Undercover Percy

n_longbottom01 n_longbottom01 at yahoo.com
Wed Sep 17 18:19:15 UTC 2003


No: HPFGUIDX 81016

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Rebecca Stephens 
<rsteph1981 at y...> wrote:
> 
> --- n_longbottom01 <n_longbottom01 at y...> wrote:
> 
> > On my first, and second read through of OotP, it
> > didn't strike me 
> > that Percy was acting out of character in anything
> > that he said or 
> > did.  
> 
> See, that's strange to me.  Maybe it's because I've
> always been a Percy lover, but from the moment I saw
> him in OOTP the words "something is *wrong*"
> reverberated through my head.  I fully expected some
> explanation before the book was finished.  And, when
> there was no closure at all, I felt that we'd hear
> more in the next book.
> 
> It's interesting sometimes, how differently we can
> read the same book.  So many different impressions and
> interpretations.  That's what makes this list so fun.
> 
> 
> Rebecca
> 

Now me, n_longbottom01:

I don't think I am as far from your "something is *wrong*" with Percy 
interpretation as you might think.  I like Percy too, and I was 
pretty disappointed in him in OotP.  I did see an unpleasant, and 
startling change in Percy's character, like you did.  It's just that 
it didn't occur to me, on my own, that this change was caused by 
anything other than Percy's own ambition.

I guess I saw this change in Percy as the next big step in the path 
he has been on from the beginning.  That's what I meant when I said 
that I didn't think that Percy was acting out of character in OotP. 
There has been a change in Percy's character, but I saw it as a 
progressive change, so it didn't set off my Imperius Curse detector 
as I read through the book.

So, don't get me wrong; when Percy sent back his Christmas sweater, I 
didn't think to myself, "That's Percy for you, what a jerk."  I 
expect better from him, but he is making poor choices.

You are right, Rebecca, differing interpretations are what make this 
list so fun.  Now that I've seen theories like Undercover Percy I am 
holding onto some hope (however small) that the Percy we see in OotP 
isn't as bad as he seems. 





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