[HPforGrownups] Re: Against all odds, Harry isn't a mass murderer

[h vick]

No: HPFGUIDX 56384


fandulin <fandulin at hotmail.com> wrote:
The brilliance of J.K. Rowling IMO is that 
she makes people want to dig deeper and ponder the details because 
her world IS so real and human.  Hallmark of an awesome writer.  I 
agree however, that we wouldn't want Harry the Ritalin popping 
Columbine kid stalking the halls of Hogwarts.

Fandulin

 

Me:  

I completely agree with Fandulin  – her astute observation that the brilliance of JKR is the fact that we, even as adults, have been "magically" transported to a place so real, we’re discussing it with each other.  But, I disagree with what the majority of what’s been said about the Dursleys.  I do not believe that they are really abusive or truly evil.  Rather, I think they’re just, well, dim when it comes to parenting or loving anyone – as evidenced by their remarkable backward parenting of Dudley.  I base this on a couple of things.  

 

First of all, we’re seeing the Dursleys from Harry’s point of view – a view which I love very much – but one of an adolescent child, nonetheless.  He’s stuck in a situation that we’ve all found ourselves in at that age – hating our guardians and desperately wanting someone to show up at our doorstep to tell us we’re not really who we were raised to think we are (again, the brilliance of JKR).  I like to think that we’re seeing the Dursleys through Harry’s eyes, and the effect is caricature-like and comical, but perhaps not 100% accurate.  I think the Dursleys are multi-dimensional, as we all are, but we’re viewing them through a delightful looking glass of Harry’s point of view.  What we see, as readers, is a dysfunctional family who are sometimes mean to Harry, but, on the whole, just quite silly.  Harry does have issues, but not unlike any other adolescent boy who finds out his parents were murdered and a snake-like crazed sorcerer is out to get him, and that has nothing to do with the Dursleys.  (As far as we know right now)  

 

Also, Harry is a remarkable child, but he certainly doesn’t come across as abused or severely beaten.  I was struck when reading SS/PS that Harry ventured to tell everyone in the car that he had a dream about a flying motorcycle.  He knew what the response was going to be, and yet he said it anyway.  This isn’t a story of true, deep, dark abuse – as we find in other Oliver Twist type orphan-children books – but of a household full of crazy contradictions and yelling.  I don’t think Harry has ever felt really scared of the Dursleys, just wary and annoyed – he does lots of things to show his independence, as already referenced in this thread.

 

Finally, I guess I kind of buy the notion that perhaps the Dursleys were paid or threatened, but even if they were, it does not necessarily point to their abusive evil-ness.  They ARE muggles, after all, and don’t understand the world Harry lives in 9 months out of the year.  It’s a form of xenophobia, isn’t it?  They’re just afraid of the “other” and, while that would categorize them as evil in some people’s minds, I’ve always thought of them as a pathetic lot who deserves more pity than hatred.  They’re mean spirited because they’re in an uncomfortable situation of an adolescent boy, who’s not like anything they know, is coming of age under their roof, not because of a sick psychotic need to emotionally traumatize a kid.  

 

All in my humble opinion, of course.  

 

hmvick