Quidditch as Metaphor/Krum

[Petra Pan]

No: HPFGUIDX 53680

Yours truly:
> > The comparison here between Harry who 
> > refrained from catching the Snitch and 
> > Krum who didn't would make the case 
> > for considering Harry to be a team 
> > player and Krum not IF we are given 
> > the impression that Krum was motivated 
> > by the desire to "preserved his own 
> > status as the most brilliant Seeker" 
> > on the way "to get glory for himself."  
> > Mind pointing me again?  I never got 
> > that impression.

Debbie:
> I think the hints of disapproval are
> there, but they are very subtle:
> 
> 1.    The Bulgarian team members "shaking 
> their heads and looking dejected."
> 
> 2.    Everyone, including the Irish team
> and Ludo Bagman, were taken aback at
> Krum's actions.

Yes, I agree that the above can be read as 
signs of disapproval on the part of Krum's 
teammates, opponents, officials and 
spectators.  But does it logically follow 
that societal disapproval of Krum's action 
proves that Krum is out to get himself a 
bit more glory?  Or has your point gone 
completely over my head somewhere?  Very 
possible, of course...

> 3.    The final score was 170 to 160. 
> He gave up on his team when they
> only needed to score only two more
> goals in order to put victory within
> reach.  One goal would have put a tie
> within reach.  Krum's action sealed
> the team's defeat.

Ah, here's where our readings diverge.  
I don't see Krum as having given up 
on his team at all, and he'd be 
justified seeing that they were down 
160 points right before he caught 
the Snitch.

In order for Bulgaria to win in your 
scenario, two things have to happen: 
(1) Krum must catch the Snitch AFTER 
(2) Bulgaria outpace Ireland by at least 
two goals.  And the previous action in 
this game does not support this scenario: 
Ireland is scoring 16 goals for every 
goal that Bulgaria scored.

Then there's the fact that Lynch spots 
the Snitch as Krum was taking a bludger 
to his face.  At this point no feint is 
going to divert Lynch and no referee is
stopping the game.  What could Krum 
do but to go after the Snitch despite 
having just been injured?  Foul Lynch?  
Can't really tell from text if it's 
even possible for Krum to do so....

Seeing that Ireland is outscoring 
Bulgaria by 160 points at the time Krum 
ended the game, perhaps we may extrapolate 
from that ratio that perhaps by the time 
that Bulgaria scores that two additional 
goals, Ireland may possibly be hundreds of 
points ahead.  If so, the 150 points that 
the Snitch would bring would not do 
Bulgaria much good.  This is why the fact 
that Krum caught the Snitch in this 
sequence of events doesn't indicate his 
inability to be a team player to me, which 
is why I don't see why he'd be the foil to 
TeamPlayer!Harry.

Debbie:
> Actually, I find Krum to be a very
> sympathetic character.  He is a child
> prodigy, a star athlete at only 18. 
> Girls he doesn't even know are
> chasing after him.  His headmaster
> fawns over him sickeningly.  He's a
> commodity and that's how he's treated
> by almost everyone.  He may never
> have known a normal life.  Not
> surprisingly, he seems comfortable with
> himself only when he's playing
> Quidditch.  His awkwardness and shyness
> away from Quidditch are well documented. 
> E.g., "Harry noticed that he seemed a
> lot less coordinated on the ground." 
> Or the fact that he had to "pluck up the
> courage" to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball.  
> 
> One can hardly blame Krum for showcasing
> what seems to be the only thing people
> value him for.  Krum's evident feelings
> of inadequacy in spite of his
> extraordinary talent echo Harry's
> similar feelings, but Krum seems
> even more isolated than Harry.  Harry
> has a close relationship with Ron
> and Hermione, but Krum seems to be
> kept away from his classmates by
> Karkaroff and singled out for special
> treatment.  Perhaps that's why he
> is so overwhelmingly taken with
> Hermione -- she is the only person other
> than his parents who takes an interest
> in Victor the person and not
> Victor the world-famous seeker.
> 
> Basically, I feel sorry for him.

Yes, me too.  Krum strikes me as who Harry 
might have been if The Boy Who Lived hadn't 
been hidden away in a cupboard for years 
and years.  Not that I would advocate child 
abuse as a method for character building, 
of course.

Petra, a sometime 'sob sister'
a
n  :)

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