The Resurrection Stone
The Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows, represents
the desire to bring back the dead. More specifically, it represents
the danger of that desire when pushed to the point of actually trying
to resurrect the dead. Dumbledore ruined his hand and eventually brought
about his own death by trying to use it to speak with his parents
and sister, and the brother in the Hallows story found himself drawn
to suicide after using the Stone. This danger is further symbolized
by the fact that it is cracked, that it is cursed (having been one
of Voldemort’s Horcruxes), and that it appeared on the ring of the
wicked Marvolo Gaunt.
The Elder Wand
The Elder Wand, the first of the three Hallows, is a wand
that ensures that its master will win any duel. No one can truly
possess it without defeating its former owner. Since defeating the
owner in a duel is impossible, this feat is always accomplished
by stealth, murder, or surprise attack. Thus, the Wand symbolizes
both the thirst for unbridled power and the folly of believing that
power and violence can keep you safe. From the first possessor of
the wand onward, the wand has brought death to those who owned it.
The Locket Horcrux
The locket Horcrux that Harry and his friends recover
from Umbridge is, like all of the Horcruxes, cursed. It tries to
kill Harry by strangling him when he’s underwater, it burns itself
into his flesh when he’s fighting Nagini, and it keeps him from
summoning his Patronus by exerting an almost imperceptible negative
influence on the emotions of those who wear it. Nevertheless, its
main function in the plot is not as a magical item or one that can
act to produce serious consequences. Instead, it seems to symbolize
whatever is within each of the characters that they have to overcome
within themselves. With Ron, it helps exacerbate his discomfort
and childishness until he abandons Harry. When Umbridge has it on,
it brings out her own characteristic flaw—her penchant for lying.
