Harry the Persecuted

[jrober4211]

No: HPFGUIDX 32278

Jennifer Boggess Ramon wrote:

> Harry is definately abused/neglected by the Dursleys.  Child abuse 
is 
> child abuse no matter how you slice it.  And I think it does affect 
> him; he carries enough bitterness about them for the Hufflepuffs to 
> have noticed it in CoS.
> 
> However, having said that, he seems to be resilient enough to find 
> happiness where he can even when he's with the Dursleys, and once 
> he's at Hogwarts he seems to be happy more often than not, even 
with 
> the whole constantly-being-in-danger thing.
> 
> Unlike Riddle/Voldemort, who has let his abandonment by his father 
> and his tought childhood inthe orphanage become hatred for all the 
> Muggle world and the Muggle-born wizards, Harry seems to only hate 
> the Dursleys themselves, the actual sources of the abuse he's 
> suffered.  To use the pop-psychology terms, Voldemort has accepted 
> the victim role, while Harry is a survivor.  Harry has chosen (ooh, 
> there's that word again!) not to let it poison his life.
> 
> 
>I agree with what you are saying. I have forgotten which book it is 
in, but I do remeber Dumbledore telling Harry that "it is not how 
much ability you have, but what you choose to do with that ability 
and the choices one makes along the way" or something to that affect. 
Anywuy, I believe Dumbledore was thinking of Tom Riddle when he was 
taklking to Harry.

jrober4211