[HPforGrownups] no longer completely OT Re: Abuse

[heidi]

No: HPFGUIDX 2613

Another listie piping up with professional background - when I was in law school, I did research for an attorney defending a very prominent case in which child abuse was a major issue, and took a few law classes on the legal issues surrounding battering, and have to concur with Susan and Storm, but also note that I see the honesty & validity behind Amanda's comment that

>   Harry retains his
>   perspective and personality, and thus is not a victim. He is the recipient
>   of abuse, but not a victim.
>
which is something that some of the "abuse survivor" literature gets into - that once someone is out of an abusive situation (and by GoF, Harry is really pretty much out of it, even though he's there for much of the summer each year, because  he's no longer automatically following the rules & accepting the "consequences") one could be considered a survivor of it, not a victim of it.
But in book 1, and 2, it's pretty clear. As susan said,

> Harry was seriously abused. <snip>
> He was the classic scapegoated child in the abused family.

> His identity as a wizard was taken from him.

> He was constantly hit, punched, and kicked by Dudley and friends.

ANd one thing she didn't mention - in book 2 (i don't think it was book 1) Petunia throws a frying pan at his head - he ducks, but her intent was certainly to hurt him badly.

I do however disagree, on a purely empirical basis, with her statement that

> JKR vividly recreates the horrible experience of a child who is
> abused and neglected in the worst ways.

No, neglected in the worst way would've meant leaving him locked in the cubboard instead of with Mrs Figg when they went on week long vacations. Abused in the worst way would've meant more physical scars on him than just the one from Voldemort. Abused & neglected, yes, but not as bad as I've seen it get - and I'm sure susan has seen worse as well.


Then, storm stanford wrote:

> Now it's interesting to conisder that what Harry lives though is the reverse of many abused children - that is they are abused by thier natural parents and then live in foster care where they are (sometimes) safe and well cared for. Your argument that this "innoculates" him from some of the horribleness is possible

> <snip>
> Harry is a fantsy outcome - for anyone who has lived though abuse - to come out strong and coping, smart and relativly undamaged. but it is not what it is really like.

Part of me is wondering if, even though he complains about her, Mrs Figg somehow was a safe place for Harry - especially if he was there for more than a day or so. Kids who come out of 10-year-long abuse situations with resiliant personalities generally have someone in their lives, even if they don't notice it at the time, who provides them with what they need to survive the abuse - and there was probably something about being at school (again, even if Harry wasn't perceptive enough to pick up on it) that helped too. Or it could've been something like I discussed in my "attachment parenting by the potters" post last month - where vernon just dropped harry off at daycare every day about about 3 years until he started kindergarten so he was out of the house most of hte time so petunia could devote herself to her
darling Dudders...


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