JKR Chat "The Crucial and Central Question"

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 92170

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nkafkafi" <nkafkafi at y...> wrote:
>> I don't wholly agree with you there. Harry's decision in SS/PS to go 
> and find the stone before LV does was a very conscious decision. He 
> could have just ignored it as Ron and Hermione were inclined to. And 
> in CoS he actively goes with Ron to the quest of saving Ginny's life, 
> when he already knows about the basilisk part, at least. In fact
> (since you have already raised the knight/paladin theme) I think the 
> resolution of CoS is very chivalry/fairytale: The evil wizard puts an 
> enchanted sleep on the innocent maiden and drags her to his secret 
> fortress. Our knight (with his loyal companion) goes through riddles 
> and dungeons to find the fortress, gets three presents (a bird, a hat 
> and a sword) from the good magician, uses the sword to kill the 
> guardian monster, and then finds where the heart of the evil wizard 
> is hidden and destroys him. Practically the only element JKR left out 
> is for our hero to wake the maiden with a kiss. Well, that would have 
> been slightly overdoing it, as they are only 12 and 11 at the time.
> 

Well, it depends  on how you look at it.

You yourself point out  that he tried to get to the Stone *before* Voldy's
agent (who he presumed to be Snape). When they found that someone 
had already got past Fluffy did they  stop to consider just what  they
might be getting into? No. Not a thought of who or what might be
waiting for them down there. So Harry ends up in a situation that he
hadn't planned for and only his in-built 'protection' (which he didn't
know existed) saved his skin. And if  it had been Snape, how would
Harry have fared then? His Voldy-proofing would have been of no
use at all.

Similarly with the Chamber. Does  Harry consider before-hand how
he will deal with the Basilisk if he meets it? No. In fact he seems to
dismiss that possibility entirely from his mind. Without Fawkes
he would have been toast. A deus ex machina saves him again.

Oh, Harry means well. A damning phrase. Often his actions are
determined by his own set of personal loyalties, to  his friends, to
his parents - all very laudable, understandable and to be applauded
but this is not the same as a crusade against evil in general. He has 
a tendency to rush off in a fit of adolescent enthusiasm, knowing only
half the story and without considering what he might be getting into. 
Consequently, what he  gets into is trouble that needs the intervention
of a force or device that somehow saves him from the consequences 
of his own actions. 

Of course, this is what gives the stories flavour, but it is only now, at
the end of the 5th book, that he is able to put his past exploits into
some sort of perspective. He hasn't chosen his side, it has been
chosen for him. Now he has to decide what to do about it. He's not
exactly enthusiastic about the idea. He may yet rebel.

Kneasy