Harry and special abilities (was Occlumency and Shield Charm)

Hitomi japanesesearcher at yahoo.com
Fri Jan 23 20:21:09 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 89481

In response to Del's comments I'll say this, and then I'll leave 
this thread alone, as I seem to continually NOT be able to make my 
point clearly or accurately, and I don't want to dig myself into an 
even deeper hole.
 
The post I made before my last one on this thread, to be perfectly 
honest, I am quite ashamed of.  It was rude, opinionated, not at 
all open-minded (which I always hope to be), and only served to 
drive home the point of those who don't share my opinion.  Because 
Del, you were right, in that we will simply have to agree to 
disagree.  I do NOT worship Harry, I simply love his character.  At 
the end of the day, he's what I go back to read these books for.  
You don't have to like him, nor share my opinion; I would hate it if 
you did, it would make this list rather boring.  I have ALWAYS seen 
Harry as simply human, NOT Superman (for some reason people seem to 
think I do see him as the cliche Mary Sue - I hate Mary Sues).  But 
I think there are qualities about him that I do strive for in my own 
character, but that's only because I relate to him, as a HUMAN 
being.  As I said before, human meaning inherently flawed, and born 
into original sin.  I don't want Harry to be perfect, I love him as 
JKR has written him, and that is as the typical flawed human being, 
with their own special talents and assortment of weaknesses (which 
we all have).
 
Though you will never get me to understand how anyone can see Harry 
as a cruel character (sometimes I feel like I'm reading a different 
book), I do understand how you can not like him.  So I'll leave it 
there.  I'm usually pretty eccentric in my choice of characters I 
like, I always gravitate towards those who have huge flaws, yet 
overcome them by the fact that they love others more than 
themselves.  Altruistic, to an extent.  Ender Wiggin, as I 
mentioned before, Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye, Salinger), 
Tom Joad (The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck), Adam Hall (The Chamber, 
Grisham), Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit, Dickens), to name a few in 
common literature others may know of.  And you can't say that Harry 
doesn't put another's life before his own.
 
In the end, I simply agree with Rowling (as I said before, and will 
risk redundancy for closure): "I really miss all of them, but I 
suppose I'm going to have to say Harry, because he is my hero and 
there is a lot of me in Harry." 
 
Oh, and those quotes I gave come from the perspective of a thirty-
year-old Ender, after the fact of his childhood ;)
 
~ Hitomi
 
"Maybe we're the fools, for thinking we know things.  Maybe humans 
are the only ones who can deal with the fact that nothing can ever 
be known at all" (Xenocide, Orson Scott Card 317).
 
"I'll tell you what *I* think.  I think you don't grow up until you 
stop worrying about other people's purposes or lack of them and 
find the purposes you believe in for yourself" (Ender from Xenocide, 
Orson Scott Card 413). 
 
"People should only be blamed or praised for what they meant to do" 
(Xenocide, Orson Scott Card 430).






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