Harry's cupboard was Re: Theoretical boundaries

[imamommy at sbcglobal.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 120611


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> 
> Pippin previously: 
> It occurs to me that if ten year old Harry is in his cupboard all 
> the  time,  the only reason there are spiders in there is because 
> Harry tolerates them -- otherwise he could sweep them out. 
> 
> Lupinlore: 
> Only if permitted to do so by the Dursleys.
>  
> Pippin:
> Since Harry does the cleaning, according to CoS where he says 
> he's had plenty of practice with the Dursleys, he has access to a 
> broom --  I was amused by Alla's protest that Harry wouldn't be 
> able to get rid of the spiders by magic. Who needs  magic to 
> sweep out spiders?  Also, since Petunia certainly wouldn't 
> tolerate spiders anywhere else in her house, it's really hard to 
> see where more spiders would come from, once Harry had got 
> rid of them. Another mystery <g>
> 
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> LOLOL! Pippin. That is true. For some reason I was only thinking 
> about magical possibility of getting spiders out. Don't ask me why, 
> because I would not know the answer. :)
> 
> I think Lupinlore has a point though. Dursleys told Harry what to 
> clean and where to clean, right? Do you think they would permit him 
> to make his living conditions more tolerable even if it involves 
his 
> labor only? I think they would not allow that if only out of spite, 
> JMO.
> 
> I hope you are enjoying the holidays.
> 
> 
> Best,
> Alla

imamommy:

Interesting he never made sport of squashing them.  I once had a 
blast on a camping trip as a child shooting a rubber band at the 
ceiling of my tent just to watch the caterpillers that were 
sunbathing on the roof go flying.  But I digress.

I think the spiders set up an important difference between Harry and 
Ron, but I'm not quite sure how =to explain it.  Harry never (really)
quails at most monsters; he doesn't love them like Hagrid, but he 
isn't too bothered with them, IMO.  I think he is more fearful of 
terrors of the mind.  Let me put it this way:  take all the "stuff" 
in CoS, the Whomping Willow, the giant spiders, the basilisk, and yet 
the scariest "monsters" in the books were Tom Riddle and Lucius 
Malfoy.  Harry doesn't really fear physical pain or death.  He fears 
losing loved ones, losing his soul, and having his will dominated.

Ron, on the other hand, has lived a fairly emotionally secure life, 
with a close-knit family and two loving parents.  He fears more 
physical things:  lack of temoral security (being poor), not having 
talent at quidditch, and spiders.

So the point I'm trying to illustrate is that the spiders wind up 
being symbolic of the kinds of things Harry is not afraid of versus 
the things Ron is afraid of .  

And Hermione's greatest fear is failure in her pursuits of the mind.

Hmm, just had another thought; do the fears the members of the Trio 
display represent the three basic components of humanity:  mental, 
physical, and emotional?  and do they not also each exhibit strengths 
in the same categories?

Am I making any sense to anybody?

imamommy
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give 
unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient 
for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble 
themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak 
things become strong unto them."