Hate Harry / Love Harry

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 101016

Meri wrote :
> Meri back again to clear up her original post: Harry, for someone 
> who was raised the way he was, *is* exceptionally compassionate. He 
> spent ten years in an abusive household, and that he came out of 
> that situation with the ability to feel anything at all towards 
> others that isn't contempt is really impressive to me. 

Del replies :
I know you're going to hate that, but the way JKR wrote it always made
me feel that Harry wasn't that much damaged by his upbringing. There
are people who can go through the kind of emotional abuse Harry was
submitted to and not be awfully damaged by it. And obviously Harry is
one of those people. He always retained a good self-image and a
healthy amount of self-worth no matter what.
Moreover, it's a different matter to know whether Harry is
exceptionally compassionate in the absolute or relatively to his
childhood. If we take the childhood into account, then we can't judge
Draco anymore, who was obviously taught not to be compassionate and
loving.

Meri wrote :
> And yes there is 
> Hermione, but one other example is not "most wizards", and 
> Hermione's actions towards house elves are less from compassion and 
> more from righteous indignation. If she did feel compassion towards 
> them she would have just let Winky alone in GoF. 

Del replies :
Hermione is not most wizards, but she's another Muggle-born just like
Harry. *They* can be expected to be compassionate to so-called
inferiors. Wizard-born kids can't.
And as to what a compassionate attitude is, I guess it depends on
personal sensitivities : I would have done just like Hermione.

> > Meri wrote :
> > > At the end of the ressurection scene in GoF, Harry grants 
> > > Ghost!Cedric's wish to return his body to his parents, something 
> > > which he does at great cost to himself.
> > 
> > Del replied :
> > Yep, *that* one really impressed me !!
> 
> Meri answered : Sarcasm? I can't tell.

Del explains : 
Nope, I was being serious this time. I *was* indeed very impressed
that time. But I'm not sure I would classify that as compassion.

> > Meri wrote :
> > > He never tells Ron or Hermione about Neville's parents after 
> > > learning about their fate
> > 
> > Del replied :
> > So what ? He was forbidden to, he had no right to do so.
> 
> Meri answered : There are lots of things Harry is forbidden to do, 
> and that usually doesn't stop him from gettin Ron and Hermione 
> involved. 

Del replies :
Yes, but it would have been horrible if Harry had revealed a secret
that was not his own.
Morevoer, I don't see what was so compassionate in not revealing
Neville's secret ?

> Meri: Once again, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but 
> the fact is that Harry had never felt worse at that point, and while 
> wallowing in self loathing and greif he managed to feel for another 
> person. I don't know, that's pretty compassionate to me. 

Del replies :
It *is* compassionate indeed. That's what I meant : Harry is learning
to feel other people's pain even when he's feeling bad himself. That's
grownup and compassionate indeed. 

Meri wrote :
> And yes Hagrid is his friend, but Grawp and Norbert weren't really 
> Harry's business, were they? And he helped out. 

Del replies :
When my friends are in trouble, I feel it is my business to help them
out if they ask.

Meri wrote :
> I am still unclear what you mean by "kids like him". Harry is 
> pretty normal a kid. Do you mean average kids? Anyway, Harry is 
> exactly the kind of kid I wish there were more of: fundamentally 
> decent, fun, interesting, and totally normal.

Del replies :
Now that you mention it, I remember that I did not like normal,
average kids, and I still don't. I guess that's where the roots of my
problem lies, right :-) ?

Del, who would love to have an Hermione for a daughter, and maybe a
Neville for a son.