Harry's questions ... parents - Dangerous Questions

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 117398


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214"
<dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Magda Grantwich 
> <mgrantwich at y...> wrote:
> 
> snip.
> 
> > My annoyance with Harry over the whole curiosity issue has grown 
> > so much that it interferes with my willingness to see him as an
> > attractive character.  I'm starting to think he's just dumb in a 
> > lot of ways.
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Yes, it is annoying, but I believe that this is plot dictated and 
> plot dictated only. He is not supposed to know yet, so he is not 
> asking. But I agree with you - it looks more and more stupid in 
> every book.
> 

bboyminn: 

Undoubted from the external world, the world of the reader, you are
right JKR doesn't want us to know things and therefore Harry doesn't ask.

But from the internal world, the world of the characters, we must
ponder whether these never-asked-questions are in-character; and
whether there is a consistent flow of storyline, in a sense, is the
storyline also in-character. If the absents of questions is so
jarringly abrupt that it pulls us out of the story in-the-mement then
that is a sign of poor writing.

> Alla continues:
>
> She could get away with it in the beginning  with "Dursleys forbade 
> him ot ask questions, so as abused kid he subconsciously decided 
> that he would be better off not asking" or something like that, but 
> he is fifteen now and had been in Hogwarts for five years.
> 
> I don't think Harry is dumb, but he'd better start asking in the 
> HBP. :o)
> 
> Alla

bboyminn:

When ever this comes up, I bring up the same point. I really don't
think people are giving enough weight to the fact that Harry was
raised in an abusive and oppressive household. Yes, people acknowledge
that, but I don't think they make enough of an effort to look at the
underlying psychology. 

Living in a household like this is like living with an armed bomb that
has a hair-trigger; the slightest tremor is likely to set it off. So,
the abused is likely to learn very early on to tread lightly through
that world.

An abusive household is also irrational, there is no logic or reason
to what sets off the abuser. In many cases, the abuse is initiated by
a random insignificant event that is nothing more than an excuse for
the abuser to re-engage in abuse. 

Examples: You bring the abuser a cup of tea, and it is either too hot
or too cold, or the abuse is triggered by the fact that you put the
tea down on an end table rather than handing it to him directly.
Another example which more clearly demonstrates the irrationality of
it all, you bring the abuser a beer and the beer is too cold, like you
can actually control the temperature of the beer. No logic ...no rhyme
...no reason. Being too quiet is as likely to set them off as being
too noisy.

In this dangerous and irrational environment, you learn very quickly
to stay as small, unobtrusive, and as invisible as possible. To us, a
question is a question, but to someone in an abusive situation, a
question is a dangerous and potential deadly thing. So, you learn to
avoid them.

Carrying this farther, given that an abused child is under the control
of adults in every aspect of his life, and those adults are either
abusers, enablers, or indifferent, you really don't develop much trust
or faith in adults. In addition, the Enablers and the Indifferent are
more likely to get you into trouble than out of it.

Harry is also, in general, very polite; that's another defense
mechanism; it's a way of disarming people. 

Harry, while friendly to most, really only has two or three close and
trusted friends. Again, the enablers, the indifferent, the unengaged
are more likely to cause trouble than prevent it. So, Harry sticks
closely to the small haven of safety that is his few friends.

Harry doesn't go to adults for help, and this is true of a lot of
kids. Kids, in general, live in their own private world. They don't go
to adults when the should because adult are authority, and authority
meters out punishments. Going to an adult, in a child's eyes, is a
sure and swift road to trouble. Harry has far more motivation and
experience warding him off of trusting adults than most other kids.

Harry is independant. In an abusive household, you have no other
choice but to take care of yourself and solve your own problems. You
either learn to be independant, or you die. 

In addition, Harry makes the same mistake we all make with the people
we love; we assume there will always be time. That heart-to-heart
we've desperately wanted to have our whole lives can wait until next
week, or until we aren't so busy. No hurry, there will always be time.
Then suddenly our loved one dies and we desperately and deeply regret
that we didn't make the time.

I say, that if you look at the underlying psychology of Harry, then
his actions are very reasonable and consistent given his history. They
are very much in-character. Harry's been alone his entire life, or at
least the part of it that he can remember, and it is from that deep
seated point of singularity that he lives his life.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)