Father figures revisited

[Zarleycat at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 27649

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
 
> Hagrid--not really paternal. More of an adult friend; perhaps 
fraternal.
> Harry's right at the age when children start having friends who are
> non-related adults.
> Dumbledore--father figure, but remote. Respected, loved, even 
revered,
> but not terribly close. Nobody you ask for the car keys, if you know
> what I mean.
> Arthur Weasley--father figure, more intimate. Respected, but not 
revered
> as Dumbledore is; the everyday, useful father, the advice-n-counsel,
> have-a-beer-with dad.
> Here was the one I got flak for, and would like thoughts on the 
most:
> Snape. Father figure, mostly the negative connotations. The aspect 
of
> father that you rebel against, the one who sets curfews, who doesn't
> listen, who just doesn't understand, who doesn't even want to, the 
one
> you come to appreciate only much, much later. Resented, but 
respected.
> This is the sort of relationship where a bond grows, but when 
(sometimes
> if) discovered, comes as a surprise, even a shock.
> 
> I thought that Harry has nicely covered all the aspects of father in
> these characters, and by separating the different paternal functions
> like that, is free to have stronger associations with these men--
he's
> not resenting one man one day, loving that same man the next--the
> reactions to each aspect are separated; they are different men.


I have no quarrel with any of your assessments of the various father 
aspects of each of these characters.  And I will admit to not being a 
Snape fan  - I love the character, but I don't really like him.  In 
other words, I enjoy every single Snape appearance in the books, but 
I don't think I could be friends with him.  

My only concern with the idea of Harry having a number of men who 
provide different aspects of a father-figure is that it still 
deprives Harry of a true father-figure.  It seems somehow contrived 
to think that one can compartmentalize what is a one-on-one 
relationship into a one-on-many.  Yes, that's the situation that 
Harry is in, since James is dead and Sirius is unable, at this point, 
to take Harry in, but it's not a substitute for a father-son 
relationship. 

This idea actually makes me feel sorrier for Harry.  Any relationship 
between two people has its ups and downs, its misunderstandings and 
heartaches.  But, ultimately, the two work it out and, even if they 
may not be perfectly happy with each other, hopefully they will come 
to a better understanding and appreciation of each other.  Harry has 
never had this opportunity with either parent-figure.  Finding 
different father-aspects in a number of people works to some extent 
(certainly it's better that seeing Vernon as father-figure), but 
Harry misses the true richness of having that one person encompass 
all of these aspects.  

Marianne