Harry's Fear is Fear?

[meboriqua at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 26898

Amy Zubbyflubby wrote:

 < Lupin thinks Harry's is  symbolic, in a way:  that he is afraid of 
fear itself, and therefore a Boggart that faces him turns into a 
phantasm that can't really harm him (Harry doesn't know about the Kiss 
yet) but that makes him feel terror.>

That raises a question for me.  Why would Harry's biggest fear be fear 
itself?  I had trouble with that the first time I read PoA and I still 
struggle with that now.  I always thought that Harry feared the 
Dementors because of two things: 1) how they make him feel and 2) the 
memories they bring him of his parents' murders.  That would certainly 
terrify me.  How then, does fear itself become what Harry is afraid 
of?  Is it because he is afraid of being weak and showing fear can be 
seen as weak?  I definitely need help with this one.

I don't think this has been discussed before either, so there.

--jenny from ravenclaw, who'd be happy to give Harry a lot more than 
chocolate when Dementors are around 
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