What JKR Finds Important

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 115971


Ilana Lydia wrote:
"Did anyone out there feel claustrophobic reading OOP--like JKR was
pushing Harry's view to the point that you couldn't see the story
unfold clearly?"

Del replies :

ALL HARRY LOVERS, DO NOT READ !! And I mean it !!

I felt horrible while reading OoP, but I'm sure it wasn't intended.
OoP is the first HP book I actually had troubles reading and finishing
! It took me many days to finish it, when all the others had been over
in a couple of days. I would pick it up, read for a couple of hours,
and put it down, because I was just so annoyed by the whole thing.

My main problem was Harry and his emotions, and particularly the way
he abuses his friends. I was never too close to Harry pre-OoP, but I
did care about him. However, when I ran into
Angry!Yell-at-everyone!Harry, I stopped caring. I was angry at him
more often than not throughout the book, and by the end I positively
wanted to punch his nose flat. To give you an example, I was so angry
at him for going to the MoM in the first place, that when Sirius died,
my only thought was "Serves you well !" Reading about Harry lashing
out at DD after that was more than I could take, I was sooo angry at
him ! And when Harry grieved by the lake, I felt a savage pleasure at
his misery, and wanted to ask him if he had learned his lesson now.
Not nice, I agree, but it shows how detached from Harry I had become.

(Note : now that I'm not so annoyed with him anymore -I got used to
it-, I can actually empathise with Grieving!Harry.)

My other problem, related to the first one, is that Harry's emotions
were masking the story way too often. It had always been that way in
the previous books too, but I felt it more in OoP, probably because I
didn't care much about Harry's emotions anymore. I just wanted him to
get a grip on himself, stop acting like a self-centered git, and start
worrying about what really mattered.

However, I must admit that I wasn't a typical adolescent back in my
young age, and that I still cannot tolerate people shouting to get
their way. That probably explains why I couldn't relate to Harry in
OoP. In other words : my fault, definitely not JKR's. In fact, it is a
tribute to her talent that Harry irritated me so much, as much as a
real person !

I do hope Harry will change in HBP, though.

Del