The Useless Character of Harry Potter

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 69583

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Josephine" <josie421 at h...> 
wrote:
> Harry Potter is boring.
> Harry Potter is dull.
> Harry Potter never comes around to doing anything.

These are inflammatory statements Jos? I note you haven't had your 
coffee. Harry is gorgeous to you, really, isnt he? 
Did you want to debate it. ;D

> He isn't particularly talented, not charming, smart, friendly, 
witty, good-looking, funny, or even evil or conspiratory.

You want him to be evil? 
Ok, so Ron and his brothers are funnier and wittier, Hermione is 
smarter, Dumbledore and Snape are more conspiratorial, Sirius is 
better looking, my my........
Charming Harry is, I mean don't you like a boy who is able to 
swallow his pride when his friend is honoured and he is already 
feeling neglected. 
You can't feel a little warmth for a child whose lot in life is to 
suffer indignities and persecution for ten years, only to be rescued 
by those who have the hopes of the world resting on his future. His 
respite is shortlived, before too long he's back to persecution, 
soon enough from both sides. His plight is very real and his 
backbone in its wake *is* _character_. 
He is dutiful, considerate, brave, loyal.
Count the virtues, thats a good starting point.
Now I suppose you want some complexity. :b

> In fact, Harry Potter has no function except carrying the whole 
> frickin' story upon his ruddy adolescent shoulders (...)
> 

Harry is in the process of moulding a self image in the books. As an 
orphan whose only sense of self before was I am NOT LIKE THEM, a 
plethora of complexity lies ahead in Harry's character development.

Starting with the PS Harry to the COS Harry- 
After and during PS Harry internalises the concept of hapless 
forgotten, throwaway child to National Hero.
The manifestations in Harry's words and actions in PS are chalky and 
we begin with a skeletal alomost invisible character. What we see is 
a curious child. Lamblike and vulnerable. An innocent child cannot 
be a complex character. 
The complexities arise in COS. Harry's curiosity and innocence are 
waylaid sporadically throughout the book and a Passionate!Harry 
begins to emerge. In COS the innocent Harry is still the strongest 
characteristic though. Lamb!Harry needs to be reinforced in his 
character we can't have our hero become too jaded too fast.
In his triumph over Tom Riddle at the conclusion innocent loyal lamb 
Harry is the Harry needed to win the battle and also die in the 
battle.
In POA passionate curious Harry comes back to Hogwarts, innocence 
trampled. There is an unbalanced mix of character in Harry at this 
point. The lamblike innocence held him up from being a foolhardy 
arrogant boy, previously, and now its gone, Harry is wavering 
dangerously close to foolhardy and arrogant. 
Enter his loving uncles.
Gentle Lupin and BrightSpark Sirius. Gentle Lupin brings out the 
loyal faithful Harry to balance the arrogance, Bright Spark Sirius 
in the end gives Harrys passion and curiosity a focus, with his "I 
am your fathers best friend and I never knew a better man" line.
So Harry again becomes invisible, or is it Balanced?


> I mean, think about it. Who makes the Potter books worth reading? 
Not 
> Potter. Potter is a whiny, insecure, mouse-gray sort-of hero. Not 
> complex, but stupid. He knows nothing. I hate him.
> Look, instead, at the people surrounding him: Hermione, who 
carries 
> the burden of being intelligent and best friends with two thick-
> headed slugs, Ginny, who matures and turns into someone awfully 
cool 
> and smart in the Phoenix, Snape, who is mysterious and sexy as I 
> don't-know-what, Dumbledore, who is too emotional and saint-like 
to 
> be true, Ron, who is humorous and true to real life... Hagrid... 
Aunt 
> Petunia... Black and Lupin...

Valky
Harry.

> Harry Potter means nothing. JKR ought to kill him.
> End of story.
> Josephine
> (er, and yes, this was *sort of* sarcastic, but I'm not in the 
Potter 
> fanclub. I like to exaggerate... and I haven't had my coffee yet.)

Sadly, I don't doubt that she may kill him, I think by that time he 
will have fully developed into a carefuly balanced and completely 
transparent, because he's so perfect :b , character, so you probably 
wont even see it happen. :D

Valky who is glad Josie gave her this chance to *really* ponder 
Harry from a character POV.