Moody's treatment of Malfoy/Harry's mistrust of adults/Harry's consideration

Susan McGee Schlobin at aol.com
Tue Oct 10 02:42:53 UTC 2000


No: HPFGUIDX 3084

> 
> > 
> Keep going. I always find it interesting to read and think about > 
I Skimmel asked: "Question 2: Why did we believe Moody is Harry's 
friend and  benefactor?  Question 3: Why do we accept Moody's casual 
cruelty toward a student even if it's a slimeball like Malfoy?">>>
> 
> Cause Draco that is getting punished for his actions for once, 
instead of getting away with it. He made the mistake of taking 
action, against Harry, in front of a hostile teacher. Also we have 
heard good things about Moody,  from the Weasley's, and so we are 
prepared to accept that he is doing the right things.>>>>


Oh, I think we're just dying to see Malfoy caught and punished for 
once. We constantly hear him taunting Ron (really going for the 
jugular).  <When I've read about military academies, I'm told that
students who have been subjected to teasing, taunts, harassment do 
better than those who have not. Malfoy's stupid comments make Harry 
angry, but not as angry as Aunt Marge's comments. He's used to verbal 
harassments and putdowns and has a thicker skin. Ron on the other 
hand comes from the Burrow, a lovely place -- Harry was stunned that 
everyone seemed to like him there> When Ron said it was the best day 
of his life to see Malfoy bouncing, I thought so too! When Moody said 
it was a scummy, cowardly thing to attack someone from behind, I was 
delighted that SOMEONE in authority --- other than Hagrid -- was 
confronting Malfoy. Snape supports the little lickspittle (why don't 
YOU apply for headmaster, sir, you'd have my FATHER's support). I 
LOVED it when Malfoy muttered something about his father and Moody 
said something like yeah, well I know your father, tell him I'm 
watching his son. 

Moody is also portrayed as a maverick, an eccentric (drinking from 
his hip flask, having a magic eye) so we're set up to expect him to 
be unusual. However, his behavior against Malfoy is wrong. McGonagall 
immediately calls him on it. It's not okay to fight fire with 
fire..and in fact Moody was one of the Aurors who did not kill Death-
Eaters unless he had to.....

Harry's distrust of adults.
I, too, was yelling "Tell someone! Tell Dumbledore", particularly in 
the earlier books,  but a recent post reminded me that Harry had no 
reason to trust adults. None had intervened on his behalf when he was 
treated so badly by Dudley and his parents. He figures he's on his 
own. It's wonderful to see him start to trust Lupin,  confide in 
Sirius, talk more to Dumbledore, get emotional support from Molly

Harry's fight with Ron
Harry is not the perfect hero. I don't really see how he could
have handled the fight with Ron better. Ron got consumed by that
deadly sin of envy. If Harry had approached him earlier, Ron would
have rejected him. However, I know many adults who do not have the
social skills to resolve such a quarrel -- this must be a very 
civilized group.

Reading.
Did kids really read more when we were growing up? (I may do a couple 
of polls). I remember being fairly rare in my obsession with books 
and reading, most of my peers did not read. It was great fun finally 
finding other people who did in high school and college. Still, many
people I know don't read regularly.

Susan








> 
> Steve wrote: "And frankly, I'm just as boggled by the fact that his
> 12-year-old sister read a 732-page book this summer! That's amazing 
too!"
> 
> I have a 10 and 13 year old cousins. The only reading I have seen 
them do for years has been to read computer games manuals or 
magazines. Then suddenly this summer they are reading HP (various 
different parts of the series). Hopefully they will have finished 
reading them all by now and have decided to read some more.
> 
> Simon





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