<random>Mrs. Dursley</random>

[absinthe at mad.scientist.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11846

 Meghan <meg at f...> wrote:
 
> Anyway, I started thinking about it some more, and I realised how 
very
> frightening the parallels are.  The protaganist in Keeping Up
> Appearances is older than Mrs Dursley, of course, but they're both 
very
> determined to be Better than their Neighbors, to be seen as 
Respectable
> -- more than respectable, actually.  And they're both essentially
> lower/lower-middle-class characters trying to be upper/upper-middle
> class.  
> Of course, there's also the fact that Mrs Dursley was named Petunia 
and
> her sister was named Lily, but I dunno if that says something about
> their socio-economic. O.o;
> 
> The main difference is that the protaganist in KUA is desperately 
trying
> to raise her social standing in the midst of her mostly uncaring 
family
> and friends [in fact, most of them either mock her or simply don't
> understand her motivation -- the main exception being her henpecked 
but
> loyal husband, who seems to want to figure out why she wants this so
> badly], but Petunia HAS reached the class she thinks she wants.  The
> only problem is, she's still a very vulgar minded little person 
inside. 
> What interested me is when Petunia snaps and starts screaming about 
how
> Lily was always Better Than She Was -- it seems that JR is implying 
that
> Lily [to borrow a couple of Victorian phrases] has an innate 
nobility of
> soul, etc, that Petunia does not, and Harry has that same innate
> nobility, Cinderella-like.  And Mrs. Dursley hates it.
> 
> Anyway.  All that to say, I wonder if JK is a fan of Keeping Up
> Appearances, or if Petunia is just a certain type that shows up. >_> 

When I first read SS/PS, I thought Petunia's demeanor resembled 
Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "Boo-kay"), including her opinion of Lily 
and James and her treatment of Dudley (her physical 
description reminds me of a giraffe: blond, long neck, horse face). 
Petunia's fear was that people would find out she was related to the 
Potters, similar to Hyacinth's fear that people would find out about 
Daisy, Onslow, Rose and Daddy. Petunia dotes upon Dudley, much in the 
same way Hyacinth dotes on her son Sheridan, who constantly calls her 
for money.

But the greatest difference between Hyacinth Bucket and Petunia 
Dursley is that Hyacinth has a speaking relationship with her sisters 
Daisy, Rose and Violet ("who drives a Mercedes, lives in a big house 
with room for a pony"). Petunia, according to SS/PS, hadn't spoken 
with Lily in "several years" and that Hyacinth really does love her 
family, though she's incredibly embarassed by them. Petunia shows no 
love for Harry (even Hyacinth attended Daisy's grand-daughter's 
christening!), to the point where I think her doting on Dudley is 
partly out of spite for Harry.

:-)Milz