[HPforGrownups] The Useless Character of Harry Potter

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 69517

Josie421 at hotmail.com wrote:

> > > Harry Potter is boring.
> > > Harry Potter is dull.
> > > Harry Potter never comes around to doing
> anything.
> > > He isn't particularly talented, not charming,
> > smart, friendly, witty, 
> > > good-looking, funny, or even evil or
> conspiratory.
> > > In fact, Harry Potter has no function except
> > carrying the whole 
> > > frickin' story upon his ruddy adolescent
> shoulders
> > (...)

Jason Packer <j_w_packer at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Harry Potter may well be a bit dull, to you
> and I reading the book, but we must recall that
> everything we see tends to be from inside Harry's
> head. Are you "all that and a bag of chips" to
> yourself? If so, congrats, your self-esteem must be
> marvelously high. Mine's not, and there's not a day
> that goes by that I think I'm cool, intelligent,
> witty
> or any of that.

<snip>
 
> I don't think Harry's boring. I think *Harry* thinks
> Harry is boring, but that he's hardly the best one
> to
> judge such things.

And I think that Harry is interesting because we're
privy to his inner processes.  Even if he didn't look
interesting/appealing from the outside (which he
clearly does from the number of people who admire,
love, or despise him), we'd know from our insiders'
view that he is a complex person.  We see his
uncertainties, decision processes, conflicts, hopes,
etc.  Plus he has interesting dreams.

I don't find a character interesting because he's
superhuman, good at everything (or good at anything),
or even witty.  I find him interesting if he rises off
the page, a full human being.  Harry's that.  YMMV.

Amy Z

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sirius sustained a bad bite from a silver snuffbox.



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