, 2007
publisher · Scholastic Inc.
narrator · Third person
point of view · Subjective, showing Harry Potter's thoughts and feelings (Chapter
One is third-person objective, following Snape)
tone · Brooding, emotional, suspenseful
tense · Past
setting (time) · Present day
setting (place) · Various locations in the UK including London, Diagon
Alley, number twelve Grimmauld Place, the Forest of Dean, Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
protagonist · Harry Potter
major conflict · Harry must find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes,
which are well-hidden and well-defended, but he struggles with the
fact that Dumbledore's instructions are extremely cryptic, and rumors
about Dumbledore undermine Harry's confidence in him.
rising action · Harry hears rumors about Dumbledore in the obituaries,
from Aunt Muriel, and from Rita Skeeter's biography. Harry and friends
receive the Snitch, Deluminator, and book, which they don't know
what to do with. Harry and friends make progress on the quest, recovering
the Sword of Gryffindor, the locket, the Hufflepuff Cup, and the
Lost Diadem.
climax · Harry sees Dumbledore talking to Snape in the Pensieve
and learns that Dumbledore planned Harry's death.
falling action · Harry doesn't die and learns that Dumbledore really
loved him. Harry defeats Voldemort.
themes · The difficulty of loving the dead; the importance of
second chances; keeping faith with the dead
motifs · Rumor and gossip; mastering death; Avada Kedavra
symbols · The Resurrection Stone; the Elder Wand; the locket
Horcrux
foreshadowing · Bill Weasley warning Harry about cheating goblins,
the Snitch's message “I open at the close”
