Plot in OotP

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 118025


Hickengruendler:

In a few recent posts, I read the opinion by some posters, that OotP 
has let Plot than the previous books. Some where quite happy with 
this, others disappointed. But I just question this statement that 
there was less plot in the previous books.

Admittingly, there wasn't a Plot twist like in the previous books (as 
far as we know, maybe the ESE!Lupin people will be proven right, 
although I must admit, I really don't think so). No innocent pets 
turning out to be Death Eaters, and no highly suspicious characters 
who actually turned out quite okay (although this is not entirely 
true, there was Zacharias Smith, but he had nothing to do with the 
main plot). However, a good plot isn't only about a possible twist. I 
think OotP was a very well plotted book, with one incident 
consequently leading to another.

For example: Because Fudge doesn't believe Harry, Umbridge is 
appointed High Inquisitor. Because Umbridge is appointed High 
Inquisitor, she sacks Trelawney. Because Trelawney is sacked and 
Dumbledore wants her to stay, he hires Firenze. Because Firenze is 
hired, the centaurs get angry. Because the centaurs were offended, 
Hermione finally developed a plan to get rid of Umbridge, thus 
closing the circle.  

Another example: Because Umbridge refuses to teach them proper DADA, 
the kids grounded the DA. Because of the DA, Dumbledore in the end 
had to leave Hogwarts. Because Dumbledore left Hogwarts, Harry 
couldn't go to him for help after his dream about Sirius. Because of 
this (and some other things, like Snape stopping to teach Harry 
Occlumency), Harry and his friends had to go to the DoM themselves 
and actually had to use, what they learnt.

Admittingly, there were a few useless bits, but not more than in the 
other books. What, for example, does the Quidditch-Cup have to do 
with the storyline in PoA? But most incidents in OotP come together 
for the climax where they have some inportance, and if they don't, 
than most of them were comic-relief, that served as an entertainment 
for the readers, for example the interacting between McGonagall and 
Umbridge and the Twins' schemes.

IMO, GoF is, despite the Moody/Crouch plot twist, a plot wise much 
weaker book than OotP. What purpose does the TWT really serve? There 
were some action scenes and a few new characters were introduced, but 
that's all. The fake Moody made his plan unnecessary difficult, 
because he could have turned everything into a portkey to send Harry 
to Voldemort, instead of the Triwizard Cup. Therefore in 
retrospective, although GoF is my favourite book from the series 
(mostly because of the ending), you can say that the first 4/5 of the 
book were completely useless, quite in contrast to OotP, with it's 
slow build-up to the big bang. Also, OotP developed some characters 
or at least we got some more insight in them, and if there have to be 
for the main plot "useless" scenes, than I rather want to have them 
used for character developed, than for some pointless action scenes.

Another poster criticized, that nothing really changed at the end of 
OotP. That's not really true. The main conflict in OotP was not 
between Harry and Voldemort, but between the Harry (and his 
supporters) and the ministry. And this conflict was resolved in the 
end. Of course the main situation concerning Voldemort roughly 
remains the same, but that is true for every other book as well, 
except obviously GoF. At the beginning of PS Voldemort was gone, and 
in the end he still was. The same is true for CoS and for PoA. Of 
course, in the end of PoA there was a slight difference, with 
Pettigrew on the loose. But this slight difference was in OotP as 
well, with now everybody believing Harry. Also, did we really expect 
some big development on the Voldie front? The series has seven books, 
not five. Of course I can't speak for everyone else, but I at least 
was not surprised that there was not much about the Harry/Voldemort 
conflict in the book. 

But I do think this will change in HBP. I think that at the end of 
the next book, Voldemort will have won a major battle (he sort of has 
to, to keep him at least remotely dangerous), and therefore the 
Status-Quo will change contra Harry. 

Hickengruendler