The Sorting Hat

[Ali]

No: HPFGUIDX 88170

Prlrocks:
> I found the first line, "though condemned I am to split you" very
> interesting. Not in the sense of the hat splitting them into different
> groups, but in the sense the hat may be splitting each individual
> person up in relation to their own characteristics. Most agree that a
> good deal of the characters don't fit completely into their said
> houses. Maybe the hat realizes this and sees choosing one part of
> someone's personality over another as wrong. People, I do think, are
> bound to play up characters of their house after all. They fit in
> better that way.
<snip Harry's example>

While it is true that the kids might be inclined to play up to their house
traits to fit it, three things occur to me:

1) Across all 7 years of their education, I doubt that everyone will
continue to suppress all their traits for the sole sake of fitting in.  One
can only hope that when they are near their coming of age, they have the
maturity to realize that if your friends cannot accept you for who you are,
they're not your friends.  I know it's an inane comment to make, but hey,
it's true, even if we're talking about the WW.

2)  Harry, in my opinion, seems to not completely fit the profile you've
drawn.  While he does suppress some of himself, I've been lead to believe
that this was due to him wanting to make himself not at all similar to Volde
mort and has less to do with just not being Slytherin-esque or fitting in.
On top of that, Harry was very young at the time.  There aren't too many
young persons who would think of "using all his strengths" in a time of
crisis.  In addition, doubt in oneself is very characteristic of adolescent
and pre-adolescent persons.

3)  Even given that the first two are not applicable, we are lead to believe
that the sorting hat sorts all different types of people into each house
provided something within them fit the house's profile.  Surely there are at
least 2 people of similar characteractics to be friends with each other?  I
doubt that the sorting hat would purposefully sort a student into a house
that he would absolutely not fit into unless he suppresses some of his
innate characteristics.  Wouldn't that defeat the idea of the house system?

~Ali