Harry : compassion vs saving-people thing

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 114889



Alla: 
I think I got you. So, Harry does have some amount of compassion 
(that is a relief to hear :o)), but not much than an average person, 
correct?


How about that question? Does Harry, in your opinion has more 
compassion than any other character in the "Potterverse?"
 As for Hermione in PoA, I will take exception albeit not very 
strong about Harry "inflicting that on her"


I wil grant you that Harry was supposed to make amends with her much 
earlier than he did, but are telling me that you expected Harry's 
INITIAL reaction to be any different?

He gets a broom, which is a dream for any quidditch player with the 
competition so close and Hermione goes and tells McGonagall.
 Gee, how about at least talking to Harry first, Hermione?
I think Harry had a right to be angry, although again I did expect 
him to get over his anger much earlier than he did.


As for heroism, we just have to agree to disagree, because I cannot 
envision the hero who is not compassionate in my mind.


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" 
<delwynmarch at y...> wrote:
> 
> (Del mutters to herself : explain yourself clearly, girl, how do 
you
> want people to understand you otherwise ?)
> 
> OK, Alla, I'll try again :-)
> 
> 1. Harry has compassion. Yes he does, like most anyone else. He's
> touched by Neville's predicament at St Mungo's, like all the other
> kids present that day, and like most readers. He's suffering for
> Sirius when Sirius goes hungry, because he was hungry too just a 
few
> months before. Perfectly normal compassion.
> 
> BUT
> 
> I object to the idea that Harry has more compassion than "average".
> IMO he is not *extremely* compassionate. For example, he knows what
> it's like not to have any friends at school, but he doesn't mind
> inflicting that on Hermione in PoA. He doesn't care that her intent
> was noble, he doesn't care that it makes her sad, he doesn't care 
that
> she's over-working herself to death. He doesn't show any 
compassion.
> Even Hagrid reminds him that as a friend he *should* care, but 
still
> he chooses not to. It's understandable, it's normal, but it's a
> definite sign that Harry does *not* have an *extreme* amount of
> compassion, contrarily to what has been posited on this forum 
before.
>