[HPforGrownups] Harry and respect

[Jesta Hijinx]

No: HPFGUIDX 54232




>To put it bluntly, learned colleagues, I don't blame Harry a bit for not
>always being perfectly respectful of his elders.  Quite a few of those
>elders do not behave in ways that deserve respect, and I have always
>believed that respect must be earned, not just "strewn gratis on the common
>ground,
>like pearls before grunting swine."
>
[snip of excellent examples]


I totally agree, Eric.  I think the whole thing about Harry showing 
insufficient respect for elders simply because they are "elder" is a bit of 
a canard, personally.

He's had very poor role models - okay, let's take the Dursleys.  First of 
all, the Dursleys are meant to be *caricatures* - I do not expect any real 
redemption for them, nor hidden deep secrets, because they are meant to be 
an amalgam of all irrational prejudices against both muggles and wizards 
that are out there.  It's amazing that Harry *isn't* in a place like St. 
Mungo's owing to the treatment that's been doled out over the years; the 
Dursleys are lucky that Harry evidently got a sweet nature genetically, and 
isn't the vengeful sort who will set their house on fire while they're all 
sleeping in their beds.

There are times when it is appropriate to question authority, or even to 
defy it when it does wrong; and one doesn't flip a switch at age 18 and 
suddenly emerge with that sort of backbone.  Trusting and obeying some of 
the adults in the WW that we've been shown could have had fatal or injurious 
consequences.  Disturbing as that is to modern American adults, it's the 
truth.  I was raised by parents prejudiced against African-Americans and 
Asians, especially Japanese; should I have obeyed them as a child and taken 
on their attitudes?  Especially when I knew them to be wrong?

Same with Harry:  he knows that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are just plain 
wrong about some of the things they think and do.  It's not quite clear how 
he acquired this sensibility, but have it he does; I always find nature v. 
nurture questions fascinating when they pop up in fiction, because they are 
often quite different from what we are taught by modern pop psychology.

Felinia

_________________________________________________________________
STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail