Why doesn't Harry ever ask questions?

[milztoday]

No: HPFGUIDX 33900

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "lipglossusa" <lipglossusa at y...> wrote:

> I also realize that JKR intends to withhold info for as long as 
> possible in the interest of dragging out the suspense, but if I was 
> Harry, I would want to KNOW.  Like, what really happened to the rest 
> of James's and Lily's families?  Where was Harry born, and how long 
> were they living at Godric's Hollow?  Where are they buried?  ... 
and 
> all the other questions we ask each other on this list.  Harry 
should 
> be the one to ask, and he doesn't.  Any thoughts?

I think Harry is the exaggeration of people who follow the "ignorance 
is bliss" principle. And people who follow that usually do so out of 
fear and/or to avoid pain. 

Harry has probably asked the Dursleys about his parents, when he was 
much younger and accepted their answers: died in car crash, scar on 
forehead is a result of that crash, etc.

Hermione's admonition in SS/PS that she would have found everything 
out if it had been her, it pretty judgmental. In light of Harry's 
circumstances with the Dursleys how much opportunity would he have had 
to research his background in the one month before starting school? 
Not much.

I see a great deal of ambivalence in Harry. On the one hand, he does 
open the photo album of his parents Hagrid gives him in SS/PS until 
PoA. On the other he seems happy (imho) when his physical appearance 
and Quidditch skill is compared to his father (SS/PS and CoS). And 
happier still when he is around people who were friendly his parents 
(Lupin, Sirius, and Hagrid). Yet, he doesn't look himself up in the 
various books about him like "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts" 
mentioned in SS/PS nor does he sit down with Hagrid or Dumbledore and 
ask questions.

I think Harry's way of protecting himself psychologically is to be 
ignorant of his parents. Look how it affected him in PoA to hear Lily 
begging for his life. Harry is more emotionally fragile then we are 
lead to believe.

Milz