[HPforGrownups] Percy's letter

Tue Sep 9 00:32:23 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 80228

Golly wrote: I'm not saying you are wrong or it isn't a good guess...  But this is 
exactly what so many thought would happen in OOTP.  It seemed a 
reasonable reaction for the secretive and noble Harry. Having failed 
to protect Cedric he would shy away from his friends and believe 
himself a danger.  

My reply:  Cedric was not anywhere near as close to Harry as Sirius was.  Sirius was his "father" for all practical purposes.  And Harry feels directly responsible for Sirius' death, had he not been at the MOM that night Sirius would not have come.  Yes, Cedric's death was partially Harry's fault, but not as direct as the death of Sirius.  Harry was more a witness to Cedric's death.  

Golly again:  He didn't blame himself for Cedric's death.  He didn't 
behave anything like most thought he would. He wanted desperately to 
be taken away again and wouldn't dream of sacrificing his own 
pleasures to protect others. (I can't think of anyone who would have 
considered temper tantrums and Harry suddenly developing a heaping 
amount of arrogance.)  Of course it is up to every reader to decide 
whether they think this unique turn is for good or ill, but I think 
remembering our past is important.

My reply:  I apologize ahead of time for getting very child development orientated here but it is my feild of study and it is what I know the best so I will use it as a frame of reference.  I believe that Harry's reaction is a very normal reaction for children his own age.  Child researcher, Piaget, claims that with adolescence comes egocentricism.  Basically, egocetricism means that the teenager is concerned primarily with his own thoughts and desires, and in addition to this, he believes everyone else is primarily concerned with him also.  The world revolves around the teenager.  In chapter one of OOP we see very clearly that Harry is upset that they are "having fun" without him.  He is even more upset that they refuse to tell him what is going on.  I

t is during this chapter that we see the first hint at an arrogant Harry come to life:  "Hadn't he, proved himself xcapable of handling more than they?  Had they all forgotten what he had done? Hadn't it been he who had entered the graveyard and watched Cedric murdered then tied to that tombstone and nearly killed?"  (OOP, US, pg. 8).  

Your right, we have not seen Harry arrogant before this point.  I personally do not believe this is true arrogance I believe this is hurt, pain, he wants to know why they are doing this to HIM.  Harry is primarily concerned for Harry!  Yes, this is sad we do not want to see Harry go through this, but this is normal.  Many teens do this, it's not that they do not care about anyone else they just are very concerned about themselves and what is going to happen to them.  Piaget has a name for this type of arrogance that is seen in teens its' called the Personal Fable.  It is the belief that everyone happening to the adolescent is unique.  True, Harry, has had a very unique life and noone else has ever had to go through this.  But Harry wants to be acknowledged for what he has accomplished, he wants recognition.  

Would I have predicted this at the end of GOF, no, not really.  I would not have predicted that Harry would become arrogant and angry, however, at the end of GOF I assumed that Harry would have a normal summer for him.  He would have stayed at the Dursley's until he was picked up by the Weasley's after his birthday and go on to spend the rest of the summer with Ron and Hermione.  However, this did not happen.  Harry spent most of his summer at Privet Drive, only recieving a few owls from his friends and Sirius.  He was not told anything about what was going on, and even worst than that, he knew that Ron and Hermione were together.  I would be angry too if I thought all my friends were involved in some plot against Voldemort that I was not allowed to participate in.  Just my thoughts.  However, I think this summer Harry will only vaguley Owl the order to tell them that he is okay and basically not really have much contact with the wizarding world.  Why?  Because Harry knows that he
 will not get much information by way of letters so it's not really that useful to inquire is it?

Golly again: So I'm not sure of anything...  What I do know is that Rowling likes 
to feel she's in control.  She enjoys knowing more than we do. It 
seems like a game for her and us.  I feel we are almost in a sort of 
tug of war where she wants us to be passive readers and let her tell 
the story and we want to pull the story out of her.

My reply:  This is true, but there are some predictable eliments to each story.  Is this the one?  I'm not sure, but I do think that what she has done is perfectly natural.  I still believe that this next year is going to be a tough one for Harry.  I just pray that it isn't too horrible to read.

~Melanie

We shall never forget Sirius Black....long live his memory!  
Come visit my LJ http://www.livejournal.com/users/princessmela2

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