Abstemiousness with truth - the careful fantasy world of Potter

[malady579]

No: HPFGUIDX 43398

Dark Thirty wrote:

>> Let me try to demonstrate my reading of Rowling like this - The
so-called magical world of Harry Potter is, on one level, on perhaps
the most fundamental level, unequivocally nothing more than the
extended fantasy-world of an abused boy stuck in a closet.<<

Me:
While this is probably one of the most depressing views of the books,
I must say that this is not the first time I have seen this reading of
a book.  In my British Lit class, we were required to read
Frankenstein.  It was an interesting book, and I read it the way I was
expected and went to class expecting a typical breakdown from the
class.  My Lit professor listened to our opinions and views about
reanimation, creation, love, and ugly people.  Then he quietly said,
?Well there is another viewpoint about the book.  Some fell the sea
captain made it all up.?  For some reason my stomach dropped, much
like when I read this post, at the very idea that it was all in a
lonely man?s head.  Bored, staring off into the dark sea, which I am
sure he did often, he dreamed of a man, a creature to talk to and hear
his story.  Having dreamed the story so much, the sea captain almost
believed his fantasy as true and as completely possible.

For some reason, this idea, this twist caught me that day.  I guess
because it was completely unexpected yet so completely plausible.
Mankind loves to dream away their present conditions and elevate
themselves to given thrones of greatness.  Who would blame them
either.  The captain was lonely.  Harry is neglected.  Their only
motivation is escapism.  It is a depressing read of a book, but very
human which is precisely what we do not want .  We want the world to
make sense.  We want good to conquer evil.  We want people to get what
they deserve.  We want the pure of heart to be protected and revered.
 We want Harry Potter to live.  He has to or in a way our hopes and
prays are in fact in vain and just ramblings.

That is one of the main reasons we read books, or at least I do.  To
help balm the world away.  If this series ends up with Harry waking up
from a dream, I think many readers will be absolutely furious.  Even
the idea of Harry dying in the end crushes me.  He has to live and has
to win.  He has to be one of the few parts of our lives that can be
safe and protected and have everything ties up nicely and happily.

While I really do not believe JKR is going that direction with the
books, I do believe it is a viable interpretation.  Fantasy world is
just that.  A world dreamed that does not exist.  Any given
circumstance can promote such imaginings.  The reason this viewpoint
works so well is that every problem that Harry has with his life with
the Dursleys is solved in his magical world so well which you spelled
out.  What fantasy doesn?t?  It completes that soul of the character
and reader.

Dark Thirty wrote:

>> How is this possible? Are we to assume fate, a grossly
misunderstood concept in my opinion, being myself something of a
secular Calvinist, declares that Harry and the trio will succeed
whether or not those around them attempt to keep them in the dark, to
impose, in a way,  ignorance upon them? Do we really believe Harry's
successful  encounters so far have been written beforehand, and the
outcome assured? <<

Me:
To say that the outcomes are left to fate gives credibility to Madame
Trelawney?s brand of magic.  If something is prewritten then it can be
predicted.  You just have to learn the language.  And I love the
phrase you used ?secular Calvinism.?   Very fitting.

Thank you for posting.  It was wonderful food for thought today for me.

Melody
"For words, like Nature, half reveal and half conceal the Soul
within."  Tennyson