CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 9, The Woes of Mrs. Weasley - Discussion Questions

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 88424


Marianne had written:
> > This dialogue about Sirius is a case in point.  While Hermione's 
> > interpretation may indeed be JKR's way of telling us the God's 
> honest 
> > truth about what Sirius was feeling and how that affected his 
> > actions, she is much too emphatic and definitive about it.  What 
> > experience does she have with people who have gone through 
> anything 
> > near what Sirius' life has been like to truly develop an 
> > understanding of it?  

And Marina responded:
> Yes, I see what you mean.  It didn't bother me so much, because, 
> frankly, it never occured to me for even a second that Hermione 
> might be right in this instance.  As you say, she has no meaningful 
> frame of reference from which to judge Sirius' mental state.  I 
> think it's telling that the only other person who thinks Sirius is 
> confusing Harry with James is Molly Weasley, who doesn't know him, 
> either, and doesn't even particularly like him.  Nothing Sirius 
> actually does or says indicates any confusion.
> 
> However, I think it's perfectly in character for her to be wrong 
> with complete conviction, and I also think it's in character for 
> Harry to accept what she says as the truth, since he's used to 
> Hermione being the voice of reason and insight in most things.  And 
> when it comes to dealing with their peers at Hogwarts -- Ron, Cho, 
> Neville -- Hermione is pretty reliable.  But she doesn't fully 
grasp 
> the complexities of the adult world, either.  

Marianne replies:
Perhaps it's Hermione style of making her assessments of people that
has led some people to think that she's being set up to make a huge 
mistake in judgment as the series progresses.  I agree, she is always 
very sure of her pronouncements and opinions.  And she often is right 
about things.  But, combine that with her occasional blindness with 
regards to others, and I can see where this could be a problem.  Her 
assessment of Sirius shows this.  She thinks he's lonely (and she is 
probably right about that) but then thinks that, since there will be 
other Order members floating in and out of Grimmauld Place, he'll 
have plenty of company.  She seems not to recognize that a lonely 
person might crave the company of those he's fond of, rather than 
just any warm body that happens to be passing through.

Marina again:
> I think it's no coincidence that JKR surrounds Harry with guiding 
> figures -- Dumbledore, Hermione, Sirius himself, Remus -- who are 
> wise in some things, but are also capable of being wrong about some 
> very important things.  The process of growing up includes learning 
> when to trust others for advice and when to go purely with one's 
own 
> judgement, and to know which person to trust in which instance.  
> Harry spends most of OOP being wrong about this.  Hopefully, by the 
> end of book 7, he'll get the hang of it.

Harry's always had a problem with going to adults for advice. Of 
course, if he did, the course of the books would have been 
dramatically different.  But, you're right, he's got to recognize 
when to trust others and when to go with his gut feeling.  Perhaps a 
sign of Harry's maturity in a future book will be when he goes to 
Snape for advice. (There will be a massive thud heard around the 
world as millions of Potter fans fall over in a dead faint.) 

Marianne