OOP: Harry's bullying was Favorite Lines...

[lhunneb]

No: HPFGUIDX 63654

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Mhochberg at a... wrote:
> In a message dated 6/24/2003 4:49:05 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
> marilyn at g... writes:
> 
> > The whole sentiment throughout this scene of Harry picking on 
Dudley
> > even though Dudley isn't currently doing *anything* to Harry 
struck me
> > as much more mean-tempered than Harry has ever been.
> > 
> > Certainly, he's got plenty of history to hold against Dudley, but 
I just
> > couldn't believe that Dudley was just walking along and Harry 
runs to
> > catch up with him just to give him crap.
> > 
> > 
> 
> Yes, Harry wasn't defending himself or being reactive, Harry 
actively sought 
> out Dudley to pick on him. 
> 
> Mind you, Harry is far from perfect and we need to watch our 
tendencies to 
> treat him as "St. Harry, the boy who can do no wrong."
> 
> Throughout this book, Harry wasn't as pleasant a person as we are 
used to. 
> OTOH, those of us with teenagers can certainly relate to teenage 
Harry quite 
> well.
> 
> 
> marilyn at g... writes:
> 
> > I can see getting freaked if you thought I meant
> > Dudley was more sympathetic a character than our beloved Harry!
> > 
> 
> Not likely on THIS list!!
> 
> ---Mary

I think that JKR is taking us through the process of Harry's growing 
into a man.  When we met him, he was still wide-eyed and still quite 
retiring, from years of having been treated like a nothing. 

Now that he has had personal successes and is getting a sense of his 
own power, he is also in the middle of teenage puberty.  He is 
handling hormones, fame, stress and responsibility all at once and is 
being tempted by the darker side of magic.  The way that's easy as 
opposed to the way that's right.

I believe that this is the struggle that Harry will go through in the 
last two books.  Learning that revenge is a dreadful reason to do 
anything, including fight evil.  All the negative or painful feelings 
in his life, (Draco's cruelty, Snape's unjust nastiness, bating by 
Dursleys or anguish over the death of loved ones), are not a good 
justifications for cruelty, pettiness or reckless use of power.  

I believe that Harry will learn that the struggle is not for his 
life, or the life of Voldemort, but really for Harry's own soul.  
Once he wins that battle, he will be able to use the "power that the 
Dark Lord hath not" to easily defeat Voldemort.