Not liking Harry's character (was Parenting Harry )

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 120178


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Juli <jlnbtr at y...> wrote:
> 
> 
> --- mcmaxslb <McGregorMax at e...> wrote:
> > 
>> 
> > Well after 5 novels the fact that Harry is the hero
> of the Harry Potter books is not going to change and
> if all of you just can't seem to deal with that then
> maybe you should simply stop reading the books.
> 

Hmmm.  Well, at the risk of making myself a lightning rod, I think 
I'm going to have to partially agree with this one.  Now, let me 
explain what I mean by that.

I think that there are a lot of people, particularly a lot of adults, 
who really aren't interested in the character of Harry.  Now, there 
isn't anything wrong with that at all.  However, it does illustrate a 
fascinating phenomenon.

Many people (I'm not one of them, I hasten to add) don't care for 
Harry, or the other members of the trio, because they find them to 
be "standard."  That is, "standard orphan Hero grows up to save the 
world."  The adult characters, on the other hand, are very unusual in 
the setting of "children's" fantasy in the depth of their 
characterization.

I think a lot of adults (and perhaps kids too for all I know) really 
sympathize strongly with one or the other of the adults.  We can't 
help but put ourselves in their shoes and speculate as to what makes 
them tick.  The more possible explanations, the more interesting this 
can be -- thus the fascination with Snape.  Now, I have to admit that 
I rather agree, just personally, that I don't understand why anyone 
would be interested in Snape or find him likeable or amusing in any 
way.  His remarks are hurtful and I have never understood it when 
people find hurtful remarks amusing or argue that people who make 
them are "good."  By definition, in my opinion, people who make 
remarks of the type Snape makes are not good people.  However, I 
don't think people who like Snape are bullies.  I find it 
inexplicable, but that doesn't mean much.  There are a lot of things 
I don't understand.  

Nevertheless, although I can't fathom why, the fact remains that 
there are plenty of people who are fascinated by, and even identify 
with, Snape.  There are also people who identify strongly with 
McGonagall, Lupin, Sirius, and Dumbledore.  It is one of the favorite 
exercises of the fandom.

And that is the right of every reader.  JKR can write whatever she 
wants.  Readers can react any way they want.  That's the way it works.

However, it is true that JKR has made it clear that the books are 
very much about Harry.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with being 
fascinated by other characters.  However, if one makes the mistake of 
wanting "X" to become the hero or heroes of the epic, or for their 
story to move to center stage and overshadow Harry's, well... that's 
likely to be a recipe for severe disappointment.  And there will be a 
lot of very disappointed people when all is said and done, because 
there just isn't room enough and time to tell the stories even of Ron 
and Hermione fully, much less Neville or Luna, much less any of the 
adults.  I don't say that as any sort of judgment about what people 
should or should not be interested in, but just as my reading of 
JKR's repeated remarks about what interests her and what the epic is 
about.


Lupinlore