Secrets (Long)

[Karin]

No: HPFGUIDX 977

Whew!  Lots of food for thought.  The discussion of secrets and the 
way they are handled reminded me of something in a Moral Development 
class I took several years ago.  

Peg wrote: 
> The Harry Potter books are, when you boil them down to their 
> essence, the unfolding of a mystery, and what that mystery means to 
> our main character....
> As Harry understands more and more (and we do, too, as his 
> audience), Harry comes to understand  himself and his relation to 
> others more clearly.  When he understands all in the 7th book, he  
> will be fully an adult.

To quote the back of the book we were discussing in that class 
(Secrets, by Paul Tournier), "Keeping a secret is the first step in 
becoming an individual.  But sharing it, the second step, is even
more 
important if an individual is to become a person, linked by common 
humanity to others."   

Living with the Dursleys, Harry was forced to begin keeping secrets 
very early.  Being an outcast in the house, he probably began to 
develop as his individuality quite early.  When he begins to learn
the 
secrets surrounding him (that he is a wizard, how his parents died, 
that he was the downfall of Voldemort), he understands more clearly 
why he didn't fit in with the Dursleys.  Though he is glad to find
out 
he is a wizard, and though he feels quite at home at Hogwarts, he 
stands out there as well.  His individuality and separateness is 
thereby reinforced.   It will be very interesting to watch as the 
secrets unfold, to see how Harry fits into (or stands out from) the 
world around him, to see how he relates to others as he continues to 
grow up.

> So: Lots to think about here, about secrets and what keeping 
> secrets, discovering secrets, protecting secrets and betraying 
> secrets teaches Harry about himself, and teaches all of us about 
> character and morality.
> Harry's moral education is being demonstrated by the way he is 
> learning about how to handle secrets and how to trust.... He has to 
> figure out as he goes how much to reveal and how much
> to keep to himself in all of these relationships, and he finds 
> figuring out the balancing line rather confusing.

Exactly... I think one reason we like Harry so well is that he is so 
often unsure of himself, but even in those times, he exhibits so much 
courage.

Another quote from the Tournier book, "Children who do not know how
to 
keep a secret, chatterboxes, men or women who don't know where to 
stop, or cannot, are powerless to establish with others a proper 
person-to-person relationship.  They cannot resist the vain pleasure 
of telling all sorts of secrets that they are proud to know, and 
because of their lack of inner freedom fall under the subjection of 
others.  But close beings, incapable of expressing anything truly 
personal, are condemned to the prison of their mental solitude" (pp. 
33-34).  

I think we see lots of examples of both in the Harry Potter books.  
Someone mentioned Hagrid as unable to keep secrets.  On the other 
hand, Lupin seems to be one who struggles with opening up to others 
(with definite cause).  Harry, so used to secrecy, seems to have some 
trouble with this as well, but he is still very young, and he is 
learning.  I don't *think* we will see Harry become more and more 
isolated as the secrets are revealed throughout the upcoming books, 
though that is a possible outcome.  

Peg, your posts are so insightful.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts 
with us!

Karin