Neville as Mirror

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 38482

Elkins shows us Neville as a mirror of Harry's archetype. I am 
sorry to reference that wonderful post without quoting, but Yahoo 
is not co-operating with me today :-(

 Katherine suggests that Neville might be a mirror of a Marauder, 
but wonders: 

>>where does Neville fit in? I'm still trying to puzzle it out. Is he 
Pettigrew, is he Lupin, or is he someone else altogether?<<

I would say Neville is a literary mirror of Harry himself. His 
function is to hold up a reflection, so that Harry, who is not terribly 
self-reflective, can see an image of himself.  Neville is round like 
a child and wears bunny slippers. As the adult Marauders show 
what Harry may become when he grows up, Neville shows us a 
less mature vision of Harry.

Both Harry and Neville lack confidence when faced with 
something new. When Neville goes first and manages to do it, it 
is both a goad and an example for Harry. Examples: the Sorting, 
the Boggart, asking a girl to the ball. 

Neville has similarities to all the Marauders. He is physically like 
Pettigrew, and might be tempted, as Pettigrew was, to  do 
anything in order to become a kick-ass Wizard, except that he 
also has Lupin's humility and Sirius's protectiveness.  

As a mirror, Neville is both similar and opposite to Harry:

Both have absent parents. Harry's parents are absent physically 
but present spiritually, Neville's exist physically but are absent 
spiritually.

Harry knows almost nothing about his parents and refuses to 
ask, Neville knows all about his parents, and refuses to tell.

Both have abusive uncles. Harry's uncle abuses him because 
he wants to squash the magic out of him, Neville's uncle abuses 
him to make the magic show itself.

Neville feared he wasn't magical enough to come to Hogwarts, 
Harry fears he isn't magical enough to stay.

Harry is skeptical, Neville is gullible.

Harry is thin, Neville is round.

Harry has a natural talent for flying and is most at home in the 
air, Neville has a talent for herbology which is rooted in earth.

Harry is plagued by memories he can't understand, Neville is 
plagued by his forgetfullness.

Harry suffers because students and teachers expect so much of 
him, Neville suffers because they expect so little.

Both are willing to fight. Neville takes on Crabbe and Goyle by 
himself and offers to fight the Trio. Like Harry, Neville goes up 
against ridiculous odds, unlike Harry, he gets clobbered. 


Elkins worries that JKR plans to make Neville into 
kick-ass!Neville, and wonders where the Christian virtues are 
represented in the House system. I see them as represented in 
the Gryffindor ideal of chivalry, which originated as a  code of 
behavior for Christian knights. Harry represents the noble as 
warrior, Neville as gentleman.

 By choosing Gryffindor, Harry is specifically rejecting amorality 
and power as a path to greatness. To be a Gryffindor is already 
to understand that there are more important things than being a 
kick-ass wizard. I do see renunciation of the warrior role ahead, 
but for Harry, not Neville. I think Harry will eventually choose to 
give up his magic, while mirror image Neville will choose to 
embrace his. 

Pippin