Harry and Cedric - Chapter 32 - Blond Hair - Cat/Rat/Dog - Annotated HP

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 13185

Jen wrote:

>Now there's no real reason for Harry to be completely shocked beyond
>belief at the news that she's going with someone else, so that
>'numbness' which the lack of 'insides' suggests shouldn't be from
>absolute shock.  He really seems mostly fine with the idea that he
>can't go with her, but perhaps he is feeling relief, a sudden
>lack/release of tension.

>But his reaction is intense when he finds out who she is going with:

I'm going to disagree with both Jen and Gwen on the idea that "lack of 
insides"=relief.  Jen, your phrasing suggests that feeling like your 
insides are gone is not an intense reaction.  My reading, based on 
life with my own stomach, is that of the three gut-expressions we see 
in this scene (writhing, emptiness, heaviness), emptiness is the 
worst.  I think Jo would signal relief very differently.  I know I 
would.  But everyone has his/her own stomach...

Gwen wrote:
> 
> Here we come to the original question: How did Cedric's death affect 
you? 

<big snip>

>I was
> not emotionally affected by it until his spectre came out of the 
wand, and
> especially in the aftermath when they return through the portkey. 

If you wanted to make a homoerotic argument, you could focus on the 
return portkey trip and particularly Harry's clinging to Cedric's body 
as if it's the most important thing in his world.  I wouldn't take 
this homoerotically, but you could.  I did find that scene (Harry 
lying on the ground outside the maze, refusing to let go of Cedric) 
one of the most moving scenes in the canon, and more than anything it 
was what made Cedric's death hit me.

Re: Ch. 32:  Did anyone else wonder about the significance of the 
potion turning blue, then white, then red?  Is this an antipatriotic 
statement on Jo's part?

meboriqua at aol.com wrote:

>I thought it was sad, too that Cedric died (and somehow felt I should 
>have seen the signs - more later if anyone's interested)

I am--tell!

Jennifer observed about HP blonds:

>They are all mean (Petunia, Dudley, Draco), stupid (Gyllenroy, Fleur) 
>or misguided (Crouch Jr). 

>Conclusion: rowling doesn´t like blondes. 

One can never be sure of these things, but my impression from photos 
is that Jo's hair is naturally red and she's taken to dyeing it blond. 
 Which suggests that her attitude toward blond hair is something of a 
love/hate thing.  <g>  I strongly disagree with the characterization 
of Fleur as stupid.  She is vain, which fits another blond stereotype, 
but not stupid.  Not only is she a champion, but let's remember that 
the Triwizard Tournament is not played fair; Crouch cheats on behalf 
of both Cedric and Harry.  Fleur might have won if she weren't Stunned 
by Crouch.  For that matter, maybe she'd have had time to study up on 
grindylows if someone had given *her* a hint about the egg early on.

Cat/Rat/Dog doggerel:  I thought of this immediately when I got to 
that chapter title, and my impression was that most anyone in England 
would do the same--am I right?  Is the Cat/Rat/Dog quatrain one of 
those things that everyone knows from school, the way USians know 
"Dewey Defeats Truman"?  Or is it obscure?

Steve wrote:

>And will it surprise anyone to know that I DREAM of being asked by 
>Scholastic to write the Annotated Harry Potter? 

I dream of your being asked to write it too!  I wonder if it would 
help if we wrote letters recommending you?  

Amy Z

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Asleep was the way Harry liked the Dursleys best.
                    --HP and the Goblet of Fire
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