Harry : compassion vs saving-people thing

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 114872


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Lady Macbeth"
<LadyMacbeth at u...> wrote:
> Hannah wrote:
> 
> Harry is a teenager - in the first book, he's only just 11.  He
> isn't terribly perceptive about people's emotions and finds it quite
> hard to relate to people emotionally.  This is understandable, given
> his loveless upbringing, and his age.  I don't think he's exactly
> uncaring, he's just got a lot going on in his mind and is a bit
> unobservant about peoples' feelings.
> 
> Lady Macbeth replies:
> 
> And age 10-11 is when, according to Sociology standards, children are
> supposed to be entering this phase of understanding - compassion -
in being
> able to identify with the feelings of others.  It's why we have to tell
> TODDLERS things like, "How would you feel if she hit you?" or "How
would you
> feel if someone broke YOUR toy?"  Age 5-10, while they're in elementary
> school, comprises development of this skill - it's generally
accepted that
> by age 11, they should be starting to hone that skill, not just
beginning to
> learn it.

Annemehr:
But what about Hannah's point about Harry's upbringing?  What sorts of
things do you imagine *Harry* was told as a toddler?  Or Dudley, for
that matter?  At primary school, where Harry had no friends, there was
still no opportunity to learn social interaction, let alone develop
any fledgling insights into the feelings of others. Dudley and the
gang kept him isolated there.

After starting Hogwarts, Harry is playing catch-up as far as learning
how to deal with others. Just *sharing* some treats with a friend
during his first ride on the Hogwarts Express was an entirely novel
experience for him, after all.

Annemehr