HP Characters: Three-Dimensional or Archetypes? (Harry in Particular)

[jenny from ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 27773

I really liked this, Penny!

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce <pennylin at s...> wrote:

> "Although Rowling's characters are convincing and engaging, none of 
them is fully three-dimensional.  These characters are progressively 
revealed, but they don't grow or change -- not even Harry himself.  As 
each school year passes, Harry becomes more and ever more clearly who 
he is.  But that's all.  His development is essentially linear.">

I disagree with that comment.  How is Harry not growing if he is 
becoming more and more who he is?  Harry just found out who he is four 
years ago!

-snip good comments about Hermione and Ron; I agree with just about 
all of it-  

 >Is Harry inevitably good?  Is his growth linear so far?  Will his 
ultimate maturation require him to face temptations, challenges & 
inner demons?>

I most definitely think Harry is good.  However, I think he has plenty 
of inner demons to face, but that certainly does not mean he will stop 
being good because of those demons.    

Harry's biggest inner conflict, IMO, is that he is and always will be 
different than others.  He is, literally, a branded man, the Boy Who 
Lived.  I agree with you Penny, that Harry will become isolated from 
his two best friends in OoP and that there were some pretty hints of 
it in GoF.  His isolation is something he may need to do in order to 
look inside himself. I think the comment about Harry wondering who he 
is vs Harry wondering what he will become must go hand in hand.  How 
can anyone think about the future if one does not first contemplate 
the here and now and the self in it?  Harry does that quite well. 

 Even if Harry knows who he is that does not mean he knows how to deal 
with it.  Each book has had Harry deal with his identity in different 
ways: in SS Harry was new to everything and learning how to be a 
wizard and live in the wizarding world.  In CoS Harry had his first 
bitter taste of fame and how people can be fickle towards celebrities 
(for lack of a better word to describe Harry).  In PoA Harry is able 
to learn more about his parents and the kind of people they were; how 
can that not have a major impact on Harry and how he deals with 
things?  In PoA, Harry also realized that he can control himself from 
making rash and violent decisions and has the presence of mind to kill 
neither Sirius nor Pettigrew; I don't think Harry knew that about 
himself earlier.  Now he has that in him always.  In GoF Harry learns 
more about being "famous Harry Potter" and how hard that is.  He 
learns how to take on a task (the Tournament) that is pretty much out 
of his league - not so far from his struggle against Voldemort.  He 
also is actively interested in girls, something that will not go away.  
I can't imagine that he would have been able to ask Cho to the dance 
in PoA; in GoF he has grown enough to handle the asking and the 
subsequent rejection.

Whether Harry is growing linearly or otherwise, he is still growing.  
He is also only 14 and I have a lot of respect for any 14 year old kid 
who thinks about things and handles them the way Harry does.  We may 
very well see Harry make some mistakes in the future, but I think 
Harry will, in the end, be good, strong and always introspective.

--jenny from ravenclaw, always the first to defend her dear Harry 
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