Coherence II

[alhewison]

No: HPFGUIDX 39080

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "davewitley" <dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:

> What I remain to be convinced of is that there are *clues* which 
make no sense in terms of the book they are in, but do make sense in 
a  later book.

<snip>
> find something in an early book which is  a puzzle that is resolved 
in a later one.  I repeat, I am *not*  talking about mere 
foreshadowings, I am talking about mysteries, and  I am *not* talking 
about mysteries that have been clearly presented  as such.  I mean 
clues that with some thought and luck might have  given the reader 
help in cracking the puzzle in the later book.
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
--
I am unsure about the difference between a mystery and a gap waiting 
to be filled. Perhaps a mystery is a jigsaw with most of the pieces 
there, but waiting to be fitted together, and a gap, is well a gap ie 
a jigsaw with a piece missing. 
> 
 In any event, I find the following *mysteries* which I certainly 
hope will we answered as the series progresses:

1) Why the Dursleys took Harry in and continued to look after him, 
despite their *obvious* hatred of him. I find it incompatible that 
the couple who seek 100% conventionality can nevertheless send their 
nephew to school looking so odd. Their need to humiliate and opppress 
Harry seems to conquer their need for normality.

Perhaps we will discover that they do not hate Harry and their 
treatment of him amounts to a necessary part of Harry's protection. 
However, their *charade* still appears utterly convincing in GoF - so 
I still want to know why they took him in. However many brownie 
points they might gain from taking in their strange nephew, they 
would surely lose from their outward treatment of him - ie the way 
they force him to dress, be bullied by Dudley etc, ignoring his 
cupboard bedroom and drudge-like status at home which would not be 
visible to outsiders.

2) The fact that wizards lifespans are twice the length of their 
Muggles counterparts. Admittedly we know this from JKR's interviews 
rather than the books themselves, but we are given pointers that all 
is not "normal". Dumbledore was fighting and winning battles in 1945. 
By 1994 he is described as "ancient" (I think, I haven't got the 
books at hand). Again, a 70 year old might appear ancient to a 14 
year old, but we have privileged information.(70 would seem to be 
about the minimum Dumbledore could be as a teacher in 1945, and 
Hagrid would have to be c.63 in GoF). What we do not know is, if this 
important, why is it? To me, it is therefore a mystery. 

There is alot of narrative detail that may or may not become 
important in later books. It is possible that whilst these may not 
seem mysterious at the time, that they will provide the key to 
solving later mysteries. For example, I still wonder if Snape's 
opening speech carries any significance  - other than establishing 
his hatred of Harry. Perhaps the bezoar (again mentioned in GoF when 
Harry forgets to add it in his antidote test) or the Sleeping Potion 
of Living Death, may yet resurface. The point is, we do not know, and 
the fact that we can start analysing seemingly insignificant facts in 
the hope of finding meaning in the future, surely means that JKR has 
shown us enough coherence for us to be able to anticipate more (Or, 
we are flogging a dead horse because we've waited too long for Oop!).

Ali
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