OOP: Beginning at the Dursleys (was: OOtP A tad disappointed)

[Dicentra spectabilis]

No: HPFGUIDX 64498

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Matthew Huston"
<matthisattva at y...> wrote:
> 
> What bugged me the most, however was what I call the Sitcom Syndrom!
> (insert dramatic cresendo here)
> 
> Everything must be as it was at the beginning. Every sitcom starts as
> it always does, and ends up back with the characters *pretty much*
> back to their original pole positions at the end. I get the whole
> 'ancient protection thing' ...blah blah, but it is wearing thin, in 
> my opinion.

I disagree.  We didn't reset the clock to zero this time.  In the
other books, Harry was looking forward to a normal school year.  There
was no hint of what was going to happen as he counted the days for
school to start.  He had no worries in the world, and the events of
the previous book were finished and done with.  

The catalyst for those plots occurs sometime at the beginning of the
book.  In Book 1, the catalyst was the admission letter from Hogwarts.
 In the second, it was Dobby's visit.  In the third, it was Sirius's
escape from Azkaban.  In the fourth, it was the charred slip of
parchment with Harry's name on it (though there was a good deal of
setup near the beginning).  

In OoP, Harry is not sitting there at point zero: he's listening for
news of Voldemort's activities.  The events of GoF are not over and
done with.  Harry is still rattled good by watching Cedric die.  

And even though Harry does start and end each novel at the Dursleys,
things aren't exactly the same.  In the first novel, he's totally
under the Dursleys' control, sleeping in the cupboard under the
stairs, doomed to wearing Dudley's old uniform for school.  

In the second, the Dursleys are a little afraid of Harry, giving him a
slight upper hand over Dudley, at least, but Hedwig is locked up and
his school things are too.  

In the third, Hedwig gets to fly outside at night, he's sneaked his
books into his room and writes essays under the covers, and eventually
he tells the Dursleys where to get off as he storms from the house.  

In the fourth, Harry bypasses the Dursleys almost entirely as Dudley
eats grapefruit wedges and Harry eats cake.  Harry hangs the threat of
his murdering godfather over the Dursleys' heads to keep them at bay.
The WW totally invades the Dursleys' house as the Weasleys enter
through the fireplace and destroy the living room.  

In the fifth, he carries his wand with him wherever he goes and begins
to bully Dudley.  His wizarding books and robes are strewn over the
floor of his room, mixed in with his Muggle togs.  The Dursleys try to
chuck him out but Dumbledore's howler intervenes, and we learn that
Petunia's knowledge of the WW is deeper than Harry knew.  And when
Harry is rescued by the Order, Moody leaves behind a glass of eyeball
water.

In other words, Harry's subjection to the Dursleys grows increasingly
weaker and the line between his Muggle life and his Wizarding life
blurs with each story.  By repeating the topos of the Dursleys' house
but changing it subtly every time, JKR shows us how Harry has grown
and in which direction.  It's like that place in the doorway where you
stand every year and your parents mark your height with a pencil.

I've read with interest the criticisms of OoP, and nearly all of them
hinge on "it wasn't what I wanted it to be" or "why didn't it do this
or this or this?"  That seems to be a little strange to me.  Isn't it
better to strap yourself into the ride JKR provides and enjoy it
without comparing it to what you wanted it to be?

--Dicentra