Real characters

[John Hatch]

No: HPFGUIDX 50248

Marina writes:
Perfectly angelic character do make for crappy reading, yes, but so do a bunch of worthless jerks.  JKR has skillfully avoided falling into either trap when she wrote the books, and hopefully we can avoid falling 
into the same traps when we discucss them. Painting Ron and Harry as 
a couple of insensitive gits is just as simplistic as painting them 
as a couple of perfect saints.  

Me:

This is well said. One thing I've always loved about the Harry Potter universe is the complexity of characters. It isn't set up with characters doing some good things and then doing some bad things. It strikes me as more like a scale. On the one end, you've got HRH doing heroic, noble things that earn praise and admiration. On the other end, you've got Harry and Ron stealing a car and flying it through the Muggle world to get to school. I think this particular scene is pulled off really well by JKR. Who hasn't thought of something they assumed would be a great idea, only to realize later that maybe it wasn't so bright? The same can be said for Harry sneaking off to Hogsmeade. It seems harmless enough - it even seems like a good idea - but when Lupin gently rebukes Harry, it sudden seems so clear how foolish it really was.

In between these extremes there are other examples. Harry sneaking out late to look at the Mirror of Erised, for example. He _is_ breaking the rules - but who can really fault the boy for wanting to see a family he's never known? Such events are murkier in the world of "right vs. wrong". There's also the Yule Ball. Harry and Ron are pretty insensitive and rude to their dates - but they are also in an incredibly awkward, uncomfortable position. Again, the issue is muddier. JKR navigates these events brilliantly and with skill.

John