Harry's glasses: Protection?

[kjirstem]

No: HPFGUIDX 116173



Carol: 
> Yes, but weak vision is not just any weakness. Being able to see is
> crucial to life as Harry lives it, whether he's playing Quidditch or
> writing an essay for Transfiguration or Potions. It's even more
> crucial--in fact, vital--when he's duelling with DEs or Voldemort.

<snip>

kjirstem:

I agree completely with Carol, and had some other thoughts about the
whole Harry's eyes/glasses/protection issue.  About glasses:

1. peripheral vision suffers - the focus is on what is in front of
one.

2. Glasses distance one from the world and others, in a way.  There is
a screen between oneself and the outside world. 

3. Glasses can be associated with being an observer and in some ways
with judgement.  (I'm thinking of the billboard with T.J. Eckleberg's
eyes and glasses in the Great Gatsby.)

4. Hermione protects Harry's glasses from rain (POA US HB p 177).  (I
thought she also repaired them once, but I can't seem to locate that
incident.  Must be the taint of the medium-which-must-not-be
named. Arthur Weasley also fixes Harry's glasses after they break
during the floo powder journey in COS, US HB p56.)


I think the distancing is interesting here, since Harry is set apart
from others in so many ways. On observing, Harry is the observer in
that we see the Wizarding World through his eyes.

Also, and this has probably been discussed ad infinitem on this list,
but Harry's eyes are associated with his glasses and I am bothered by
a couple things about Harry's eyes:

1. They're consistently described as being Lily's eyes as opposed to
looking like Lily's eyes (from Hagrid's "...but yeh've got yer mom's
eyes" (PS/SS US p47) to Ootp (US HB p47) where Elphias Doge says
"Lily's eyes").  Another thing that strikes me about this is that his
father is the one who wore glasses (Mirror of Erised scene.)

2. His eysight seems to fail when he gets hit in the head (happens
several times in OotP) or has pain in his head (for example,
Dumbledore's face swimming in and out of focus (GOF US HB p671) after
Harry returns from the graveyard.)

The idea of Harry actually having the same eyes Lily had makes me
squeamish, besides not seeing how it would work (Switching Spell and
Shrinking soln? I don't think so).  But, if he did, maybe they don't
work quite right for him, therefore the glasses and the loss of vision
whenever his head hurts?  

Just tossing these thoughts out there - probably repeating someone
else's post...

kjirstem - fighting deeply ingrained lurkish tendencies