Plot in OotP

[sophierom]

No: HPFGUIDX 118042


> 
> Hickengruendler:
>
 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.

Sophierom:

Nice point.  I'd add another plot "loop" to your list here.  Because
Dumbledore knows LV has access to Harry's mind, he asks Snape to teach
Harry Occlumency. Because Snape teaches Harry Occlumency, Harry has
access to Snape's memories via the Pensieve.  Because Harry looks into
the Pensieve, Snape throws him out of the office.  Because of this
row, Harry never finishes his lessons.  Because of this, Voldemort is
able to continue feeding Harry false images.... and so on.  

I never really thought about the flow of the plot in these terms
before, but it's a fun little game to connect the dots!


> 
> 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. 

Sophierom:
I think the conflict between Harry and the Ministry was ONE of the
major conflicts, but not THE major one.  A big conflict in this book
turned out to be between Harry and Dumbledore. Maybe I'm exaggerating
or misstating their relationship.  But it seems to me that  from the
very beginning of OotP, when Harry is lying in his relatives' flower
bed to hear the news, to the very end, when finally Dumbledore tells
Harry the prophecy, there is a conflict between what Dumbledore wants
Harry to know and what Harry wants (and needs?) to know.  By the end
of OotP, it seems that Dumbledore has come to realize that keeping
Harry completely in the dark is no longer an option.  This is not to
say that he's going to make Harry a full-fledged member of the Order,
or that harry will become his confidante.  But I think, by admitting
he was wrong to keep the prophecy from Harry, Dumbledore has signaled
a huge change that occurred in OotP.  Harry (as well as the readers)
can no longer mistake Dumbledore for an omniscient, infallible man.