Depression and Harry in OotP

[Susana da Cunha]

No: HPFGUIDX 110774

Del wrote:
>As I said in another post, I was *expecting* Harry to experience some kind
of depression at the end of GoF. But when I started OoP, I saw that JKR
didn't seem to be taking him in that direction. I was actually quite
surprised at how *little* he seemed to be feeling bad when awake. He's angry
and frustrated, sure, and he even goes into an alternating pattern of
overdrive and stupor after the Dementor attack, but he never seems to dwell
on Cedric's death or on anything else. He's looking *forward*, he's in a
*positive* mood concerning the war, he has a healthy dose of self-esteem,
he's sure of his capacities, and so on. That was confusing to me at first,
especially considering that we are told that he's got nightmares about the
graveyard almost every night. And then I understood that the answer might be
precisely that :  is brain is processing the events at night, so Harry
doesn't have to process them during the day. After all, we're talking about
a boy who showed almost no sign of dysfunction after being abused for 10
years ! It's not such a strech to assume that he must have a very effective
built-in coping mechanism.






I read most of the posts under this subject and I was surprised of how many
people fail to see that.

Harry is a tough boy that had a tough childhood and is having a very tough
adolescence.

I had a tough adolescence myself (though not a tough childhood) and I think
that helped me a lot, later in life, when i did suffer from depression.

But most importantly, it helps me understand Harry's anger and frustration
=extremely= well. (I knew there was a gratification coming to every thing I
went through! ;-) )


So I will try to explain:



First of all, you must imagine you're fifteen. It doesn't work at the age of
30 (at that age you 'just' get depressed!). At fifteen you want to have a
large group of friends who are all very cool and think you're cool; you want
to date; you want to do things you weren't allowed when you wore a child;
you want to build something you really believe in (so you join
clubs/organizations); you think you know the whole picture; and (most
importantly) you want people to take you seriously!



At all of this, the lack of only the latest will get you angry and
frustrated. But, oooohhh, the way it gets you!



At OotP, Harry is not 'just' being ostracized by society, he is being
ignored/treated like a child by adult figures he regards (DD, Mrs Weasley).
And I tell you, from the personal experience of having both those things
happening to me while growing up, the first just gets you angry (though very
angry) and the latest gets you... crying, screaming (to any one, at the
slightest provocation), wanting to hit someone (mostly the adult figures who
ignored you), wanting to run away...



It also amplifies the other things you want/need as a teenager:



You start thinking that you really, really are the ONLY person in world that
has the whole picture (the others can't even see that you're a very mature
person and that you can handle yourself)!



So you think it's ok to break some rules because the people imposing them
don't know better (in Umbridge's case this was true, of course, but I was thinking about disregarding occlumency practice or listening behind doors to things that the less people know the better).



You also get passionate about your interests - in Harry's case Dumbledore's
Army.



And as for dating... well, that is personal and can't be extrapolated. In my
case, I didn't want to love anyone but I saw dating as part of having many
friends and being cool so I dated many boys who didn't mean a great deal to
me (and many others who did).

In Harry's case, I believe he liked Cho but needed his love to be unpolluted
by the other terrible things in his life.



And speaking of terrible things, my argument is that Harry's conduct in OotP
is perfectly normal for a strong-willed fifteen-year-old boy who is being
treated like a child (Don't get out of the house; You're too young to be in
the Order; Don't go anywhere without a guard; Don't be an attention-seeking
brat; etc.)



But over that, Harry has a psycho trying to kill him (Don't worry. The
adults are taking care of it. You don't need to know what he's up to. Might
trouble your little mind.); he witnessed a murder (Don't be an
attention-seeking brat.); and he knows a very dangerous person is on the
loose gathering strength (You must tell no lies.) while no one seems to care
(Don't be an attention-seeking brat.).



I think he took it rather well.



Susana