OOP - Harry and his attitude - Next two books

[jenniferm752002]

No: HPFGUIDX 63717

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lhunneb" <LHunneb at a...> wrote:
> I've been reading a lot of people being upset about Harry's 
attitude 
> in OoP - so whiny and angry.  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.




I agree that this book was a turning point in that Harry is a lot 
angrier now- losing his parents, the nastier side of fame, the 
Dursleys, Cedric, the death of his godfather etc. Harry needs to put 
all his anger and bitterness in control or he will be in danger of 
becoming someone like Voldemort-devoid of love and happiness. That's 
the key. Tom Riddle had similar pain in his life- his mother dying, 
dad leaving and his terrible treatment at the orphanage but he let 
his anger consume him. That's why JKR says that's it our choices more 
than our abilities that make us who we are.