OotP: One More Time

[kwilson1003]

No: HPFGUIDX 70919

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "remayo" <remayo at e...> wrote:
> Hello everyone, just joined.  Tried to read as much of the 
commentary on "Order of the 
> Phoenix" as I could.  Anyway, at the risk of being redundant, I had 
a few  thoughts...
> 
> I like "Order of the Phoenix" a lot.  Having said that, I have some 
serious reservations 
> about the way the series seems to be going.  My biggest qualm is 
the fact that, among 
> the Hogwarts students at least, Hermione is really the star, not 
the title character.  
> 

Not really.  Hermione's great but she has a lot to learn about 
regarding sensitivity, especially when she's freeing houseelves or 
getting frustrated with Ron.

> Now that Harry has presented with the "it's him or me" prophecy, I 
hope he begins to 
> take a more proactive interest in his future.  Being brave and 
powerful magically aren't 
> going to be enough to kill Voldemort (I don't think).  He needs to 
become an 
> independent thinker and leader, things he certainly is not in 
OotP.  He spends much of 
> the book in sulks and useless rages that net him nothing but a ban 
from Quidditch and a 
> series of detentions, where he is tortured.  
 

I loved the book for returning me to an angsty angry period that I'd 
happily been trying to forget about.

> Indeed, neither he nor Ron are apparently clever enough to organize 
their own 
> homework, let alone do it, without Hermione's help.  She alone 
among the students 
> figures out why Umbridge is really at Hogwarts early on and, 
showing her mettle as an 
> action hero, works out the strategy that frees she and Harry from 
Umbridge's clutches in 
> a pivotal scene near the end.  
> 


Hermione showed another lack of sensitivity in how she uses the 
centours to her own advantage here.  The centaurs didn't like it and 
Harry knew she was doing things the wrong way.  Luckily Grawp (who'd 
been completely freaking Hermione out earlier) was there to save the 
day.  I like Hermione a lot, but she's not superwoman.

I think Hermione may also learn that imposing her methods on others 
will not always necessarily work (her methods with the houselves and 
the homework diaries she gave Ron and Harry are two examples of 
this).  Some people can be very organised with their study methods 
and work methods and others are much more intuitive.  Timetables for 
study work for some and not for others.

> Harry pretty much plays the part off a puppet with his strings 
being pulled alternately by 
> Dumbledore, Hermione and Voldemort.  In short, temper tantrums 
aside, he's a 
> strangely passive hero for most of the story
> 


Each of the key characters has so far had a dud year.  Hermione's was 
during PoA where she kept bursting into tears (which I'd easily 
attribute to hormones as well as overwork).  Ron's was GoF, where his 
feeling of being overshadowed all the time got to him.

> 
> During his detentions Harry is tortured by writing nearly endlessly 
using his own blood.  
> He seems curiously passive about all this.  One would think that, 
having seen it used to 
> help resurrect Voldemort a few months before (in GoF), he might be 
more suspicious of 
> Umbridge's motives, especially since he really doesn't know (at the 
time) if she's allied 
> with the Death Eaters.  I guess JKR just wanted to show he was 
tough, and reinforce the 
> evil intent of the odious Umbridge, since nothing really came of it 
in the end.  

Strangely Lee Jordan doesn't do anything about it either..  And I've 
wondered about Goyle being given lines at the end of the Quidditch 
match that gets Harry banned.
 
> 
> Regarding training, I note that Harry's father, James, was an 
animagus by the time he 
> was Harry's age.  I wonder why Harry has shown no interest in 
learning this skill.  Surely 
> it would be useful to have an animal form that could be used for 
surveillance and escape.  
> His father apparently learned it on his own too.  Could/will 
Harry?  
> 


I don't think so, we've had animagii to death.  But I also think that 
Harry has neither the reason too (he hasn't found a werewolf friend 
yet) or perhaps the talent in transfiguration.  I thought that James 
was meant to have a talent for transfiguration, whereas Harry's seems 
to be DADA.  I wonder if James could produce a Patronus at Harry's 
age.

>Still, it would be 
> nice if, all on his own, Harry took it upon himself to do something 
constructive without 
> being prodded by Hermione or Dumbledore.  Now that he's seen 
Voldemort and 
> Dumbledore duel, surely he must develop some sense of urgency about 
his lack of skills, 
> right? 

I don't think Harry does have a lack of skills.  And Hermione wasn't 
as quick with her shield charm in the final battle.  From memory she 
was the first to fall in battle. 


> 
> I realize this post seems pretty negative.  Truth is, I really 
admire and enjoy Rowling's 
> work.  But I have to admit that the characterization of Harry in 
the latest installment in 
> the series gave me pause.  I hope she resurrects her title 
character in the next two 
> books, if for no other reason than to make the point that boys grow 
up too.


I reckon he will.  Death of a parent or loved one will do that to you.

Karen