OoP Characters (and my thoughts on them)

[Wyn Crane]

No: HPFGUIDX 61841

Dear Fellow Fans,

        I'm rather new here and, as it happens, this is my first posting.
Just so as you know, it's going to contain discussion of the newest book,
Order of the Phoenix.  For that reason, I'm going to dispense with my
'hello, my name is' tag here, then I'll put in the necessary spoiler spacer
so that innocents are spared what I'll be discussing.  :)  --  My name is
Wyndolyn Crane, or Wyn, for short.  I live in Indiana and am 23 years old.
I've been married for three years to my husband, Chris.  (I may mention him,
from time to time.)  I've been a big fan of Harry Potter since book one and
I've yet to find a series of books that draws me in as much, except,
perhaps, for some of Roald Dahl's books.  That said, I've read all of his
books and I've still got Harry Potter books to which I can look forward.  ;)
Ok, with that said.. Let the spoiler spacing commence!

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Just to be sure, four more asterisks.  :P
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        As some of you are probably aware, I'm new here and am henceforth,
until further notice, on moderated posting.  So, to account for this, I
apologize, in advance, in case the subjects of my postings are a bit
outdated or have already been touched upon by other, non-moderated posters.
:)

-> Order of the Phoenix <-

    I can't tell you all how excited I was to feel the weight of that book
in my hands, early Saturday morning.  That comforting, warming weight that
promised hours and hours of reading that would knock my socks off and leave
me in a puddle of bliss.  I also cannot tell you how depressed that puddle
that was me happened to be, when I finally finished the book; it certainly
wasn't bliss, I can tell you that much.  Oh, don't get me wrong, please.  It
was a magnificent book, just as I knew it would be...  And, though I'd
anticipated the darker feel that JKR was going to be incorporating into the
books, I certainly was -not- prepared for it.  It came at me, swiftly and
furiously.  It left me on my knees, gasping for breath.  Metaphorically
speaking, I could feel myself blacking out, dying for a breath of fresh air,
but none was to come.

    Yes, there were laughs.  Yes, it was utterly fascinating, during certain
moments.  But, once it began to grow dark, the clouds never really lifted.
The sun never really shone through breaks in the clouds, because I didn't
feel there were many.  Mrs. Weasley yelled a lot.  Sirius brooded.  Harry
was bitter, angry and resentful.  Ron was depressive and self-critical.
Hermione was, at times, overly analytical and tactless.  The list, it goes
on.  I'm not saying there weren't funny moments to lighten the mood, but..
to me, there was always a dark shadow overlaying them.  It was what I'd call
bittersweet.  Anyway, that's not what I meant to post about.  (I tend to
ramble, sometimes.)

    When I finished the book, I decided I needed something to do, to fill up
the empty, quiet time during which Chris (my husband) read the book for
himself.  So, I logged on to the internet and checked my e-mail.  I'd
accumulated no less than 15 digests from this illustrious, wonderful group!
:)  So, I began reading.  Feverishly, almost, because I was dying to discuss
my questions and emotions with someone else, since Chris wasn't privy to all
I knew.  As I read, I began to frown, here and there.  Perhaps it's just my
strange point of view, but I decided to speak out on what I found that left
me unsettled.  And, so, here I am!

     That brings everyone up to date, hopefully.  (And, I apologize for
those who hate long posts.)  Now:

1.)  Dumbledore
    Why is everyone so down on dear old Albus?  Ok, so he made a mistake.
He's not infallible.  He admitted that he made a mistake, which goes to show
that he's better than others in the books.  However, everyone seems to see
him coming off as some sort of horrible monster for making things more
difficult.  I'd just like to point out that, while he made a mistake, it was
out of a deep love for Harry.  Are there so many of you who haven't made a
situation worse, out of good intentions?  I know that I, myself, am guilty
of such a thing.  What I'm trying to say.. and this is, of course, just my
opinion..  that Dumbledore is still the same loveable wizard.  I still think
that he's a wonderful father figure and/or mentor, even if he messed up.
(He's still my favorite character.)

2.)  Sirius
    ..I'm still not sure what to think about Sirius, right now.  Of course I
liked him and I wanted to see everything go well.  I wanted to see his name
cleared.  I wanted to see Harry never have to go back to the Dursleys.  I
wanted everything to be good and happy!  But, that's not how it happened.  I
also must say that I found it rather off-putting and disconcerting when
Sirius unleashed some of that acidic bitterness on Harry.   (not verbatim,
as Chris has the book) "You're not like James, after all.  He would've found
the risk exciting."  --  This, frankly, hurt my feelings.  All Harry was
doing was caring for Sirius' well-being and wanted to make sure Sirius
didn't get caught.  What did he get in return?  A slap in the face.  -sigh-
Now, I must agree with everyone else on his death scene.  It was so busy.
Too many things happening.  I /almost/ missed it.  In fact, by the end of
that chapter, I felt it was very anti-climactic.  It didn't -really- set in
that he'd died until the later scene with Dumbledore.  Was it just me?

3.)  Harry
    I remember, distinctly, what it was like to be a teenager.  (It's really
not that far behind me, unfortunately.)  I think the reason I disliked Harry
so much in this book was because it hit so close to home.  Touched a nerve,
if you will.  Yes, it was miserable, for me, to basically be reliving
aspects of my teenaged years.  However, I'm still left with mixed feelings
about Harry.  I love him, but I loathe his whinging.  I care for him, but I
dispise his downfalls.  (Sort of the way I feel/felt about myself, I
suppose.)  No one is perfect, though.

4.)  Ron, Hermione and closing remarks
    Again, another painful re-living of my younger years.  Ron's depression
and lack of self-confidence was painfully palpable.  I'm very pleased with
the way that JKR has been able to capture many aspects that, for me, congeal
to represent the essence of being a teenager.  I'd like to agree with those
who've expressed the theory that, while very intelligent, Hermione is still,
in many ways, clueless.  She lacks tact, and usually at the worst possible
times.  I do hope she gets better, as time passes.  --  One of the most
difficult things for me to stomach through the whole book was the arguing.
Mrs. Weasley and Sirius arguing about Harry was awful.  It left me feeling..
I don't know.  Sad?  I could relate to how that could have felt for Harry,
while it was happening.  Hurtful words are just a breeding ground for
festering resentment.   --  There are more things I'd like to talk about
but, going off on so many different tangents, I've lost track of them.
Maybe, later, I'll remember them.  For now, I'd just like to assure everyone
that I -did- love the book.  I still love all the characters and the
wonderful world J.K. Rowling created.  I'm just a bit sad, now.  Like I said
earlier, about OoP, I fear that the books to follow will only continue to
get darker.  The tone has changed, the 'training wheels are off,' and what
little innocence there was to be had.. is lost.  Nothing is sacred, anymore,
perhaps.  :(  I am awaiting the next book with bated breath... and a growing
sense of dread.

--Wyn