Why Characters Do What--No Fault--Long

[Mrs.) Lee Storm (God Is The Healing Force]

No: HPFGUIDX 101075

Just to put some things on what I hope will be a more level playing field,
let's examine some of the HP characters and their life difficulties.  In
this way, maybe we can see their motivations for their actions.  I don't
expect everyone to agree, but this is my "fun" for the night. :-)

Harry: Orphaned, living with an abusive and intolerant aunt and uncle and
their son (who can do no wrong in their eyes).  So Harry is subjected to
three people who hate his existence, knows nothing of his biological family,
is forced to wear his cousin's over-large hand-me-downs, probably only gets
taken to a doctor when it's absolutely necessary, is made to eat cold canned
soup or bread and a little hunk of cheese while the rest of the family has a
more normal dinner and said cold canned soup is shoved through a flap in his
locked door, all this as punishment for something which isn't his
fault...pretty rough.  Then, he suddenly has a whole new world opened to
him...the wizarding world; he starts learning about his mom and dad and,
unfortunately, about the evil that took them from him.  And he suddenly has
friends! Decent, nice people who really like him and help him to deal with
the other startling revelation--he's famous in the wizarding world because
he lived through an AK and destroyed, at least for a while, the power of LV.
He also discovers he has money and can buy real clothes that fit him to
order and he can buy candy and goodies to eat and, more importantly, to
share.  And sharing was a good feeling.  So, even though he's been bullied
and beaten down and made to feel very small by the Dursleys, he's still big
enough to want to share, feel good about it, and continue to want to give of
himself to his friends in any way he can.  Having a lack of love given
doesn't quell his inner ability to love, and he loves deeply.  I'm not
talking romantic love, here; I'm talking the kind of love that responds to
love given.  Does that make sense? But right now he's got LV intruding on
his brain, he's had very vague answers to deep and burning questions, it's
hurtful that his friends and those he looks to for support can't/won't give
it...and being told he's a liar when he's not... Put all that together along
with teen changes and Harry's actions are rather typical and understandable.
Not always what we might want to see, but understandable when one brings in
the whole picture.

Ron--He's got a great home life in that he has parents who love their
children very much and would sacrifice whatever it takes to be sure they
have a decent education.  Poor as Ron's family is, there's always room for
one more at their table.  But, the key word is "poor."  The Weasleys are
just making ends meet, and Ron, too, has to deal with hand-me-down
stuff...robes, wand, etc. from older brothers.  And, occasionally, his
resentment of this flares.  He feels out of place when beside the other
students and all their newer-looking robes, books, etc.  As much as he's
Harry's friend, I'm sure he resents Harry's fortune and fame.  But Ron also
has, perhaps, a bit of pride which leads to embarrassment at being given
expensive gifts, etc.  Yet, Ron is a good friend and stands beside Harry as
best he can.  I almost see Ron as Samwise, if anyone can relate to that
analogy.  Sometimes, as in GOF, his resentment comes out full-force.
Whether he truly believed that Harry somehow hoodwinked the Goblet, I don't
think he did, but his resentment, perhaps, made him believe it.  However,
when push came to shove, and Ron realized Harry's danger, whatever he may
have convinced himself to believe to justify his anger was quickly quashed
and the real Ron, the friend, came out of hiding.

Hermione--She, too, has what seems to be a great home life; her parents'
support, and, as Dentists, they probably make enough money to handle the
expenses of their daughter's most unusual school.  However, I don't recall
anywhere mentioning brothers and sisters, so Hermione may be an only child.
This can be tough and lonely, plus she's now straddling the fence between
the muggle world and wizard world.  When she's with her parents, how much
can she share about her life in the WW?  Did her parents know about her
bringing Rita Skeeter home? :-)  Doesn't seem like such a rough life, but it
can be, especially trying to keep everything in balance, I think.  And, it's
possible that Hermione doesn't have any muggle friends which is why making
friends was so rough the first year at Hogwarts.  She's a bookish young lady
and used to, possibly, having things her own way, being an only child.  She
probably comes from a very law-abiding household, hence her disapproval of
rule-breaking; either that, or she's so desperate to prove herself as good
as any other wizard student in Hogwarts that she just overcompensates to the
extreme.  And book-learning about Hogwarts and the wizarding world is a
whole lot different than being physically a part of it.

Snape--His life is vague, but we know a couple of things: 1) He holds
grudges...very deeply; 2) He crossed over to the dark side and returned, but
not unscathed.  Though he's technically an adult, that grudge-holding thing
is going to keep him from moving emotionally forward and reaching his real
potential, IMHO.  He still hasn't finished learning what he can be and how
to let go and so his choices are not always good ones.

LV--Also orphaned and abandoned, as he had no relative--even an abusive
one--that wanted him.  So he lived in an orphanage and we don't know the
conditions of that place; but I'd guess that kids aren't given a whole lot
of TLC and have to learn to rely on themselves or their friends, etc.  So,
the WW was the one place where Tom could feel in some control; he could rise
up and become a prefect and then Head Boy and be the one to control things,
in his POV.  But why stop there?  Here in the WW he had learned the most
wonderful things!  He could bring them out with him and get rid of the
family that had treated him so shamefully.  And, that would only be the
beginning, in his POV again.  He could rule the world!

I could go on and on with these analyses, but enough for now.

Guess what I'm trying to emphasize is that yes, one might be to some extent
a product of one's environment, but there's also that matter of choice.  We
can choose to be miserable or we can choose to seek out some good in the
dregs life has dealt.

Guess those who love Harry feel that he's trying to hold on to that which is
good.  those who love Snape can empathize with the things he suffered at the
hands of bullies in school, etc., realize he is a complex character who is
still growing and may cut him some--uh--growth slack.

Personally, I don't adore Snape; I can understand (if I take the time) what
makes him tick; I could wish for a strap to give him a little whomp from
time to time.

I can also wish for the same strap to give Harry, Ron, Hermione a little
whomp from time to time as well.

As one poster said, the characters are an awful lot like people we knew in
school or know now.  Our likes and dislikes are colored by those images and
not everyone is going to like the same people for the same reasons.  That's
okay, Folks!

Let's just agree to disagree, respecting the opinions of the ones with whom
we may disagree.  I call it constructive disagreement. :-)

Love you all, and I've left a box of Honeydukes Sampler on Flitwick's desk.
:-)  Eat up!

Cheers,

Lee :-)
(Who's got the butterbeer?)

Do not walk behind me,     | Lee Storm
I may not care to lead;    | N2FGC
Do not walk before me,     | n2fgc at optonline.net (or)
I may not care to follow;  | n2fgc at arrl.net
Walk beside me, and be my friend.